links page

A B C D E F G [H] I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

H

Hanging Dots.
Line of non-moving dots that appear as distortions at horizontal demarcations where there are sharp colour transitions such as red to blue.
Hard Drive.
Spinning magnetic disk generally inside a computer. The hard drive stores and retrieves data and computer programs.
Hard Disk.
A data storage and retrieval device consisting of a disk drive and one or more permanently installed disks. Increasingly common for storing sound effects and archiving for future use.
Hard light.
Light that makes sharp shadows, like from a bare bulb.
Hardline.
Special low-loss wire used principally by cable TV companies for long cable runs.
Harmonic.
An additional frequency in an audio signal derived from the fundamental or original frequency as a multiple of that fundamental that is smaller in amplitude (power) than the fundamental.
Harmonic disrortion.
When any signal is passed through an electronic circuit, the signal may be changed in many ways. In video, the image may become blurred, noisy or contain shadows. In audio, odd harmonics (third, fifth, etc.) produce harsh and unpleasant sounding audio.
Haufmann.
A generalisation of the statistical encoding method.
HCI.
Human Computer Interaction. - Human Computer Interface.
HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital).
Compact disc encoding/decoding scheme developed by Pacific Microsonics with the goal of improving on the sound of traditional CDs.
HDSL (High Speed Digital Subscriber Line).
A DSL with 750kbps two-way service over two twisted pair.
HDTV (High Definition Television).
Six ultimate quality forms of the digital television standard adopted for the United States featuring AC-3 digital surround sound, a wide aspect ratio screen (16:9) and a high-resolution picture capable of interlaced video with 1,080 horizontal lines (vertical resolution) by 1,920 vertical lines (horizontal resolution) at 24, 30 and 60 Hz refresh rate and progressive video at 720 horizontal lines by 1,280 vertical lines with refresh rates at 24, 30 and 60 Hz.
Head.
Component of a cassette deck (or other audio/video component used to play back and record to magnetic tapes) that is sensitive to the magnetic signals on a tape format enabling it to read those signals and potentially change those signals (record to the tape).
Headphone Jack.
A connection on an audio or audio/video component which receives a headphone connection.
Helical scan.
A method of recording video information diagonally on a tape, used in home and professional VCRs. High speed rotating video heads scan these diagonal video tracks, giving an effective tape speed much higher than the actual tape speed allowing more information to be recorded on a given length of magnetic tape.
Hertz (Hz).
Unit for measuring frequency of d signal; formerly called "cycles per second."
Heterodyne
Method of time base correction used with common and colour-under VCRs, yielding medium resolution pictures. Also, the type of VCR using the colour-under recording method. Hi band VTR Video recorder capable of recording full-fidelity colour signals (as opposed to colour under signals).
Hi Z.
High impedance, not terminated: not 75. An input ready to loop a signal to somewhere else. Hi Z In audio, an input or output having 1000 or more ohms of impedance (resistance to signal flow).
Hi-8.
Eight millimeter tape format with improved video quality similar to that of Super VHS (S-VHS) tape featuring higher luminance resolution (compared to standard VHS or standard 8 millimeter tape) and separate luminance and chrominance carriers (Y/C) for a more detailed picture.
High-Pass Crossover.
Type of crossover that attenuates or cuts off low frequency signals and sends on only the high frequency signals falling above the crossover point (crossover frequency).
Hiss.
The most common audible noise component in audio recording, stemming from a combination of circuit and tape noise. Several noise reduction systems are available, such as Dolby, DBX, DNR (Dynamic Noise Reduction), DNL (Dynamic Noise Limiter), to help alleviate such problems.
Horizontal Blanking Interval.
Time it takes for the electron beam in a cathode ray tube device to move from the end of one horizontal line down and to the left of the screen to begin drawing the next line.
Horizontal Resolution.
Rating of the fine detail (definition) of a TV picture, measured in scan lines. The more lines, the higher the resolution and the better the picture. A standard VHS* format VCR produces 240 lines of horizontal resolution, while over 400 lines are possible with S-VHS, S-VHS-C and Hi-8 camcorders.
Horizontal Scan Rate.
The number of horizontal lines of information a video display can paint onto a screen in one second given in hertz (Hz - cycles per second).
Horizontal Sync.
The sync pulse signal produced at the beginning of each video scan line which keeps a video monitor's horizontal scan rate in step with the transmission of each new line.
Hue.
Distinction or difference between colours ranging from red to blue.
Hum bar.
Hum is usually 60-Hz (60 cycles per second) electrical interference from power lines. When seen on a TV screen, this interference creates a soft dark bar across the screen.
HI-8.
An improved version of the 8mm tape format capable of recording better picture resolution (definition). A higher-density tape is required which provides a wider luminance bandwidth, resulting in sharper picture quality (over 400 horizontal lines vs. 240 for standard 8mm) and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Camcorders using this format are very small, light and provide a picture quality similar to S-VHS.
HI-FI (High Fidelity).
Most commonly used to refer to the high quality audio tracks recorded by many VCRs. These tracks provide audio quality approaching that of a CD. However, because they are combined with the video signal before recording, audio dubs using them are impossible without re-recording the video.
High Band.
High-resolution(over 400 lines) VCR format.
High level or hi level.
Strong audio signal typically sent from an aux out or a line out of a device.
High Speed duplicator.
Device able to duplicate a tape in under a minute.
High speed shutter.
An electronic circuit in a video camera that allows the CCD chip to "see" for a very brief amount of time during each 1/60 second. Like in a film camera, the fast shutter speed reduces motion blur.
Horizontal phase or H phase.
Control on a camera's timing circuits which adjusts the picture sideways to line up with other cameras' pictures. Horizontal size or width control TV set control which makes the picture skinny or fat
Horizontal sync.
The part of a sync signal which aims the TV's electron gun left and right. This holds the picture from jittering or straying sideways.
Host adapter.
Computer circuit that controls the hard drive and processes data going onto or from the drive.
HSB
Hue, Saturation and Brightness.
HSL
The HSL system is used to choose custom colours in well-known programs
H - Hue, the base colour.
S - Saturation, the strength of the colour.
L - Luminance, the brightness of the colour.
HyperText Markup Language.
The formatting commands used to create documents on the WEB.
Hybrid Fiber/Coax or HFC.
Cable TV or phone system infrastructure that uses optical fiber for the high traffic trunk lines and cheaper coax wire between nodes and the homes/businesses.
Hypercardioid microphone.
Very unidirectional and slightly cardioid microphone.

top