Home Theater, Surround Sound, Television, Low Voltage Structured Wiring

Glossary of Terms

Home Theater, Surround Sound, Television, Low Voltage Structured Wiring - Glossary

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Early Reflections	Those sounds that arrive at a listener's ears after one reflection from a room boundary.
Echo	A reflected sound that arrives after a delay sufficient for a listener to distinguish it as a discrete event in time. In rooms this is modified by the reverberation time of the space.
ECL - Emitter Coupled Logic	A family of high speed, low power IC logic devices. Also called "Current Mode Logic".
EDID - Extended Display Identification Data	A communications protocol or instruction set developed by VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) for the identification of display devices to computers using the DDC (Display Data Channel) transmission standard.
Edgewound Ribbon Voice Coil	A loudspeaker voice coil that is made from wire flattened into a metal ribbon and then wound on edge. This maximizes the amount of wire in the magnetic gap, improving the performance of a loudspeaker motor.
EDTV (Enhanced-Definition Television)	A designation applied to televisions that can not only display signals in 480-line progressive (480p) mode, but which can also accept 480p signals from video sources such as progressive-scan DVD players. 480p picture quality is superior to standard analog TV (480i), but not as sharp as true HDTV (1080i or 720p). A complete product/system with the following attributes: a receiver that receives ATSC terrestrial digital transmissions and decodes all ATSC Table 3 video formats; a display scanning format with active vertical scanning lines of 480 progressive (480p) or higher; no aspect ratio specified; and receives and reproduces, and/or outputs Dolby Digital audio.
EDTV Monitor	Enhanced Definition Television Monitor. EDTV minus ATSC tuner and Dolby Digital audio.
EEPROM	Electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The information in an EEPROM is erased by exposing it to an electrical charge. Similar to EPROM except in that way in which information is erased. Also see Flash memory
Efficiency (Sensitivity)	Indicates how well a speaker system converts input power into sound. Efficiency is usually measured by driving a speaker with one watt of power and measuring the loudness (in decibels) at a one meter distance from the speaker. The higher the number, or sound pressure level, the more efficient (i.e. louder) the speaker. Efficiency measures the quantity of sound - not the quality.The measure of a device's ability to convert input power to work. Expressed as a percentage. See: Sensitivity
EGA - Enhanced Graphics Adapter	Introduced by IBM in 1984 (replaced CGA: Color Graphics Adapter), the EGA graphics card is configured by dipswitch settings to provide an MDA or CGA output signal. Signal type is TTL, non-interlaced with a pixel line resolution of 640 x 350 and can display 16 colors from a palette of 64 colors (16/64). EGA horizontal scan frequency is 21.8 kHz or 15.75 kHz in CGA mode. Vertical frequency is 60 Hz. The EGA card outputs to a 9-pin 'D' type connector.
EIA - Electronic Industries Association	Standards organization that specializes in the electrical characteristics of interface equipment. Recently they and the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) have produced a wide range of standards for the networking industry.
EIA/TIA T568A	The Commercial Building Telecommunication Cabling Standard which specifies various requirements, topology, distances, media, connectors and useful life expectancy of a cabling system.
Electrolytic Capacitor	A common form of capacitor consisting of a conductive film in an electrolyte. Tends to be used for larger values of capacitance.
Electromagnet	A magnet consisting of wire wound around a soft iron core. It becomes an active magnet when current is passed through the wire, and it ceases to be a magnet when the current stops. See: Magnet
Electromagnetic interference - EMI	This type of interference is caused by an electromagnetic field generated close to your system or anywhere between the power/signal source and your home. A washing machine, vacuum cleaner, or blender (yours or a neighbor's!) can add a loud buzzing or a barely audible low frequency hum to your audio system and distort your TV picture. See: EMI
Electron gun	The part in the CRT that produces the electron beam that is attracted to the phosphor-coated back surface of the screen. The beam strikes the phosphors, causing them to emit red, green, or blue light, creating visual images on the screen.
Electronic Industries Association - EIA	Electronics Industries Association. The association that determines recommended audio and video standards in the US.
Electrostatic	Commonly referring to loudspeakers in which a thin conductive membrane serves as the diaphragm driven by electrostatic forces generated between it and fixed perforated electrodes in front of and behind it. Requires a polarizing voltage, and high voltages to drive it. Electrically capacitive. Usually radiating a dipole sound field. Small maximum displacements limit low frequency output and necessitate large diaphragms, and consequent directivity issues. See: Dipole, Directivity.
Electrostatic focus	Also referred to as electrostatic deflection. A CRT tube, which uses electrically charged plates, instead of deflection coils to focus the electron beam. This method was used only on small CRTs because the larger the CRT, the higher the voltage required, which can cause harmful x-rays to be emitted.
Elevation	The angular distance (up and down) of a satellite above the horizon. During installation of your DBS system, you (or the installer) can punch your zip code or latitude and longitude into the DBS receiver's setup screen and get precise elevation and azimuth angles for your location. You need this information to make sure that your dish is accurately aimed at the satellite.
ELFEXT	Equal Level Far End Crosstalk - The amount of crosstalk at the far end after compensation for attenuation over a run.
EMI - Electromagnetic interference	Any electromagnetic disturbance that interrupts, obstructs, or otherwise degrades or limits the effective performance of electronics/electrical equipment. Electromagnetic interference created when a device radiates electromagnetic waves that are received by other devices. Some kinds of electric motors, car ignitions and computers are notorious for radiating EMI. AM radio is a common indicator of EMI. See: Electromagnetic interference
Enclosure	The box, or other shape of volume, that accommodates the transducers in a loudspeaker system. Normally, its shape is dictated by the acoustical needs of the mid and high frequency drivers, and the volume is determined by the design chosen to complement the performance of the woofer. There are several options for low-frequency enclosures, closed, bass reflex, passive radiator, etc. See: Transducer, Driver, Woofer, Bass Reflex, Acoustic Suspension.
Encoder (video)	A device, often built into video cameras, that changes individual component signals into composite signals. For example, an encoder combines Y (luma) and C (chroma) signals to produce a video image.
Encoding	Converting to a code. In video, the combination of electronic elements into one signal.
Encryption	To manipulate information into a coded form that cannot be read without a device that will unscramble the code. Video signals are also scrambled in cable and pay-TV systems so that the viewer must pay to receive the program after it has been electronically deciphered.
Enhanced-Definition Television	A broadcast system in which existing equipment is used to transmit an enhanced signal. It looks no different on standard television receivers but is enhanced when viewed on those with the extra feature.
EPROM	Erasable programmable read only memory. A device that can store information (instructions or data) and retain it when power is removed. An EPROM is erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light. New information is loaded into the EPROM using a PROM programmer or "burner". Also see Flash memory.
EQ - Equalization	Selective amplification (signal restoration) applied to a signal in order to compensate for high frequency attenuation and other distortions encountered in long lengths of cable. See: Equalizer
Equal Loudness Contours	Graphs displaying contours of equal perceived loudness for single frequencies or narrow band sounds. Each contour is referenced to 1 kHz, and shows the variations in physical sound level required to maintain equal perceived loudness at all audible frequencies. There have been several determinations, for different sounds, under different listening conditions. Fletcher and Munson, Robinson and Dadson, and Stevens are among the best known investigators. See Phon.
Equalization	The process of using an equalizer to correct for problems in an audio system. The difficulty is to know what the problem is caused by, and whether it is the kind of problem correctable with an equalizer. Measurements are usually advised.
Equalizer	A device consisting of adjustable filters that can change the frequency response of an audio system. Equalizers can compensate for frequency response aberrations in loudspeakers, loudspeaker/room combinations, and also for adjusting the tonal balance of recordings. See also: Graphic Equalizer, Parametric Equalizer, Tone Controls, EQ
Equalizing pulses	These pulses cause the vertical deflection to start at the same time in each interval. They also keep the horizontal sweep circuits in step during the portions of the vertical-blanking interval immediately preceding and following the vertical sync pulse.
Equipment Room	Room where voice switches (PBX) and data equipment such as LAN servers, Mainframe controllers are housed. Cross connects and circuit administration is also controlled here.
Ethernet	A technology that allows PCs to interface with one another over home networks and broadband Internet connections. Connecting to such a network requires that your computer have an Ethernet card (either built in, or installed). The very popular 10/100 Base-T Ethernet card - now a standard inclusion on many new PCs - allows transmission speeds of either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps, automatically self-adjusting to the proper speed for the type of connection being made. With this flexibility, Ethernet cards are capable of a particularly wide variety of connection options. IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium. Ethernet has a transfer rate of 10 Mbps. It forms the underlying transport vehicle used by several upper-level protocols, including TCP/IP and XNS
EVC - Enhanced Video Connector	A VESA standard, 35-pin video graphics card connector that can carry signals for video, audio, 1394 (Firewire) and USB (Universal Serial Bus). This allows the computer monitor to act as a central connection hub.
Excursion	The in and out movement of a loudspeaker diaphragm.
Expansion slots	Slots, inside a cabinet that are used to connect additional circuit modules (cards).
Extended Pole Piece	A form of loudspeaker motor design in which the front of the pole piece is extended to improve the uniformity of the magnetic field within which the voice coil moves. This reduces distortion at large excursions.
EzSet™	EzSet™ uses a built-in sound pressure measurement and calibration system that lets you automatically balance speaker channel levels for optimum surround sound enjoyment – regardless of the speaker type or room conditions.

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