STREAMING GLOSSARY
Definitions, examples and related terms for this part of your viewing setup.
TERMS & EXAMPLES
Advanced Audio Coding is a family of audio compression technologies used in many media systems. A player needs support for the particular encoding arrangement supplied by the source, and playback can also depend on container and output handling. An AAC label describes audio encoding rather than programme language, speaker layout or the quality of the original recording.
Read more →AC-3 is an audio coding format commonly associated with Dolby Digital. It can carry different channel arrangements, including surround configurations. A device may decode it internally or, in supported setups, pass the encoded audio onward to another device. The source, player, television and sound equipment must support the arrangement actually being used.
Read more →Enhanced AC-3 is an audio coding format commonly associated with Dolby Digital Plus. It is related to, but distinct from, AC-3, so support for one name does not establish every capability of the other. Playback and output depend on the encoded track and the supported decoding or passthrough path across the particular equipment chain.
Read more →DTS identifies a family of audio technologies and formats rather than one universal playback arrangement. Different variants and equipment have different compatibility requirements. A television, player or receiver may decode, pass through or reject a particular track depending on its implementation, selected output and the complete supported connection path used for sound.
Read more →Pulse-code modulation represents sampled audio as digital values. In a playback setup, a PCM output can mean the source device has already decoded compressed audio before sending it onward. Supported channel counts and sample arrangements depend on the equipment and connection, so PCM does not automatically mean either poor quality or multichannel surround sound.
Read more →Stereo uses two audio channels, normally presented as left and right. A stereo source or output differs from a multichannel arrangement, but its perceived quality still depends on the recording, encoding, speakers and listening environment. A player may receive stereo directly or create a stereo downmix from another supported track when that function is available.
Read more →Surround sound uses multiple audio channels or a supported rendering arrangement to create spatial information around the listener. The programme track, decoding path and speaker equipment all influence the result. A service category or device logo alone does not establish that every programme supplies surround audio or that the household setup reproduces it correctly.
Read more →Audio passthrough sends an encoded audio stream onward for another compatible device to decode, rather than decoding it in the source application or box first. The entire connection chain needs to support the chosen format. Passthrough changes where decoding happens; it does not create an unsupported track or add missing audio languages.
Read more →Audio downmixing combines an audio arrangement with more channels into an arrangement with fewer channels, such as converting supported multichannel sound to stereo. A suitable mix aims to retain important information for the receiving speakers. Its availability and behaviour depend on the application or equipment doing the processing, not on the playlist's display name.
Read more →Lip sync describes the alignment between the sound and picture of a programme. A visible mismatch can originate in the source, decoding, audio processing or display chain. Some equipment offers a timing adjustment, but identifying whether the problem affects one programme, one app or every source helps avoid applying a correction too widely.
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