All those three or four letters groups, that we all face when dealing with videosurveillance and security systems.

ABB - Auto Black Balance - setting the "black level" of the video.

ABL - Automatic Black Level - Auto-alignment of the black level.

AC - Alternating Current - short name of the alternating current, power supply network, 220 V

AES - Automatic Electronic Shutter - property of the camera to compensate for changes in brightness from bright sunlight to shade.

AGC - Automatic gain control - automatic control of the videosignal gain, an electronic circuit (built-in security camera), designed to maintain an acceptable signal level through gains, when it is too low and reduce it when it exceeds the set limit.

ALC - Automatic Level Control - automatic control of the level of videosignal - such as shooting in the dark without the need to change the settings.

ALC - Auto Lens Control - automatic control of the lens of the video camera. See Auto Iris.

Amplifier - block or electronic equipment used to increase the level or power of the signal passing through it.

Analog - a signal that constantly changes its amplitude. Digital signal, unlike him, has only two values, representing 1 or 0.

ANR (S) = Automatic Noise Reduction (System) - (system) automatic noise reduction; suppresses noise at low signal level in the area of high frequencies.

Anti-Aliasing - Software method to trim the edges of diagonal lines. Improves the display graphics.

APB - Average Peak Balance - balance of automatic exposure of the lens, linked to the attainment of peak levels of brightness in the frame.

Aperture - opening of the lens, which can be regulated, controlling the released light through it.

Aspect Ratio - The ratio of width to height of the graphic display or monitor. It is calculated by dividing the width and height of a number and up to simplify. For example, the ratio of an image with dimensions 640x480 is 4:3, where both values are divided by 160. Probably you guess that 800x600 and above resolutions of the monitor in relation 4:3, because this is a standard that is adopted for monitors. Much of the older TV sets are 4:3, while the new wide-screen monitors and televisions (the name itself speaks for them) are for example in relation 16:9, 2.35:1, etc..

ATW - Auto Tracing White Balance - Auto white balance of color, which tracks the changes of white at the pictures in real time, comparing it with standard white color and reproduce the colors without the need for manual setup. Security cameras placed in specific conditions, however, could alter the adequate color representation.

Audio - sound.

Auto - automatic.

Auto iris - This is an automated method of changing the size of the hole of the lens, depending on changes in brightness. These lenses are ideal for places where there is frequent change of light, an outside parking and entrances of buildings. If the light level is low, the lens iris opens to accept more light and thus improve the quality of the picture, where light is very high, iris of the lens close to the camera is not blinded and not obscure the picture . Some of the cameras have this feature built-in there schematics.

Aux - Auxiliary (AUX) - Additional input / output.

AWB - Auto White Balance - automatically detects the brightest point of the image and determines it for white. Then it determines the other colors based on that specific point.

Back focus - distance from the back of the camera lens to the vertical plane of projection of the image (CCD-matrix in the video camera).

Back light - counter light, taillight, facilitating the photographed object to be separated from the background. Often with different color temperature compared with that of the front lighting, which creates a color perspective.

BLC - Back light compensation - a feature of a video camera to compensate for the direct lighting, while retaining the colors in the image and reduces the chance to dazzle the camera.

Balun - converter (video balun) for transmission of video signals on UTP (twisted pair). There are 2 types - active and passive. With the active one can be achieved distances up to 3000 meters (for b/w images) and 2400 meters (for color image). These distances are 600 meters for the passive video balun.

Bandwidth - the amount of audio or radio spectrum required or used by the signal or wave.

Bayonet mount - the principle of holding a lens to the camera body through three arcs and a fluted ring. Bayonet is often used as electrical coupling between the lens and camera.

BBD - Bucket Brigade Device - the other name of the CCD. See CCD.

BNC connector - Bayonet Nut Connector - plug with bayonet locking used in coaxial video cables.

Brightness control - Control of brightness adjustment of electronic viewer, monitors and TV receivers, which does not affect the levels of recorded signals from the camera or other image sources.

CAB - Continuous Auto Black - automatically maintaining a constant balance of "black level" by optical means.

Cable - Cable

CCD - Charge-coupled Device (appliance with charger connection) is one of the light sensitive matrices of digital photo / video equipment. In the light falling on the matrix, it transforms the optical image into electric current that is converted into a video signal.

CCU - Camera Control Unit - or RCU (Remote Control Unit) - Unit for remote control of the camera.

CMOS - Complementary-symmetry/metal-oxide semiconductor - another type of photovoltaic array, but with higher levels of noise and lower sensitivity, resulting in images obtained with a lower quality. By contrast, CMOS sensors are cheaper and use significantly less energy in their work.

C-mount lens - lens with a standard principle of grip to the camera body - the thread, unlike the other general - the bayonetn installation.

CNR - Chroma Noise Reduction - electronic reduction (suppression) of color noise.

Coaxial cable - cable with a central copper conductor, situated in isolation and zero conductor.

Component video signal - component video - signal comprising a brightness signal (Y-signal) and two color signals (color difference between Y and R and B), which are: R-Y and B-Y. The value of green component is calculated automatically by the removal of red and blue components of the brightness signal. Three cables are switched for this signal.

Composite video signal - composite video contained inside information about the brightness and color (color subcarrying frequency) synchronising impulses for horizontal and vertical component and the part for the color signal, called Color burst signal (or "burst"). A single cable is used for transmiting this signal.

Contrast - the contrast is the difference in brightness between the brightest and the darkest part of the picture or video image.

DCC - Dynamic Contrast Control - electronic compensation of loss of detail (contrast compensation) for photos against bright background. May reproduce up to 600% dynamic range.

DDR - Digital Disk Recorder - a device for recording digital video, computer-based high-speed drives.

Depth of field - depth of high contrast space which is located in a depending on the speed of light and shooting, passing through the lens. This is the distance between the nearest and most distant high contrast points (objects "focus") within the photographed frame.

Digital - (digital, digital) - form in which information, data, signals, their amplitudes, etc. are defined by a series of numbers - zeros and units - ie. binary (Binary) system. For example, the transmission of binary number 10 looks like this: 01010 (or 1010), the number 25 - 11001, 16 - 10000 ...

Digitizing - "digital" (digitizing) of analog video and / or audio. In 8-bit video there are 256 possible gradation between maximum white and minimum black.

Distortion - distorted, abnormal, adverse modification of audio or video.

DNR - Digital Noise Reduction - a digital filter, suppress noise in the CCD-image transformation.

DPC - Digital Pixel Conversion - technology to improve the quality of video image regardless of input resolution video.

DPR - Dual Pixel Readout - technology provides video images without noise, even in cases of artificial electronic signal amplification (gain-up).

Drop frame mode - mode with loss of frames - SMPTE-time code runs with 30 frames per second (30 fps), while the NTSC-color TV uses 29.97 fps. This leads to length of 1 hours of time-code generator is longer than the astronomical 1 hours with 108 frames, or about 3.6 seconds. To avoid this uncertainty, this mode discards (does not records) 2 frames in the time code at the beginning of each minute, except every 10-th minute. Non-drop frame - the system of recording time code is astronomical incorrect as opposed to the Drop-frame mode.

Drop-out - reducing the signal level below the acceptable value, or its disappearance due to defects in the magnetic layer of the strip. It appears (in analog video) as a bright gleam in the horizontal image.

DT-function - Dynamic Tracking Function - playback image by video players with improved mode at speeds of 1/3 to 1 times normal playback speed.

DVD - Digital Video Disk (or Digital Versatile Disk) - a new format for the maintenance of the MPEG-2 video compression on a 5-inch CD-ROM.

DVR - Digital Video Recorder - also called digital video recorder, are separate devices that contain a processor and operating system. It records information on hard disk, ie there is no need to replace cartridges as in analog systems. Usually 4, 8 or 16-channel, ie they can be observed image by 4, 8 or 16 cameras. DVRs offer opportunity for development of a permanent record, recording movement, or on certain days and times, and have a signaling function to register in violation of video security areas. DVR software supports easy to use interface, basic package and additional functions as well as remote monitoring over LAN and Internet network.

Dynamic range - dynamic range, the maximum ratio between input signal and noise, expressed in decibels (signal to noise ratio - S / N Ratio).

EVS - Enhanced Vertical Definition System - a method of "reading" of the CCD-transformation, which provides high vertical resolution (530 TV lines), without increasing the blur of the movement in the image (or so called. "Motion blur").

Fade - eclipse.

FAS - Full Auto Shooting mode - shooting mode in which all settings are automatic.

FAW - Full-Time Auto White - see ATW - Auto Tracing White.

FIT - Frame Interline Transfer - or FTS - Frame-Transfer Sensor - CCD-type converter with the transfer of charge by frame. It consists of vertically stacked columns of CCD-elements.

Flare - or Smear - vertical light strip in the frames caused by excessively strong source of light in the frame. In some modern and expensive video cameras, this shortcoming of the CCD-functions is eliminated.

Flicker - flickering of frames (often - unpleasant to the eye).

FM - Frequency Modulation - frequency modulation signal.

Focal length - the distance from the optical center of the lens to the focal plane.

Focal plane - a plane perpendicular to the axis of the lens in which parallel rays, refracted by the lens is collected (focused) in a single point.

Focus - the presence of high contrast (focused) image, focused by using the lens on the focal plane.

FPS - Frames per second - number of shots per second.

Freeze frame - continuously repeating a single video image (frame).

Frequency - the frequency (number) of the oscillation. Expressed by the unit "hertz" - Hz.

f-stop - diaphragm, midriff - the size of the aperture (opening) of the lens, which can be adjusted by the operator, expressed as a numeric ratio (f-numbers). Smaller number (numerical ratio) means greater aperture (opening) of the lens through which light passes, and vice versa. Numerical ratio (noted the special phrenic bracelet of lens) is a focal length of the lens compared to the actual diameter of the opening of the diaphragm.