TABLE OF CONTENTS A basic understanding of video and audio signals will make our discussions of video transport much easier to comprehend and to put in context. Readers with significant video experience may choose to skip reading this chapter, but be advised that we will be covering some terminology that will be used in much of the remainder of this book. By the end of this chapter, readers should have a good understanding of the different types of analog and digital video signals, should have gained some background about audio and other signals that can accompany video signals, and should have had a brief look at some of the different ways in which video and audio signals can be switched.
Any discussion of video needs to start with the definition of some basic terms, and our discussion will be no different. We'll briefly introduce each term and then explain each one in more detail in the following sections.
A pixel is a single picture element in a digital video image; it is the building block for all forms of digital imaging, including both still photography and video.
Luma is the portion of a video signal that represents the brightness of each pixel. Maximum luma is used for an all-white pixel, and minimum luma is a black (or off) pixel.
Scanning is the process used in a video signal for capturing, storing, transporting, and displaying the luma and chroma values of each pixel. Scanning puts the...
