signal

digital signal processing

Reviews In-car digital sound in Jaguar -- optimise your car's stereo system with the new digital signal-processing technology, whether you're driving alone or with all your friends.

21 December 2006, 8:30

chrominance-to-luminance delay

Reviews Video artefact caused by the colour signal lagging the brightness signal -- appears as colour smearing on the left edges of some onscreen objects. This is easiest to see with a test pattern that has a coloured vertical stripe running down the...

20 December 2006, 16:03

downconvert

Reviews In DTV, the conversion from a higher-resolution input signal number to a lower one. For example, some DTV receivers can be set to downconvert an HDTV 1080i signal to a standard 480i signal that any TV can display.

21 December 2006, 8:50

Grundig freesat receiver (GUFSAT01) review

Reviews If you're currently one of the 27 per cent of the population who can't get a Freeview signal, this box will save you from the horrors of a blank screen when the digital switch-over comes. It's also good to see a pass-through connector for the...

Editor's rating   6.9

Tags: grundig, box, load, channels

21 May 2008, 15:30

composite video

Reviews A type of video signal in which all the necessary video information is combined into one signal. This is the type of signal can be used for broadcast TV. Most computer monitors use RGB video, in which the red, blue and green signals are sent...

20 December 2006, 16:42

Judging picture quality

Reviews Most electronics shops show their televisions on a big wall, fed by the same video signal split a hundred times. If you have a DVD that you're familiar with, see if you can use it instead of the TV signal that's normally shown.

14 May 2005, 21:58

analogue-to-digital conversion

Reviews An electronic process by which an analogue signal is changed into a digital signal, without altering its content. For example, modems translate incoming analogue signals into digital data that a computer can understand, then translates the outgoing...

20 December 2006, 13:09

upconvert

Reviews In DTV, the conversion from a lower-resolution input signal to a TV capable of displaying higher resolutions, such as from an SDTV 480p signal to an HDTV 1080i native display.

3 January 2007, 10:39

What's digital radio all about?

Reviews Whereas FM reception can be good, average, poor, very poor or anything in between, the digital signal is either present or absent. If you lose the signal, you get a few seconds of burbling as it breaks up and then it's gone.

12 May 2005, 22:35

line in

Reviews Line-in jacks accept the stronger (0.5- to 2-volt), line-level signal produced by devices such as home audio components, while mike jacks accept the lower-voltage signal produced by microphones. An audio input jack on a sound card or other device...

21 December 2006, 13:32

What else can I do with an MP3 player?

Reviews Many players offer FM radio reception, although they're more common on flash devices, which lack the spinning hard drives and the CD-playing features that can interfere with the signal. You can record live audio without a mic-level input but only...

9 May 2005, 18:35

How does an MP3 player work?

Reviews A digital audio device, such as an MP3 player or a computer sound card, uses a DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) to turn the 1s and 0s back into an analogue signal that can then be amplified and broadcast over headphones or speakers.

9 May 2005, 17:33

DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

Reviews Using a DVI connector and port, a digital signal sent to an analogue device is converted into an analogue signal (if the device is digital, such as a flat-panel monitor, no conversion is necessary). A digital interface specification created by an...

21 December 2006, 9:30

What are my choices?

Reviews If you're in an area with a weak DAB signal, look for a model with a detachable aerial that can be upgraded. Be aware that processing the digital signal requires more power than playing FM radio, so battery life is typically 5 to 10 hours.

12 May 2005, 22:36

Terratec Cinergy T2 review

Reviews The included aerial is pretty good at picking up a signal, plus its magnetic base enables you to stick it to a nearby desk or monitor -- just don't attach it anywhere near your hard drive. Thankfully, all the cables you need to get started are...

Editor's rating   7.2

Tags: terratec, boxes, signal, recordings

15 May 2005, 17:23