Digital Monster Island

Description

This glossary includes terms relating both to DVD, and to Japanese pop culture and fandom. If you encounter an unfamiliar term on Digital Monster Island, look it up here! If you have any suggestions for terms that should be included, please email them . - Anamorphic Widescreen A widescreen image that is encoded with high resolution. This produces a very high-quality image that can be utilized by widescreen televisions. Often labeled as “Enhanced for widescreen / 16:9 TV ’s. ” Check out The Digital Bits' Ultimate Guide To Anamorphic Widescreen for a detailed, but easy-to-follow, explanation. - Anime Japanese animation. Used to be called “Japanimation, ” but for some reason, that term has fallen out of use. - Aspect Ratio The ratio of width to height of the onscreen image. A film shot in 4:3 has an image that is 4 units wide for every 3 units high, which is almost square (great for fullscreen presentation). A film shot in a widescreen ratio of 2.35:1 has an image that is 2.35 units wide for every 1 unit high, producing an image that is over twice as wide as it is high. Presenting a movie like this in fullscreen is butchery. - Audio Commentary A supplement that utilizes an alternate audio track to present a conversation with one or more people involved in the production, which plays concurrently with the film. This allows the participant(s) to comment on the action as it happens onscreen. - Bitrate The rate at which information is encoded on a DVD. The higher the bitrate, the better the quality. A low-bitrate DVD is analogous to an EP-mode (slow speed) VHS tape. - Bootleg An unauthorized copy of an original, copyrighted work. - CGI Computer generated imagery. A special-effects technique utilizing computers to generate and animate onscreen imagery. Used correctly, the results can be spectacular (the Jurassic Park series). Used carelessly, the results can be dismal (The Mummy Returns). - Cropping A method of presenting a widescreen movie in fullscreen. The sides of the original widescreen frame are simply cut away, without regard to composition. - Daiei Studios Japanese studio which produced the Gamera , DaiMajin , and Yokai series. - Daikaiju Japanese for “giant monster. ” - DTS Sound A very high-quality 5.1 or 6.1 sound format offered on some DVD ’s. Creates a fuller, richer sound with more natural separation than Dolby Digital 5.1. - Dual-Layered A single-sided DVD disk with twice the amount of data storage space available, as compared to a standard single-sided DVD. This is accomplished by encoding the information on two layers. - Dubtitles Subtitles that aren ’t directly translated from the original spoken language of a film, but instead are based on dubbing. - DVD-18 A DVD disk that is both double-sided and dual-layered. - DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW Blank DVD disks that can be recorded onto by consumers with the proper equipment. DVD-R and DVD+R are separate, but similar, formats. They can only be recorded onto once; their respective RW counterparts can be recorded over many times. - DVD-ROM Supplemental materials on a DVD that can only be accessed by a computer with a DVD-ROM drive. - Easter Egg A hidden feature on a DVD.

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