Glossary

ABR

Adaptive Bitrate Streaming

A streaming technique that dynamically adjusts video quality based on the viewer's network conditions.

AV1

AOMedia Video 1

A royalty-free video codec offering 30-50% better compression than H.265, developed by the Alliance for Open Media.

B-Frame

Bidirectional Predicted Frame

A video frame that references both preceding and following frames for highly efficient compression.

Bitrate (Video)

Video Bitrate

The amount of video data processed per second, directly affecting quality and file size of the output.

CBR

Constant Bitrate

A video encoding mode maintaining a fixed data rate throughout, providing predictable file sizes and bandwidth usage.

CFR

Constant Frame Rate

A video encoding where frames are evenly spaced at a fixed interval, preferred for editing and streaming compatibility.

Chroma Key

Chroma Key Compositing

A technique replacing a solid-color background (green screen) with another image or video.

Color Grading

Video Color Grading

The process of altering the color and tone of video footage to achieve a desired visual mood or style.

Container Format

Video Container Format

A file format that wraps together video, audio, subtitles, and metadata streams (e.g. MP4, MKV, WebM).

CRF

Constant Rate Factor

A quality-based encoding parameter where lower values produce higher quality at the cost of larger file sizes.

DASH

Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP

An adaptive streaming standard that breaks video into small HTTP-served segments at multiple quality levels.

Deinterlacing

Video Deinterlacing

The process of converting interlaced video into progressive frames for smooth display on modern screens.

Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision HDR

A proprietary HDR format using dynamic metadata to optimize brightness and color on a scene-by-scene basis.

Frame Blending

Video Frame Blending

A technique that creates intermediate frames by blending adjacent frames to smooth slow-motion or speed changes.

Frame Rate

Video Frame Rate

The number of individual frames displayed per second in a video, measured in fps.

GOP

Group of Pictures

A sequence of video frames starting with a keyframe, defining the compression structure between keyframes.

H.264

Advanced Video Coding (AVC)

The most widely used video codec, balancing compression efficiency with broad hardware and software compatibility.

H.265

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)

A video codec offering ~50% better compression than H.264 at equivalent quality, used for 4K/8K content.

HDR10

High Dynamic Range 10

An open HDR standard using static metadata, 10-bit color depth, and Rec. 2020 color space for brighter displays.

HLG

Hybrid Log-Gamma

An HDR standard that is backward-compatible with SDR displays, developed by BBC and NHK for broadcast use.

HLS

HTTP Live Streaming

An Apple-developed adaptive streaming protocol using .m3u8 playlists and .ts segments, widely supported on the web.

I-Frame

Intra-coded Frame

A self-contained video frame that does not reference other frames, serving as a random access point in the stream.

Interlacing

Video Interlacing

A technique displaying alternating odd/even scan lines per frame, used in older broadcast standards.

Keyframe

Video Keyframe

A complete frame in a video that serves as a reference point for subsequent compressed frames.

Letterboxing

Letterbox Format

Adding black bars to the top and bottom of a video to display widescreen content in a narrower frame.

LUT

Lookup Table

A color transformation preset that maps input color values to output values, used for color grading and correction.

Motion Estimation

Video Motion Estimation

An encoding technique that identifies movement between frames to efficiently compress video using motion vectors.

Muxing

Multiplexing

The process of combining multiple audio, video, and subtitle streams into a single container file.

Optical Flow

Optical Flow Interpolation

An AI-based method for generating new frames by analyzing pixel motion between existing frames for smooth slow-motion.

P-Frame

Predicted Frame

A video frame encoded as differences from the previous reference frame, providing moderate compression.

Pillarboxing

Pillarbox Format

Adding black bars to the sides of a video to display 4:3 content in a 16:9 widescreen frame.

Proxy Editing

Proxy Video Editing

Editing with lower-resolution copies of footage for smoother playback, then relinking to the originals for final export.

Rec. 2020

ITU-R BT.2020 Color Space

A wide color gamut standard for UHD/4K video, covering 75% of the visible color spectrum versus 36% for Rec. 709.

Rec. 709

ITU-R BT.709 Color Space

The standard color space for HD video, defining the color primaries and transfer function used by most displays.

Stabilization

Video Stabilization

A technique that reduces unwanted camera shake and motion in recorded video footage.

Subtitle

Video Subtitle

Text displayed on video representing dialogue or narration, either embedded (hardcoded) or as separate tracks.

Timecode

Video Timecode

A sequence of numeric codes (HH:MM:SS:FF) assigned to each video frame for precise identification and synchronization.

Transcoding

Video Transcoding

Converting video from one codec or format to another, often for compatibility or size reduction.

Trimming

Video Trimming

Removing unwanted portions from the beginning or end of a video clip.

Two-Pass Encoding

Two-Pass Video Encoding

A video encoding method that analyzes the video in a first pass to optimize bitrate allocation in the second.

VBR

Variable Bitrate

A video encoding mode that allocates more bits to complex scenes and fewer to simple ones for better quality per byte.

VFR

Variable Frame Rate

A recording mode where the frame rate changes during capture, common in screen recordings and mobile video.

Video Codec

Software that compresses and decompresses video data (e.g. H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1).