Audiovisual Engineering Dictionary

Digital Light Processing. A proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments using a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). It is a reflective technology known for high contrast, fast pixel response times, and sealable optical architectures. It is the industry standard for high-brightness digital cinema (Barco Series 2/4) and rental projectors due to its resistance to color degradation.

Three-Chip Liquid Crystal Display. A transmissive technology where light passes through liquid crystal panels (Red, Green, Blue) before being recombined in a prism. While offering high color brightness, the organic polarizers and panels can degrade over time ("yellowing") if subjected to high heat or UV, limiting their use in 24/7 industrial simulation compared to DLP.

Liquid Crystal on Silicon. A reflective technology that combines LCD and DLP principles. Liquid crystals are applied to a reflective silicon backplane. It offers extremely high pixel density (no "screen door" effect) and native contrast, making it popular in high-end home cinema, though typically lower brightness than 3-chip DLP.

Silicon X-tal Reflective Display. Sony's proprietary implementation of LCoS technology. Widely used in their residential and cinema projectors. Known for deep blacks and smooth pixel structures but requires careful thermal management to prevent panel degradation over years of service.

A solid-state light source where a bank of blue laser diodes excites a spinning yellow phosphor wheel. This creates white light which is separated into primary colors. It eliminates lamp replacements and allows 360-degree installation.

Often called "Direct Laser". Uses discrete banks of Red, Green, and Blue lasers. Bypasses the phosphor wheel entirely for a wider color gamut (Rec. 2020) and higher brightness (up to 75,000 lumens). Used in premium Barco Flagship Cinema (Series 4) and Simulation models.

High-pressure gas discharge lamps used in digital cinema. They provide a perfect continuous color spectrum closely matching natural sunlight. Short lifespan (500-2000 hours) and high heat generation.

Ultra High Performance. A high-pressure mercury arc lamp. Common in older installation and residential projectors. They are efficient and bright but suffer from significant color shift as they age and require strict cool-down cycles to prevent bulb swelling or explosion.

Uses discrete Red, Green, and Blue LEDs. Used in simulation (Barco FL40) where extreme longevity (50,000+ hours) is required. Lower brightness but high perceived brightness via Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect.

Lenses with a throw ratio generally between 0.4:1 and 1.0:1. Designed for installations where the projector is positioned close to the screen, such as rear-projection setups or tight simulator cockpits.

Lenses with a throw ratio greater than 2.0:1. Used in large auditoriums or cinemas where the projection booth is far from the screen. These lenses minimize distortion and maintain uniform brightness.

Specialized lenses with throw ratios less than 0.4:1, often using complex mirror systems. They allow the projector to be placed mere inches from the screen wall, ideal for classrooms or residential cabinets.

Barco lenses designed with a smaller aperture (higher F-number) to block stray light, significantly improving black levels and contrast ratio at the cost of some brightness. Preferred for home cinema (e.g., Barco Freya).

Lenses optimized for maximum light transmission (lower F-number). Used in rental, staging, and large venues where sheer output is prioritized over absolute black levels.

The proportional relationship between width and height.
• Flat (1.85:1): Standard theatrical widescreen.
• Scope (2.39:1): Ultrawide cinematic format. Requires anamorphic lens or zooming.
• 16:9 (1.78:1): Standard HDTV format.

A measurement of a screen's reflectivity compared to a standard matte white surface (Gain 1.0). High gain screens (>1.0) reflect more light back to the center but have narrower viewing angles. Low gain (<1.0) improves black levels.

Screens perforated with tiny holes (or woven) to allow sound from speakers placed behind the screen to pass through. Essential for realistic cinema audio localization.

A 3D method where glasses rapidly shutter open and closed in sync with the projector alternating Left/Right frames. Requires powered glasses but works on standard matte screens.

Uses polarized light to separate Left/Right images. Requires a "Silver Screen" (high gain, non-depolarizing) and a polarization modulator (e.g., RealD) in front of the projector lens. Glasses are cheap and lightweight.

To prevent flicker in 3D, digital cinema projectors flash each eye's frame three times. Standard 24fps content is projected at 144Hz (Left-Left-Left / Right-Right-Right). This requires high-bandwidth processing from the ICP.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface. The standard consumer and pro-sumer connector.
• HDMI 2.0: Supports 4K UHD at 60Hz. Standard on most Pulse projectors.
• HDMI 2.1: Supports 4K at 120Hz/144Hz or 8K. Essential for high-frame-rate simulation and gaming. Requires ultra-high-speed cables.

A PC-centric digital interface standard. DisplayPort 1.4 supports 4K at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz. It is the preferred connector for Barco Simulation projectors (F-Series) when connecting to Image Generators (IGs) like NVIDIA Quadro cards due to its locking connector and high bandwidth.

Serial Digital Interface. A professional standard using BNC connectors and coaxial cable. It uses a locking connector and can run 100m+ without signal loss.
• 3G-SDI: Up to 1080p/60Hz.
• 12G-SDI: 4K/60Hz over a single cable. Standard on Barco UDX rental units.

Technology that transmits uncompressed video (HDMI), audio, Ethernet, and control signals over a single standard CAT6a/CAT7 network cable up to 100 meters. Ideally suited for fixed installations where running thick HDMI cables is impossible.

Digital Visual Interface (Digital). A legacy connector found on older Barco HDX and RLM projectors. DVI-D carries video only (no audio). "Dual Link" DVI is required for resolutions above 1920x1200.

Remote Control Protocols.
• RS-232: 9-pin serial connector for short-distance, robust control commands.
• LAN (RJ45): Network control allowing remote management via Barco Communicator or control systems (Crestron/AMX).

Digital Cinema Initiatives. A specification created by major studios (Disney, Warner Bros, etc.) to ensure uniform quality and security. DCI-compliant projectors (like Barco DP/SP series) must meet strict encryption standards (FIPS 140-2) and colorimetry targets.

Integrated Cinema Media Processor. The secure "brain" of a Barco cinema projector. It decrypts the movie file (DCP), decodes the JPEG2000 images, and handles audio routing. The ICMP-X is the next-gen variant found in Series 4 lasers.

Key Delivery Message. A unique XML security key required to unlock a specific movie (DCP) for a specific projector serial number within a specific time window. Without a valid KDM, the ICMP cannot decrypt the content.

A cryptographic handshake between the Media Block (IMB/ICMP) and the Projector chassis. Opening secure panels or removing boards breaks this "marriage" to prevent piracy. Re-marriage requires authorized service credentials.

A lens adjustment mechanism (often found on high-end Barco lenses) that allows the plane of focus to be tilted. This is critical when projecting onto angled surfaces or domes to ensure the entire image remains in sharp focus, not just the center.

Barco's proprietary edge-blending technology. It manages the overlap zone between multiple projectors, adjusting black levels and gain to make the seam invisible in multi-channel arrays.

A solid glass or hollow mirrored tunnel in the light path that homogenizes the light beam. It turns the uneven light from a lamp or laser bank into a uniform rectangle of light before it hits the DMDs. Damage here causes hot spots or shadows.

A specialized mirror in the optical path that reflects visible light towards the lens while allowing infrared heat (IR) to pass through to a heatsink. Essential for protecting the delicate DMD chips from thermal damage in high-brightness units.

The relation between throw distance and image width (Distance / Width). A 0.8:1 lens projects a 1m wide image from 0.8m away. Lenses < 1.0 are "Short Throw"; < 0.4 are "Ultra Short Throw".

An external lens attachment that optically stretches or squeezes the image. Used in home cinema to display 2.35:1 "CinemaScope" movies using the full resolution of a 16:9 chip, eliminating black bars.

Barco's proprietary color calibration system. It allows technicians to adjust the 7 coordinate points (Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, White) to ensure color accuracy across multiple projectors in a blended array.

Constant Light Output. An optical feedback loop that measures brightness in real-time. It drives the light source harder as it ages to maintain a perfectly flat brightness line over thousands of hours, essential for simulation and medical imaging.

The color space defined for digital cinema. It is approx 25% wider than the standard Rec.709 HDTV gamut, offering deeper reds and greens. High-end residential projectors (Barco Freya/Loki) are calibrated to P3.

Electro-Optical Transfer Function. The mathematical curve that maps digital video signals to visible brightness. In HDR (High Dynamic Range), the "PQ" (Perceptual Quantizer) EOTF is used. Incorrect EOTF settings result in crushed blacks or blown-out highlights.

Barco's unified 4K electronics platform (SSC) used in Simulation, Residential, and Installation. It handles warping, blending, and scaling with extremely low latency (often < 20ms) using FPGA processing.

Extended Display Identification Data. A data structure provided by the projector to the source device (PC, Blu-ray). It says "I am a Barco Freya, I support 4K at 60Hz". Handshake failures occur when EDID is corrupted or cables attenuate the data.

Smear Reduction Processing. A technique used in simulation to reduce motion blur on fast-moving objects. It often involves pulsing the light source or inserting black frames to clear the eye's persistence of vision.