Glossary
AAC
AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding. This is the high-quality digital audio compression technology used in SD- Audio and satellite-based digital broadcasting in Japan. It compresses data to about 1/10 of its original size while maintaining CD-like sound quality when recording in the highest-quality mode (128kbps). The sound quality is better than that of MP3.
CD Ripping
This refers to the copying of audio data from a music CD to a PC or a memory card.
Check-in, Check-out
These are the terms used in SDMI copyright protection system. Checking-out means writing data from the PC to an SD Memory Card with a "key". Checking-in means returning the music data and the "key" from the SD Memory Card to the PC. This system prevents data from being duplicated on a different PC other than the one from which it was checked out.
CPRM
Content Protection for Recordable Media. This is a technology that supports the security system of the SD Memory Card. This is a content protection and certification/authentication standard jointly developed by 4C Entity LLC.
De facto Standard
A de facto standard is a general standard resulting from mass market adoption. A good example of a de facto standard is VHS for home video. The SD Memory Card aims to be a de facto standard among flash memory cards.
EMD
It stands for Electronic Media Distribution. It refers to the service of distributing digital contents through a communication network such as Internet or a mobile phone system.
Encoder
An encoder is a device, circuit or software routine that compresses digital audio, video or other data to reduce volume, and sometimes encodes that data to prevent illegal duplication and use. Basically, an encoder only compresses and encodes data. A decoder is a device that decodes encoded data.
Flash Memory
A memory technology that allows data to be written and rewritten and is not erased when the power is shut off. Since flash memory does not need battery backup, it is used in a wide variety of equipment.
GPS
GPS. which stands for Global Positioning System, is a whole earth navigation system consisting of 24 GPS satellites that are in orbit 11,000 nautical miles around the Earth. The satellites transmit signals that can be detected with a GPS receiver which uses the signals to determine your exact location on earth with great accuracy.
IS0 9293
This is a logical format standardized by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The SD Memory Card complies IS0 9293 in its file system for storing data. By using an IS0 format, compatibility between different kinds of devices and operating systems is realized.
JPEG
It stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. This is a format standardized by ISO and ITU-TS (a branch of ITU), which is used in compressing still image data. JPEG, with its 16.7 million colors, is well suited to compressing photographic images. JPEG is widely used in web documents.
MIDI
MIDI is an acronym that stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI files are music files that contain no audio information. Rather, they contain only the artist's musical keyboard keystroke information (note, velocity. duration, etc.) captured at the time the music was composed. A device that supports MIDI playback, such as PC with a MIDI capable sound card, can then be used to synthesize (recreate) that same music.
MPEG
MPEG (pronounced M-peg), which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is the name of family of standards used for coding audio-visual information (e.g.. movies, video, music) in a digital compressed format. MPEG-1 is applied to Video CDs. MPEG-2 to DVD and MPEG 4 targets telecommunications, such as mobile phones and the internet, and is capable of transferring video images at high speed and with a lower volume of data.
MP3
It stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. The international standard for compression of audio data established for the MPEG-1 motion picture compression standard. Compression rates of 1/10 to 1/12 can be obtained with this method without significantly degrading the original sound quality. MP3 is a widely used compression technology for distributing music over the internet and is supported in many silicon audio players.
RIAA
It stands for Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA conducts activities related to the music industry, such as discussion on copyright protection. The RIAA played a central role in establishing SDMI.
SD Card Association
A non-profit organization founded by 3C (Panasonic, Sandisk, Toshiba) on January 28th, 2000. The objectives of the organization are to determine the SD Memory Card specifications and to promote it globally.
SDIO Card
SDIO is an SD-size card with extended input/output functions. IO stands for input and output. SDIO allows manufacturers to create hardware extension devices which can be added to products via the SDIO compatible slot. Many SDIO based add-on products are planned, including wireless LAN and communications adapters, digital TV Tuners, and GPS attachments among others. SDIO compatible slots are available on many PDAs and mobile phones and are planned for many other products.
SDMI
It stands for Secure Digital Music Initiative. The SDMI conference was established by music device manufacturers, the five major music companies (UMG, BMG, EMI, WMG, SME) and the RIAA for the purpose of protecting music copyrights by creating a framework for preventing the illegal use of music data and to promote services that provide online music legally.
USB
It stands for Universal Serial Bus. This is a standard for low to middle speed serial interfaces and supports a wide variety of products such as printers, modems, digital cameras and MP3 music players. Unlike previous serial connections, USB uses a convenient "hot-swapping" system that lets you disconnect and connect the cable while the unit's power is on.
USB Reader/Writer
This is a device that reads, writes and changes data on a memory card. For example, it is used to save digital data, such as music, onto a memory card from a PC.
WMA
Microsoft introduced its Windows Media Audio (WMA) file format in the summer of 1999. WMA offers improved sound quality over MP3 files encoded at the same bit rate. In addition to superior compression, WMA includes the ability for copyright protection in the WMA codec through the use of digital certificates.
3C (3C LLC)
3C stands for (Three Companies). Members of the 3C for SD Memory Card are Panasonic, Sandisk, and Toshiba. These companies reached a strategic alliance to develop next generation semiconductor memory cards on August 25th, 1999. Since then they have co-developed a card named the SD Memory Card and introduced it into the market in June 2000.
4C Entity, LLC
The 4C Entity, LLC is organized for the purpose of licensing the copy protection technologies such as "Content Protection for Recordable Media and Pre-Recorded Media (CPRM/CPPM)" Specifications. These technologies are jointly developed by IBM, Intel, Matsushita and Toshiba.
