10 Important Audio Visual Production Terms Defined

While we at Eventpro think that everyone can and should consider using video for their business, we also know that sometimes, communicating your wishes and needs for an audio visual project can be difficult. Many people are unfamiliar with the terms used in a production studio or backstage at a live event, so it can be hard to get the technical conversation started.

Communication is vital in business, whether you’re trying to reach an external or internal audience, and we get that. So in order to help facilitate the communication on your AV project, we’ve compiled a list of 10 common audio visual production terms and their definitions.

Here we go:

Aspect Ratio: This is the relationship between the width and the height of your video expressed as a ratio. The most common aspect ratios for video are 4:3 (standard), 16:9 (widescreen) and 1.85:1 (super widescreen). As we’ve noted before, it’s rare to shoot video at the older 4:3 aspect ratio anymore, and even more rare to find an LCD monitor that isn’t 16:9 widescreen, so that’s really the only one you need to worry about.

4K Resolution: Commonly referred to as just 4K, Ultra HD, UHDTV or 2160p, this refers to content that has a horizontal resolution of 4,000 pixels. What does that mean? Basically, it means the pictures, videos, and presentations shot and shown with 4K technology are of a quality previously reserved for movie studios, since 4K has four times as many pixels as the current 1080p HD. 4K is the wave of the future, and more and more 4K capable technology is making its way into the video production market.

3D Mapping/Projection Mapping: Technology used to turn irregularly shaped objects into display surfaces for video projection using specialized software. An object is mapped in the computer program to mimic the environment it is to be projected on and the software fits the desired image onto the surface of that object.

Digital Light Projection (DLP): Projector technology that uses thousands of tiny computer-controlled mirrors and a fast-spinning Color Filter (or Color Wheel) to form a moving image on a screen. It’s what is used in most movie theaters.

Liquid Crystal Display Projection (LCD): This one might sound familiar. Your TV at home is probably LCD. The projector technology is similar to the stuff in your TV: Three liquid crystal panels each create an image using just one of the primary colors (red, green, and blue), and then all three are projected on the screen at the same time to show a full color image.

Depth of Field: The range in front of a camera’s lens in which objects appear in focus. For example, a shallow depth of field means only the items closest to the lens will be in focus, and the “background” of the image will appear blurry.

Sound Stage: In general, a sound stage is a soundproof room or studio where video productions are filmed and recorded.

Cyclorama: According to Merriam-Webster, a cyclorama is a curved curtain or wall used as the background of a stage set to suggest infinite space.

Bandwidth: The measure of the capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system or the maximum data transfer rate of such a system.

Streaming Video and/or Audio: Video or audio sent in a continuous, compressed stream over the Internet and displayed by the viewer as they arrive (i.e. webcasting). With streaming video or audio, the viewer does not have to download a large file before seeing the video or hearing the sound.