For a more comprehensive description of technical terms used throughout the industry, I recommend The BKSTS Illustrated Dictionary of Moving Image Technology by Martin Uren, published by Focal Press.
Glossary
1+1 – one plus one, referring to an interview, interviewer plus one interviewee (1 + 2, two interviewees, etc.).
2S – two shot, similarly 3S, 4S, etc.
A/B or A and B – left and right signals for stereo reproduction; or A/B – as before, depending on context.
Atmos – Atmosphere, the aural ‘surround’ to a location, often recorded as wildtrack, q.v.
Aux – Auxiliary.
Backing track – Pre-recorded track used for performers/contributors guide to re-creating a timed performance and to possibly add further/main sound track.
Bar meter – (or bargraph) usual LCD display of sound level.
BCU – big close-up.
Buzz track – see wildtrack (colloq.).
Cans – headphones (colloq.).
CF – clean feed (‘mix/mixed minus’ USA), part of communications, programme sound feed to location minus the location sound input.
Codec – coder and decoder.
Comms – communications.
Condenser mic – see Section 37, Mics: technical information and operational summaries.
Control track – series of pulses recorded on tape to enable replay machine to synchronize to the recorded signal. Counting the pulses and displaying them on a reader gives an output of HMSF (q.v.)
Croc clips – crocodile clips.
Cross talk – one signal interfering with another, usually via an induced electromagnetic field in a cable or circuit.
CRT – cathode ray tube.
CU – close-up.
DA – distribution amplifier.
DAT – digital audio tape.
dB – decibel.
DI – direct inject.
Dolby encoding – a pre-emphasis to analogue sound signals before recording, to overcome possible losses in quality to high frequencies in the record chain (due to circuit noise, etc.). The sound is decoded upon replay (but not in Beta SP camcorders without playback adaptor).
Dougal – hairy wind sock (named after a character in the children's TV series Magic Roundabout (colloq.).
Dub – transfer of information from one medium to another (for example, from one sound track to another, especially in editing).
DV – digital video.
E to E – electronic to electronic.
EDL – edit decision list, a list of shot order for an on-line edit, compiled via an NLE (q.v.) system.
Electret mic – see Section 37, Mics: technical information and operational summaries.
ENG – electronic news gathering.
EQ – equalization, increasing and/or decreasing pre-defined frequency selective bands within sound circuits.
F-run – Free run (timecode option).
FM – Floor Manager or frequency modulated, depending on context.
FS – full shot.
Gang – link together two (or more) controls, such that the operation of one is automatically replicated by the others.
Guide track – Soundtrack recorded on location, not intended for broadcast as the main track, thus may be of poor quality, but serves as a useful guide to dialogue, etc. in the scene.
Gun mic – directional mic, may also referred to as shot gun mic.
GV – general view.
Harmonics – combination of frequencies which are multiples of the lowest frequency of the sound source, and which give the distinctive quality/timbre to that source.
HMSF – hours, minutes, seconds and frames (timecode display).
Howl-round – feedback from loudspeaker/s to mics, once above a certain level it becomes self-sustaining, going through the audio chain repeatedly and causing the noise known as ‘howl’.
HP – headphones.
HSE – Health and Safety Executive, body responsible for health and safety in the UK.
Hz – hertz (cycles per second).
ID – identification.
Ident. – identify or identification, e.g. with reference to circuits.
Impedance – electrical resistance in a circuit/component, comprising resistance, capacitance and inductance, measured in ohms.
JFMG – Joint Frequency Management Group, body responsible for licensing radio frequencies, for mics and talkback, in the UK.
Lav – lavalier, originally the term referred to a mic worn on a cord around the neck (also known as lanyard), but now may be used in some countries (especially the USA) to indicate a clip mic and/or radio mic.
LI – lithium ion, in this context, a type of rechargeable battery.
LTC – longitudinal timecode.
LU – line-up, a standard check signal using a fixed frequency tone (oscillator generating 1 kHz at 1 mW and fed into 600 ohms, to read 4 on PPM, –4 on VU, –18 or –20 on bar meter: UK).
LS – loudspeaker or long shot, depending on context.
M&E – music and effects, a track carrying precisely that.
M&S – see M/S.
MCU – medium close-up.
Mic – microphone.
Mix/mixed minus – see CF.
MLS – medium long shot.
Moving coil mic – see Section 37, Mics: technical information and operational summaries.
MS – mid shot, or (depending on context):
M/S or M&S – middle (or main) and side (NOT mono and stereo) sum and difference signals for stereo reproduction (as opposed to A and B).
Nagra – manufacturer of audio recorders widely used throughout the industry.
NiCad – nickel cadmium, in this context, a type of rechargeable battery.
NICAM – Near Instantaneously Companded Audio Multiplex, the stereo sound encoding system used in many countries for television transmission.
NiMH – nickel metal hydride, another type of rechargeable battery.
NLE – non-linear editing, computer/hard disc editing system enabling ongoing changes to building shot sequences, as opposed to the sequential nature of online, tape-based edit systems; often stored as an EDL (q.v.) to transfer to an online system.
Noise – amplifiers introduce noise (hiss) into circuits, the greater the amplification, the greater the noise. The signal carried by the circuit needs to be significantly greater than this background noise (specified by the SNR, q.v.).
OMB – one man band (colloq.), similarly OMO one man operation, see also SPO.
OOF – out of frame.
OOV – out of vision, commentary used with related footage.
OS or O/S – over shoulder, often used with 2S, to indicate type of shot, or Ordnance Survey, if referring to a map reference, or on-site, if referring to a time at a particular location.
PA – public address or Production Assistant, depending on context.
Pad – attenuator, a fixed amount of attenuation to drop the signal level, e.g. 60 dB pad to drop from line level to mic level.
Pan pot – in stereo, control to move mono sound L or R within the sound stage.
PFL – pre-fade listen (also known as pre-hear), monitoring before the fader on a mixer.
Phantom power – condenser mics used in broadcasting are normally capable of being powered via the mic cable. This is known as phantom powering, usually at a level of 48 V.
PO – Post Office, usually a reference to PO jack, or PO lines.
PO jack – Post Office jack, the standard quarter inch (6 mm) headphone connection.
Pot – potentiometer (a variable resistor, e.g. fader).
PPM – peak programme meter.
PR – public relations.
Pre-hear – see PFL.
Presser – press conference (colloq.).
PSC – portable single camera.
PSU – power supply unit.
PTC – piece to camera.
Q&A – Question and answer, a session following a press conference or panel discussion inviting questions from the audience.
R-run – record run (timecode option).
RCD – residual current detector.
R-DAT – DAT recorder with rotating heads.
Recce – reconnoitre.
RF – radio frequency.
Room tone – see wildtrack.
Rushes – film term for the initial (uncorrected) print from the recently developed negative, now taken in television to mean the original recorded pictures and sound (data) on cassette or disc.
R/V – rendezvous, the pre-agreed point to meet on a location, usually stated in conjunction with the call time (using the 24 hour clock).
S-DAT – DAT recorder with stationary heads.
Single – shot framed on one person.
SI unit – Système Internationale unit, the international system of units of measurement (Hz, ohm, etc.)
SNR – signal to noise ratio, measured in decibels.
Sound bite – a single answer, or part thereof, from an interview or vox pop without editing further material from the same piece.
SPO – single person operation.
Sync – synchronous, sound recorded with pictures, but often used to refer to a contributor speaking in vision, as in sound bite.
Syncs – synchronizing pulses, part of the television waveform designed to align the receiver to the transmitted signal to produce stable pictures (and sound).
TB – talkback, part of communications, production information/instructions relayed via separate (lower quality) circuit to main soundtrack.
TBU – telephone balance unit.
TC – Timecode.
Tech reqs – technical requirements, list of technical equipment on the call sheet that production expect the crew to provide.
Tone – see line-up.
T-power – power via mic cable, 9–12 V supply.
Tweaker – screwdriver (colloq.).
VITC – Vertical Interval Timecode (timecode encoded within the vision signal and vertical blanking syncs).
VJ – Video Journalist.
Vox pop – vox populi (Latin) literally ‘the people's voice’, comments within a programme/item from members of the public, normally in vision.
VU – volume units (meter).
Wallpaper – illustrative shots (colloq.).
Wildtrack – recorded separate from pictures, sometimes called ‘buzz track’, ‘atmos.’ or ‘room tone’ (USA).
WS – wide shot.
XLR – external, live and return.