NAB (National Association of Broadcasters)
The primary trade organization representing the interests of commercial broadcasting.
NABET (National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians)
Union for technical personnel.
Nano
The abbreviation for billionth (5n = 5/1,000,000,000).
nanosecond
One-billionth of a second.
NCTA (National Cable Television Association.)
needle drop
The single use of a transcribed musical piece, generally for a fee.
neutral density filter; ND filter
A filter that reduces the light coming into a camera lens without altering its color.
neutral set
A production set that does not suggest a specific setting or locale.
neutral shot
A head-on shot of a subject with no evident screen direction. By inserting a neutral shot between two successive shots taken from opposite sides of the line of action, screen direction can be changed.
news cooperative
A broadcast station association in which news stories are exchanged between members.
news director
The person responsible for the content, production and presentation of a newscast. Exact responsibilities depend on the news organization.
news producer
Although responsibilities vary widely, producers are generally under the news director and in charge of specific newscasts. Producers often write basic transitional news copy.
newsworthiness
Elements which make a news story interesting and noteworthy from the perspective of an audience.
night viewing device
An optical light amplifier that makes possible the taping of scenes under virtually no light.
no fax
A rehearsal without cameras, sets or lights.
noddies
Cutaway shots of an interviewer's visual responses (nodding, smiling, etc.). Noddies are useful as transition devices during editing.
noise
1)Any background interference in video or audio signals. Typically manifested as hiss or hum on sound tracks, and as snow or graininess in video.
2)Unwanted electromagnetic static inherent in all electronic circuits.
non-composite video signal
1)Video signal containing picture and blanking information but no sync signals.
2)Video information without sync information.
non-directional microphone
A microphone with a circular polar pattern of response, equally sensitive to sound from all directions.
non-diversity antenna
Use of a single receiving antenna for a RF mic system. See also diversity system.
non-drop frame
SMPTE time code that runs in continuously ascending numbers. These times will not perfectly match actual elapsed time when NTSC color system is used. See also drop frame.
non-linear editing
1)In contrast to linear editing, an editing approach that can assemble segments in a random order, in the same manner as a word processor. Segments can be moved, deleted, copied and altered before being output to an edited master.
2)A method in which video information is recorded into a digital memory where it can be called up a piece at a time in any order desired. Changes can be made in the edited program without reediting the entire show.
non-segmented
A video recording process in which a complete (as opposed to a partial) video frame is recorded or played back with each pass of a video head.
Non-synchronous
A signal that is completely out of sync with the main system.
non-volatile memory
Computer memory that is not lost when electrical power is shut off.
normal lens
A camera lens that gives a normal image perspective and has a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal of the focal plane.
Notch Filter
A device which allows the lowering of the level of a narrow portion of frequency spectrum. Useful in cutting out unwanted sounds.
NTSC (National Television System Committee)
1) A U.S. engineering group that developed a black & white television standard in the early 1940’s and a color standard in the early 1950’s. The standards now called NTSC are currently used in the United States, Canada and Japan.
2) The system of color television used in the United States and other parts of the world. The system uses 525 scanning lines and 60 fields with 30 frames per second (the field and frame rates have been rounded off). The name comes from the National Television Systems Committee, which was a group of industry experts that developed and proposed the system to the Federal Communications Commission in the early 1950’s.
3)A professional group that sets television standards. The TV color system laid down by the National Television Standards Committee is used in the United States.
NTSC standard
Normally refers to the 525-line, 60-field system of broadcast television which combines chroma with luminance information into one composite signal.
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