What is the difference between NTSC and ATSC and why is that different to DVB-T? What does DIN mean if it doesn't mean noise and why would you need a wire loom if you're not going to be doing any weaving?

When it comes to jargon most electronic devices for the car are the equivalents of the cat lady.

The device isn't just satisfied with one technical term and it tends to collect so many that it makes it very difficult for the average person to 'get on with' that device.

This is certainly true for auto DVD players which have technical terms to describe the discs that are played, the formats they are played in, the signals they receive and the parts they are made up of and plug into.

So how are you, as a reseller, supposed to make heads or tails of this and why should you know these terms in the first place?

When you're selling an auto DVD player or any product as of that matter, in depth knowledge about what your selling is very essential. Your customers are probably going to ask you about different features and the degree of knowledge you display in the answer will affect the amount of trust the customer gives you.

But how do you find out this information?

Much of it comes from experience but forums can be a good place to go, as can Google. Just go to Google, type in define: and the phrase you want to check and you will often be given an answer.

Just to get you started here is a big list of technical terms and definitions:

VCD: Video Compact Disc, a CD that plays moving pictures and sound just like a VCR tape.

CDR: Compact Disc Recordable, a disc format that can be recorded on once.

CD-RW: Compact disc Re-Writable. This is similar to the CDR however it allows you to write on it multiple times.

DVD: Digital Versatile Disc, a disc format that is more powerful than the CDR because it allows more data to be stored and is better than the VCD because it stores items in chapters which can be skipped for easier navigation.

Blu Ray: This is a high volume, high resolution disc format created by Sony which allows movies to be displayed in a much higher resolution than other DVD discs. The now defunct Toshiba equivalent is called HD

DIVX: One of the most widely used media formats. DIVX allow bigger files to be compressed to smaller ones while, retaining their quality.

AVI: A format that allows simultaneous playback of video and sound files. AVI usually takes up a lot of disc space.

MP3: Almost everyone has encountered this media format because it is the standard format used by most consumers to store digital audio or music.  

RMVB: RealMedia Variable Bitrate. This is the video player used by the proprietary, but freely available Real Media Player

WMV: Windows Media Video. A compressed video file format used by windows viewing and editing software

WMA: Windows Media Video. A compressed audo file format used by windows listening and editing software

MPEG-4: A compression standard developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group to compress music and audio files

AV Input: Audio visual input. A port where you plug audio video cables from external items (like backing cameras and external media devices) into your car DVD player.

DVB-T: Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial. A DTV standard created by the digital Video broadcasting group which is used in many places through Europe, Oceania, Asia and Africa.

ATSC: &nbspAdvanced Television Systems Committee. This is a digital TV standard that competes with the DVB standard. It is more commonly used through North America and parts of Asia.

PAL: A color encoding system used for broadcast TV standards in many countries. This and the NTSC color system cause most difficulties when dealing with backing cameras.

NTSC: A color encoding system used for broadcast TV standards in many countries. This and the PAL color system cause most difficulties when dealing with backing cameras.

GPS: Global Positioning System: a navigational system involving satellites that allows people to find their way to different places using car DVD players and handheld navigation systems.

FM Transmitter: A portable device that is either plugged in, or built in to a portable audio or video device and then used to broadcast the sound to a FM broadcast band on the car stereo or audio DVD player.

TFT: A type of LCD flat panel display screen. TFT screens are sometimes called active matrix LCDs.

Wire loom: A casing which contains multiple wires which may have multiple purposes in electronics.

Earth Wire: A wire that runs from the car DVD or car stereo to the car's chassis to divert any surges of electricity the fuses can't cope with.

Power Wire: A wire that runs from the car's power source to the auto DVD.

DIN: Deutsches Institut für Normung. An institute that has standardized measurements for many things in the electrical world. Within the car DVD sphere DIN usually refers to the car DVD's height and width with the two common standards being 1 DIN and 2 DIN.

RCA connector/RCA Jack: A standard form of input for audio and visual signals. The male plug has a center pin 3.70 mm in diameter, and an outer shell which is 8.25 mm in diameter.

Customers will often have questions like "Why wont this CD wont work on my new auto DVD player," it is important to address these questions immediately.

Luckily, with new your knowledge on the different disc and media formats this solving this problem won't take too long.  

So get out there, start studying up and become the auto DVD guru your customers want you to be.