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Napster: A peer-to-peer file-sharing format developed to trade mass amounts of music files over the Internet. Lawsuits forced the original version to be shut down, but the Napster technology is set to re-emerge as a subscription-based service.

near field monitor: Speakers that are designed to be placed in relatively close proximity to the listener and used to monitor recording and playback.

noise floor: The level of noise that an audio device produces, measured in negative dB. The lower the dB level, the quieter the device is.

normalization: Adjusting sound files so the volume is consistent.

Nyquist's theorem: States that a sampling device must capture samples at twice the frequency of sound being sampled to avoid aliasing.

OCR (optical character recognition): A branch of computer science that involves reading text on paper and translating the images into a form that computer users can manipulate.. When a text document is scanned into the computer, it is turned into a bitmap, or picture, of the text. OCR software identifies letters and numbers by analyzing the light and dark areas of the bitmap. When it recognizes a character, it converts it into ASCII text. Advanced OCR programs can recognize hand printing.

OEM (original equipment manufacturer): A misleading term for a company that buys computers in bulk from a manufacturer , then customizes the machines and sells them under its own name. The term is a misnomer because OEMs arent the original manufacturers. Another term for OEM is VAR (value-added reseller ).

oscillator: An electrical device that uses varying voltages to oscillate at different frequencies, thereby producing musical notes.

overclocking: Running your processor at a speed faster than it's rated. Most processors can run faster than their rated speed with some sacrifice of reliability.

over-sampling: A technique in which each sample coming from the D/A converter is sampled multiple times. The samples are then interpolated creating an anti-aliasing effect.

Don't see the word you want? Let us know at techglossary@techtv.com. For links to other resources, go back to the glossary's start page.

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