A microscope (Greek: micron = small and scopos = aim) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy, and the term microscopic means minute or very small, not easily visible with the unaided eye. In other words, requiring a microscope to examine. The most common type of microscope—and the first to be invented—is the optical microscope. This is an optical instrument containing one or more lenses that produce an enlarged image of an ...

Including:

• Microscope - Simple optical microscope
• Microscope - Compound optical microscope
• Microscope - Stereo microscope
• Microscope - Special designs
• Microscope - Optical resolution
• Microscope - History of the microscope
• Microscope - Other types of microscopes

Read more here: » Microscope: Encyclopedia - Microscope

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM or LSCM) is a valuable tool for obtaining high resolution images and 3-D reconstructions. The key feature of confocal microscopy is its ability to produce blur-free images of thick specimens at various depths. Images are taken point-by-point and reconstructed with a computer, rather than projected through an eyepiece. The principle for this special kind of microscopy was developed by Marvin Minsky in 1953, but it took another thirty years and the development of lasers as near-ideal point light ...

Including:

• Confocal laser scanning microscopy - Image formation
• Confocal laser scanning microscopy - Resolution enhancement by the confocal principle

Read more here: » Confocal laser scanning microscopy: Encyclopedia - Confocal laser scanning microscopy

Blu-ray Disc (BD) is a next-generation optical disc format meant for storage of high-definition video and high-density data. The Blu-ray standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). As compared to the HD DVD format, its main competitor, Blu-ray has more information capacity per layer, 25 instead of 15 gigabyt ...

Including:

• Blu-ray Disc - Variations and sizes
• Blu-ray Disc - Technology
• Blu-ray Disc - Laser and optics
• Blu-ray Disc - Hard-coating technology
• Blu-ray Disc - Codecs
• Blu-ray Disc - Java Software Support
• Blu-ray Disc - Compatibility
• Blu-ray Disc - Region codes
• Blu-ray Disc - Digital Rights Management
• Blu-ray Disc - Applications
• Blu-ray Disc - Stand-alone recorders and games consoles
• Blu-ray Disc - PC data storage
• Blu-ray Disc - Corporate support
• Blu-ray Disc - Complete List of Announced BD Launch Releases
• Blu-ray Disc - Alternatives
• Blu-ray Disc - Trivia

Read more here: » Blu-ray Disc: Encyclopedia - Blu-ray Disc

DVD (sometimes known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc") is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs as their physical dimensions are the same (12 cm or occasionally 8 cm in diameter) but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. The official DVD specification is maintained by the DVD Forum. DVD - History. In the early 1990s two high density ...

Including:

• DVD - History
• DVD - Technical information
• DVD - DVD-Video
• DVD - Restrictions
• DVD - Region codes
• DVD - DVD-Audio
• DVD - Security
• DVD - Players and recorders
• DVD - Competitors and successors
• DVD - Direct-to-DVD

Read more here: » DVD: Encyclopedia - DVD

A DVD-Recordable or DVD-R (pronounced "DVD Are" or "DVD Dash Are") is an optical disc with a larger storage capacity than a CD-R, typically 4.7 GB (4.38 GiB) instead of 700 MiB, although the capacity of the original standard was 3.95 GB. Pioneer has also developed a 8.54 GB dual layer version, which appeared on the market in 2005. A DVD-R can be written to only once, whereas a DVD-RW (DVD-rewritable) can be rewritten multiple times. The DVD-R format was developed by Pioneer in autumn of 1997. It is supported by most DV ...

Including:

• DVD-R - Capacities

Read more here: » DVD-R: Encyclopedia - DVD-R

The optical fiber can be used as a medium for telecommunication and networking because it is flexible and can be bundled as cables. Although fibers can be made out of either transparent plastic or glass, the fibers used in long-distance telecommunications applications are always glass, because of the lower optical attenuation. Both multi-mode and single-mode fibers are used in communications, with multi-mode fiber used mostly for short distances (up to 500 m), and single-mode fiber used for longer distance links. Because of the tighte ...

See also:

Optical fiber, Optical fiber - Optical description, Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication, Optical fiber - Comparison with electrical transmission, Optical fiber - Governing standards, Optical fiber - Other uses of optical fibers, Optical fiber - Fiber Optic Sensors, Optical fiber - Manufacture, Optical fiber - Optical fiber cables, Optical fiber - History, Optical fiber - Footnotes

Read more here: » Optical fiber: Encyclopedia II - Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication

There are eleven main parts to a microscope. At the top of the microscope there is a cylinder that is called the ocular or eyepiece. That is where you look to see the magnified image. The ocular is connected to the body tube that leads to the main microscope. The hanging cylinders are called the objective lenses and can have many magnifications. They are attached to the nose piece. Right under them is the stage where the item is placed and a diaphragm is attached under the stage to control how much light or what color you view the object wit ...

See also:

Microscope, Microscope - Simple optical microscope, Microscope - Compound optical microscope, Microscope - The Parts of the Microscope, Microscope - Stereo microscope, Microscope - Special designs, Microscope - Optical resolution, Microscope - History of the microscope, Microscope - Other types of microscopes

Read more here: » Microscope: Encyclopedia II - Microscope - The Parts of the Microscope

On November 19, 2003, the DVD Forum decided with eight to six votes that the HD DVD will be the HDTV successor of the DVD. At this meeting they renamed it to HD DVD, while it had been previously called the "Advanced Optical Disc". Blu-ray Disc was developed outside of the DVD Forum, and was never submitted to the forum for consideration. The current specification version for HD DVD-ROM and HD DVD-Rewritable is version 1.0. The specification for HD DVD-R is currently at 0.9. The first HD DVD-ROM drives were expected to be unveiled by Q4 2004, with mass production ...

See also:

HD DVD, HD DVD - Overview, HD DVD - History, HD DVD - Common Disc Structure, HD DVD - The Blue Laser, HD DVD - Protection Technology, HD DVD - Controversies

Read more here: » HD DVD: Encyclopedia II - HD DVD - History

In the early 1990s two high density optical storage standards were being developed: one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony, and the other was the Super Density Disc (SD), supported by Toshiba, Time-Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC. IBM's president, Lou Gerstner, acting as a matchmaker, led an effort to unite the two camps behind a single standard, anticipating a repeat of the costly format war betwee ...

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DVD, DVD - History, DVD - Technical information, DVD - DVD-Video, DVD - Restrictions, DVD - Region codes, DVD - DVD-Audio, DVD - Security, DVD - Players and recorders, DVD - Competitors and successors, DVD - Direct-to-DVD

Read more here: » DVD: Encyclopedia II - DVD - History

The optical fiber can be used as a medium for telecommunication and networking because it is flexible and can be bundled as cables. Although fibers can be made out of either transparent plastic or glass, the fibers used in long-distance telecommunications applications are always glass, because of the lower optical attenuation. Both multi-mode and single-mode fibers are used in communications, with multi-mode fiber used mostly for short distances (up to 500 m), and single-mode fiber used for longer distance links. Because of the tighte ...

See also:

Optical fiber, Optical fiber - Optical description, Optical fiber - Materials, Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication, Optical fiber - Comparison with electrical transmission, Optical fiber - Governing standards, Optical fiber - Other uses of optical fibers, Optical fiber - Fiber Optic Sensors, Optical fiber - Manufacture, Optical fiber - Optical fiber cables, Optical fiber - History, Optical fiber - Footnotes

Read more here: » Optical fiber: Encyclopedia II - Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication

During the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show, Universal Pictures, Warner Home Video, and Paramount Home Entertainment announced their respective lists of launch releases. At the time of CES, a total of 86 titles had been announced. [9] Partial lists of the announced titles for the respective movie companies follows. HD DVD - Complete List of 24 Launch Titles by Warner Home Video. Batman Begins Constantine Million Dollar Baby< ...

See also:

HD DVD, HD DVD - Overview, HD DVD - History, HD DVD - Common Disc Structure, HD DVD - The Blue Laser, HD DVD - Protection Technology, HD DVD - Controversies, HD DVD - Partial list of announced HD DVD launch releases, HD DVD - Complete List of 24 Launch Titles by Warner Home Video, HD DVD - Complete List of 20 Launch Titles by Paramount Home Entertainment, HD DVD - Complete List of 20 Launch Titles by Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Read more here: » HD DVD: Encyclopedia II - HD DVD - Partial list of announced HD DVD launch releases

Blu-ray Disc - Laser and optics. Blu-ray systems use blue-violet laser operating at a wavelength of 405 nm to read and write data. Conventional DVDs and CDs use red and infrared lasers at 650 nm and 780 nm respectively. The blue-violet laser's shorter wavelength makes it possible to store more information on a 12 cm CD/DVD sized disc. The minimum "spot size" on which a laser can be focused is limited by diffraction, and depends on the wavelength of the light and the numerical aperture of the lens used to f ...

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Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray Disc - Variations and sizes, Blu-ray Disc - Technology, Blu-ray Disc - Laser and optics, Blu-ray Disc - Hard-coating technology, Blu-ray Disc - Codecs, Blu-ray Disc - Java Software Support, Blu-ray Disc - Compatibility, Blu-ray Disc - Region codes, Blu-ray Disc - Digital Rights Management, Blu-ray Disc - Applications, Blu-ray Disc - Stand-alone recorders and games consoles, Blu-ray Disc - PC data storage, Blu-ray Disc - Corporate support, Blu-ray Disc - Complete List of Announced BD Launch Releases, Blu-ray Disc - Alternatives, Blu-ray Disc - Trivia

Read more here: » Blu-ray Disc: Encyclopedia II - Blu-ray Disc - Technology

PDD uses a 405nm wavelength and a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85 for the laser, allowing 23GB of data to be stored on one 12cm disc - the equivalent to nearly five single-layer DVDs, and a data transfer rate of 11MB/s for reading and 9MB/s for writing. Plans have also been made to introduce dual-layer 50GB and quad-layer 100GB discs in the future. Confusingly, this all sounds very similar to the Blu-ray Disc format, another optical disc format using blue-violet lasers which is also supported by Sony. Even the discs' caddies look very ...

See also:

Professional Disc for DATA, Professional Disc for DATA - Technology, Professional Disc for DATA - Applications/Products

Read more here: » Professional Disc for DATA: Encyclopedia II - Professional Disc for DATA - Technology

In a laser scanning confocal microscope a laser beam passes a light source aperture and then is focused by an objective lens into a small (ideally diffraction-limited) focal volume within a fluorescent specimen. A mixture of emitted fluorescent light as well as reflected laser light from the illuminated spot is then recollected by the objective lens. A beam splitter separates the light mixture by allowing only the laser light to pass through and reflecting the fluorescent light into the detection apparatus. After passing a pinhole the fluore ...

See also:

Confocal laser scanning microscopy, Confocal laser scanning microscopy - Image formation, Confocal laser scanning microscopy - Resolution enhancement by the confocal principle

Read more here: » Confocal laser scanning microscopy: Encyclopedia II - Confocal laser scanning microscopy - Image formation

The diagrams below show compound microscopes. In its simplest form—as used by Robert Hooke, for example—the compound microscope would have a single glass lens of short focal length for the objective, and another single glass lens for the eyepiece or ocular. Modern microscopes of this kind are usually more complex, with multiple lens components in both objective and eyepiece assemblies. These multi-component lenses are designed to reduce aberrations, particularly chromatic aberration and spherical aberration. In modern microscopes ...

See also:

Microscope, Microscope - Simple optical microscope, Microscope - Compound optical microscope, Microscope - Stereo microscope, Microscope - Special designs, Microscope - Optical resolution, Microscope - History of the microscope, Microscope - Other types of microscopes

Read more here: » Microscope: Encyclopedia II - Microscope - Compound optical microscope

On November 19, 2003, the DVD Forum decided with eight to six votes that the HD DVD will be the HDTV successor of the DVD. At this meeting they renamed it to HD DVD, while it had been previously called the "Advanced Optical Disc". Blu-ray Disc was developed outside of the DVD Forum, and was never submitted to the forum for consideration. The current specification version for HD DVD-ROM and HD DVD-Rewritable is version 1.0. The specification for HD DVD-R is currently at 0.9. The first HD DVD-ROM drives were expected to be unveiled by Q4 2004, with ma ...

See also:

HD DVD, HD DVD - Overview, HD DVD - History, HD DVD - Common Disc Structure, HD DVD - The Blue Laser, HD DVD - Protection Technology, HD DVD - Controversies, HD DVD - Partial list of announced HD DVD launch releases, HD DVD - Complete List of 24 Launch Titles by Warner Home Video, HD DVD - Complete List of 20 Launch Titles by Paramount Home Entertainment, HD DVD - Complete List of 20 Launch Titles by Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Read more here: » HD DVD: Encyclopedia II - HD DVD - History

The stereo, binocular or dissecting microscope is designed differently from the diagrams above, and serves a different purpose. It uses two eyepieces (or sometimes two complete microscopes) to provide slightly different viewing angles to the left and right eyes. In this way it produces a three-dimensional (3-D) visualisation of the sample being examined. The stereo microscope is often used to study the surfaces of solid specimens or to carry out close work such as sorting, dissection, microsurgery, watch-making, small circui ...

See also:

Microscope, Microscope - Simple optical microscope, Microscope - Compound optical microscope, Microscope - The Parts of the Microscope, Microscope - Stereo microscope, Microscope - Special designs, Microscope - Optical resolution, Microscope - History of the microscope, Microscope - Other types of microscopes

Read more here: » Microscope: Encyclopedia II - Microscope - Stereo microscope

HD DVD initially received more support than Blu-ray from film studios and distributors. One commonly cited reason is that it is less expensive to convert a production line from DVDs to HD DVDs than to convert to Blu-ray. This early lead has vanished because it would be easy for the counterfeiters as well. As expected, Sony's subsidiaries Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have both announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format. On October 3, 2004 20th Century Fox announced that it was joining the ...

See also:

Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray Disc - Variations and sizes, Blu-ray Disc - Technology, Blu-ray Disc - Laser and optics, Blu-ray Disc - Hard-coating technology, Blu-ray Disc - Codecs, Blu-ray Disc - Java Software Support, Blu-ray Disc - Compatibility, Blu-ray Disc - Region codes, Blu-ray Disc - Digital Rights Management, Blu-ray Disc - Applications, Blu-ray Disc - Stand-alone recorders and games consoles, Blu-ray Disc - PC data storage, Blu-ray Disc - Corporate support, Blu-ray Disc - Complete List of Announced BD Launch Releases, Blu-ray Disc - Alternatives, Blu-ray Disc - Trivia

Read more here: » Blu-ray Disc: Encyclopedia II - Blu-ray Disc - Corporate support

An optical fiber (american spelling) or fibre (english spelling) is a cylindrical dielectric waveguide that transmits light along its axis, by the process of total internal reflection. The fiber consists of a core surrounded by a cladding layer. For the fiber to guide the optical signal the refractive index of the core must be slightly higher than that of the cladding. The boundary between the core and cladding may either be abrupt, in step-index ...

See also:

Optical fiber, Optical fiber - Optical description, Optical fiber - Materials, Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication, Optical fiber - Comparison with electrical transmission, Optical fiber - Governing standards, Optical fiber - Other uses of optical fibers, Optical fiber - Fiber Optic Sensors, Optical fiber - Manufacture, Optical fiber - Optical fiber cables, Optical fiber - History, Optical fiber - Footnotes

Read more here: » Optical fiber: Encyclopedia II - Optical fiber - Optical description

Optical fibers can be used as sensors to measure strain, temperature, pressure and other parameters. The small size and the fact that no electrical power is needed at the remote location gives the fiber optic sensor advantages to conventional electrical sensor in certain applications. Optical fibers are used as hydrophones for seismic or SONAR applications. Hydrophone systems with more than 100 sensors per fiber cable have been developed. Hydrophone sensor systems are used by oil industry as well as a few countries navy. Both bottom m ...

See also:

Optical fiber, Optical fiber - Optical description, Optical fiber - Materials, Optical fiber - Optical fiber communication, Optical fiber - Comparison with electrical transmission, Optical fiber - Governing standards, Optical fiber - Other uses of optical fibers, Optical fiber - Fiber Optic Sensors, Optical fiber - Manufacture, Optical fiber - Optical fiber cables, Optical fiber - History, Optical fiber - Footnotes

Read more here: » Optical fiber: Encyclopedia II - Optical fiber - Fiber Optic Sensors