Vidéothumb|Réalisateur vidéo Le terme vidéo désigne à la fois l'ensemble des techniques permettant la constitution d'un signal électrique représentant des s animées et la restitution de celles-ci ainsi que ce signal lui-même. Le signal vidéo se caractérise par différents paramètres normalisés : cadence image / trame, résolution, standard couleur éventuellement associé, composition analogique ou numérique, format d'image, données associées... Le mot « vidéo » provient du latin « video » signifiant « je vois », apocope de vidéophonie ou de vidéogramme.
Digital videoDigital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises a series of s displayed in rapid succession, usually at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. Digital video has many advantages such as easy copying, multicasting, sharing and storage. Digital video was first introduced commercially in 1986 with the Sony D1 format, which recorded an uncompressed standard-definition component video signal in digital form.
Comparison of video codecsΑ video codec is software or a device that provides encoding and decoding for digital video, and which may or may not include the use of video compression and/or decompression. Most codecs are typically implementations of video coding formats. The compression may employ lossy data compression, so that quality-measurement issues become important. Shortly after the compact disc became widely available as a digital-format replacement for analog audio, it became feasible to also store and use video in digital form.