How to Use This Book

The world of digital video uses specialized terms such as MPEG and bit rate and also uses some ordinary words such as burn and rip in special ways. Rather then stick the definitions in a Glossary at the end of the book where you'll never see it, I've tried to define each term when I first use it. If you forget a term, you can always check the Index to find that definition. I also use several icons to highlight parts of the text.

The Note icon tells you that the accompanying text is not essential, though if I bothered to include it and my editors didn't bother to cut it, it's probably interesting or even useful.

The Tip icon tells you that the accompanying text contains an important time-saving tip or trick that it would be helpful to learn.

The Warning icon is only used when what I'm saying is so important that ignoring it could have disastrous consequences. I don't use warning icons often in this book, so if you see one, read carefully.

All righty, then let's move along to the fun stuff.

P.S. While I can't promise to answer every email message I receive, I do try to answer as many as I can. If you have a comment about this book, or a question about something I've written in it, please feel free to send me a message; I'll try my best to answer in a timely fashion. My email address is [e-mail].