AudioBanter.com - View Single Post - What Does "XLR" Mean? -- Official Answer

Mike Rivers wrote:

In article 9B5xb.230431$mZ5.1739458@attbi_s54 writes:

The question is similar to the question of what BNC or DVD stands for.

BNC actually stands for something. B stands for bayonet. NC might be
Navy Connector (but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense).

In the case of DVD, we're fortunate. Most of us were around when the
acronym was invented and know the history. DVD stands for "Digital
Video Disc." Digital Versatile Disc was simply a revision applied
when the disc began to be used for other purposes.

My recollection was that it was the other way around. The original
name was Digital Versatile Disk, but since the primary application
(for the masses) was for video, people who never knew otherwise
figured that it stood for Digital Video Disk, and there you are.

That's my recollection too.

Especially as it wasn't initially designed as a purely video format.

People who want to use the other versatile applications prefer their
geekier names - DVD-ROM/RAM, DVD-A, and so on.

+R / -R etc. I've given up trying to understand them all. Just hope the drive
manufacturers settle on something finally.

Graham