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[itvt] Industry Glossary

ADSL

Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line. ADSL is type of DSL that provides T1 rates or higher in the downstream (towards the customer) direction and 64 KBPS or higher in the upstream direction.

ADVANCED TELEVISION ENHANCEMENT FORUM (ATVEF)

A commercial technology organization or "cross-industry alliance" formed by many different companies from the broadcast and cable networks, television transports, consumer electronics, and PC industries. The goal was to develop HTML-based protocols to promote the standardization of enhanced TV. Tools and other supportive technologies that were "ATVEF-compliant" enabled the creation and distribution of enhancements through the analog and digital signal. Representatives developed a technology specification that enabled broadcasters to send data (based on Internet standards) through the "Vertical Blanking Interval." If the viewer's set-top box had the proper software to receive and interpret ATVEF data, whatever was designed and sent would show up on the TV screen. That data might appear as raw data or complex interactive interfaces. This technology has been made somewhat obsolete by the deployment of digital set-top boxes.

ARPANET

Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. DARPA was founded in 1957 in response to a successful launch of a Russian satellite. ARPANET was a project intended to maintain communications within the country via important government computers in the eventual threat of nuclear war.

ASPECT RATIO

The width-to- height ratio of the picture frame. TV broadcasts at a 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio; digital TV is broadcast with a 16:9 (1.78:1) ratio; and most feature films are shot in at least a 1.85:1 ratio.

BACKCHANNEL

Term commonly used to describe the action of sending data back to a host server over a phone wire or cable pipe.

CABLE NETWORK

The system network for the distribution of the television signal and now digital data and telephony services by cable (co-axial, twisted pair or fiber optic).

CABLE PLANT

Term which refers to the central equipment and broadcasting headquarters of a cable operator. All initial broadcasts from the content providers are sent to the cable plant, aggregated, reencoded, and broadcast to its set-top box network.

CALBE TELEVIDSION LABORATORIES (CABLELABS)

A non-profit research and development organization for cable operators in North and South America. CableLabs organizes member meetings and develops standards for all manner of cable equipment and software.

CONDITIONAL ACCESS TECHNOLOGY

Technology embedded on the set-top box and satellite receiver that enables the cable or satellite broadcaster to filter out content the subscriber has not paid for or provide them with movies or special programs they have purchased on a pay-per-use system.

DECODER

Term sometimes used for set-top box

DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE (DSL)

Modem telecommunications technology that enables broadband, digital data to be transmitted over ordinary telephone line. DSL comes in many flavors, known collectively as xDSL, see ADSL, HDSL, SDSL, VDSL.

DIGITAL VIDEO BROADCASTING

MUTIMEDIA HOME PLATFORM (DVB-MHP) - See Digital Video Broadcasting. DVB-MHP is a standards based software layer developed by members of the DVB that allow ITV producers to develop applications that will run on all DVB-compliant set-top boxes.

DIGITAL VIDEO BROADCASTING (DVB)

A digital television standards development body with its primary influence in Europe. Standards developed include digital broadcasting for cable, satellite, and digital terrestrial.

DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER (DVR)

A high capacity hard drive that is embedded in a set-top box, which records video programming from a television set. These DVRs are operated by personal video recording software, which enables the viewer to pause, fast forward, and manage all sorts of other functions and special applications.

DIGITAL VIDEO SERVER

A robust, dedicated computer at a central location that receives command requests from the television viewer through a video-on-demand application. Once it receives this request, it then instantly broadcasts specific digital video streams to that viewer. SeaChange and Concurrent are examples of companies that provide this kind of equipment and software services.

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