Glossary of Digital Broadcast

AnalogA type of waveform signal that contains information such as image, voice, and data. Analog signals have unpredictable height (amplitude) and width (frequency) and can vary infinitely over a given range.

HDTV- 720pType of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 720 vertical lines by 1,280 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in progressive format. (It has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 59.94 Hz, 29.97 Hz, and 23.98 Hz frame rates, as defined by the ATSC standard.)

HDTV-1080pType of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 1,080 vertical lines by 1,920 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in an interlaced format. (It has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 29.97 Hz frame rate, as defined by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard.)

BandwidthA measure of the capacity of a circuit or channel -- the amount of information transferred between points within a specified time period.

BroadbandTerm that generally refers to high-bandwith capacity. Broadband has a multi-channel capacity that is greater than or equal to 45 Mbps (US standard) or 34 Mbps (European/international standard).

DatacastingThis the term for the propagation of information from one source to another source.

DemodulationA method for extracting digital information stored in a specific pattern on a radio frequency (RF) signal.

Digital set-top-box (DSTB)A device that receives and decodes digital video broadcasts for consumer viewing.

Digital television (DTV)A device that receives, decodes, and displays digital video broadcasts (in both high-definition and standard-definition formats) for consumer viewing.

High-definition television (HDTV)High-definition video formats that have 16:9 aspect ratio. Generally refers to1080ior720pimages

Interactive televisionA capability in DTV or DSTB that allows a user to control the action of the television and view the results of his/her action on the television.

ModulationA technique for embedding digital information in a radio carrier wave for Corporation developed and licenses the technology.

MulticastingGenerally, multicasting refers to propagation from one source to only a subset of potential destinations. It also means a technique for simultaneously sending multiple DTV programmes on a single channel. The frequency used to carry a single analog television program can be used to carry up to six digital programmes.

Phase-alternating line (PAL)The analog color video composite system developed in Europe and used by countries around the world. It is similar to the NTSC standard, but it uses a sub-carrier phase alternation technique that makes certain kinds of transmission errors appear to cancel.

PixelThe smallest unit of colour in a display. Frames are made up of lines and columns of pixels. The number of pixel lines in each frame expresses video resolution.

Plasma display panel (PDP)Flat panel display using plasma electronic technology.

Pay-per-view (PPV)A technique of controlling television access whereby the customer is charged on the basis of what programmes he/she watches.

Radio frequency (RF)Refers to the use of radio carrier waves to transmit a broadcast signal.

Terrestrial televisionTelevision signals broadcast from local radio towers. Homes with antennas capable of picking up the broadcast signals are able to receive the television programme

Universal Serial Bus (USB)A digital connection between two separate electronic devices which provides "plug-and-play" capability.

Video on demand (VOD)The viewer pays a small fee to the television service provider in order to watch particular movies listed on the on-screen television menu. Similar to pay-per-view.

MPEG-2A digital video and audio compression (encoding) technique defined by the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG).

Enhanced televisionAny of several techniques for providing a viewer with additional information associated with a television programme or advertisement.