Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CDN | Content delivery network |
| DSat | Digital satellite television. This is a system of digital television using a system of communication satellites and satellite dishes. Typically, broadcasts are received by a small satellite dish aligned with the correct satellite cluster and typically decoded using a digital set top box or idTV promoted by Sky or Freesat. |
| DSO | Digital switchover |
| DTO | download to own |
| DTR | download to rent; or, digital television receiver (also known as a PVR) |
| DTT | Digital terrestrial television. In the UK market Freeview is the brand name associated with DTT. |
| EPG | Electronic programme guide. This is a digital, on-screen guide to scheduled broadcasts and other content typically navigated via a set top box remote control handset. |
| HD | High definition. |
| idTV | Integrated digital television. A television set with a built-in digital tuner. |
| IP | Internet protocol. A method by which data (e.g. email, video) are sent from one computer to another on the internet. |
| IPTV | Internet protocol television. Digital television delivered over a ‘closed’ IP network infrastructure and engineered to provide a high quality service to the subscriber. In this context, Canvas will not employ a closed IPTV network but will use the open internet to deliver content. |
| ISP | Internet service provider. A provider of broadband services, usually offered via a monthly subscription |
| Linear content | Refers to scheduled broadcast television content. |
| MIA | Market impact assessment, undertaken to assess the market impact of new BBC proposals. |
| NSA | Non-service approval. The mechanism by which the BBC Trust assesses applications from the BBC Executive for activities which do not have the nature of a service and are therefore outside the scope of many of the Trust’s formal requirements as expressed in the Charter and Agreement (such as the system of service licences and the detailed requirements about the Public Value Test and market impact assessments) |
| OTT | Over the top. This refers to any method of transmission that is not the core dominant method. With the dominant method currently being digital terrestrial broadcast, this means over the top methods including video on demand via PC, and mobile. |
| Picnic | BSkyB's proposed offering for paid content offered over digital terrestrial television. |
| Project Marquee | The working name for the BBC's efforts to share the technology behind its iPlayer with other public service broadcasters |
| PSB | Either ‘public service broadcast’ or ‘public service broadcaster’. |
| Push VOD | A push VOD system uses local storage such as a personal video recorder (PVR) to automatically record a selection of programmes either off-air or transmitted overnight using spare capacity. Users can then watch the downloaded programmes at a time of their choosing. As content occupies space on the PVR hard drive, downloaded content is usually overwritten after about a week to make way for new programmes. Push-VoD utilises broadcast transmission of programmes to a reserved section of a digital personal video recorder (PVR) to offer on demand content to users. |
| PVA | Public value assessment. Undertaken by the BBC Trust to assess the value of BBC proposals, including value to licence fee payers, value for money and wider societal value. |
| PVR | Personal Video Recorder - The main component of which in this context is a hard disk drive which stores digital audiovisual content. The use of this device is sometime referred to as ‘time-shifting’. |
| SD | Standard definition |
| STB | Set top box |
| Switchover | The digital TV switchover is the process of turning off the UK's analogue TV signal and replacing it with a digital signal. |
| Thinkbox | The marketing organisation owned by commercial broadcasters Channel 4, Five, GMTV, ITV, Sky Media, Turner Media Innovations and Viacom Brand Solutions. |
| VoD | Video on demand |
page revision: 8, last edited: 13 Jul 2009 15:03
