Glossary
www.bva.org.uk/glossary
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5.1 digital decoder
Converts the surround sound soundtrack on a DVD movie into a signal that's sent to a 5 channel surround amplifier.
ADSL
Stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A technology that converts an ordinary household telephone line into an extremely fast internet connection – around ten times faster than a regular 56K modem.
App
Short for application, software embedded in internetconnected devices.
ASF
Advanced Streaming Format. A streaming file format from Microsoft.
Aspect ratio
A measure of the relative width and height of a display. Traditional television screens, for instance, have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (meaning four units wide by three units high), while modern widescreen sets have 16:9 proportions.
Audiovisual Industry
Video, television, film content on any legitimate platform.
Average Weight of Purchase
% of units purchased in a given time-frame.
Average Weight of Spend
Amount spent on a category in a given time-frame.
AVI
A type of video file used by windows and usually played using Windows Media Player.
Bandwidth
A term used to describe the capacity of an internet connection defined as the maximum bit rate downstream.
Bit rate
The speed at which a digital file is transferred expressed in bits per second, eg 1 Bps. Bit rate is defined in Video Streaming to ensure interruption free viewing of video files.
Bittorrent
A peer to peer file sharing protocol commonly used for the illegal sharing of digital files.
Blu-ray
A format that delivers high definition video and games and storage up to 50GB on DVD sized discs.
Blu-ray Disc/BD
High density optical disc format for domestic use. Used to carry Hi-def audio and video and interactive content. The no 1 Hi-Def format of choice.
Bps
Bits per second. Measure of computer data transmission speed. For example, a 56Kbps modem can receive up to 56,000 bits of computer data per second.
Broadband
An internet connection that is always on. As it delivers a higher bit rate than a standard dial-up, it provides a faster way of surfing the web.
Cannibalisation
Erosion rate of legitimate transactions.
Chromakey effects
Sometimes known as blue-screening because subjects are filmed in front of a blue screen before being 'extracted' from the video. The subject can then be placed on top of another scene, giving the appearance of being somewhere they're not. Without Chromakey, Superman would never have flown.
Composite video
A type of video signal used by some camcorders, video recorders and TVs in which the red, green and blue signals are mixed together. The aerial connection on a TV set uses composite video.
CRT
Cathode-ray tube. The glass tube-based technology used to produce an image in most TV sets and computer monitors.
Data rate
The speed at which digital information is transferred from one device to another, and can range from a few kilobits to many hundreds of megabytes per second. Traditional modems, for example, offer download data rates of up to 56Kbps.
Digital File formats
Audio visual files can be formatted in various file types using differing standards and codecs. These include Flash, Windows Media, MPEG2 & 4, Quicktime and Real.
Download to Own/DTO
The sale of digital video on the internet, where digital files are downloaded to a user’s computer and rights are granted for multiple replays in the home.
DRM
Digital Rights Management – Allows publishers to control access to, and facilitate payment for, their content.
DTS
Digital Theatre Systems. A digital movie soundtrack format used in cinemas and on some DVD movies.
DTT
Digital Terrestrial Television.
Dual-layer DVD
A DVD that holds twice as much data as an ordinary DVD by adding an extra layer.
DVI
Digital Video Interface. A video connection on some TFT monitors and graphics cards that provides a digital connection between a PC and monitor.
EST
Electronic sell-through. See DTO.
Format Shifting
Copying of content from one form of storage to another (for example, from a CD to an MP3 player).
Frame rate
The number of images, or frames, shown each second that make up a moving image. The higher the rate, the smoother the moving image. Games and movies in particular benefit from high frame rates.
GB (Gigabyte)
A measurement of storage capacity. 1GB is equal to 1,000MB (megabytes).
Hardware
Physical devices eg Television, Computer, set top box, disc players, mobile devices etc.
HD-DVD
High density optical disc format for domestic use. Used to carry high definition audio and video and interactive content. Developed by Toshiba.
HDMI
High Definition Multimedia Interface. A specification that combines audio and video into one digital interface for use with Blu-ray, DVDs and digital TVs.
HD Ready
A term used for televisions sold which are compatible with HD standards.
HD Ready TV
Widescreen digital TV that requires a external High Definition device to deliver HD content.
Hardware
The physical devices, e.g. Television, Computer, set top box, disc players etc.
HD/High definition/Hi-def
A set of standards to deliver broadcast, internet, or optical disc allowing significantly better resolutions than the previous PAL 625 and NTSC 525, line pictures typically at a minimum resolution of 1280x720 to a ‘full HD’ standard of 1920x1080p.
HD Ready
A term used for televisions sold which are compatible with HD standards.
Home Media Server
A networked storage device in the home used to store music, video and picture files for distribution to hardware attached to a home network. Also known as Digital Media Server or Home Hub.
Hybrid Set Top Box
A single set top box that will access Digital TV and download on-demand programming.
IPTV
Internet Protocol TV. Content delivered across the internet using broadband connections and internet protocols. Used in BBC iPlayer, 4oD and other internet TV services.
LCD
Liquid-crystal display. Technology used to create low-power, slim display panels.
Mb (megabyte)
A measurement of storage capacity, usually for computer memory. 1Mb is equal to 1,024Kb (kilobytes).
Mbps
Megabits per second.
MP3
A computer file format that compresses audio or WAV files up to a factor of 12.
MPEG
Stands for Motion Picture Experts Group, and describes a method of compressing digital video. MPEG-1 compression gives VHS-quality vide, while MPEG-2 compression gives high-quality video with CD-quality sound. MPEG-2 compression is used for DVD movies.
NVoD
Near Video-on-Demand where multiple viewing times are fixed by providers.
Penetration
Proportion of people or households.
PPV
Pay per View – The distribution of programming on cable or satellite for a single viewing, normally available between DVD release and terrestrial broadcast.
PSP
Playstation portable.
Pixel
Short for picture element, the smallest part of an image displayed on a monitor or captured by a scanner or camera.
Plasma
A display where each pixel is illuminated by a tiny bit of plasma or charged gas.
Podcasting
The creation of an audio file, usually in MP3 format, of content. It is often a radio programme that is available to download to an MP3 player. While most are free, some providers do charge a fee for podcasts.
Pre-roll video
Video ads that play before a viewer sees content.
PVR
Personal video recorders store recorded TV shows on hard disk, rather than tape or DVD. Most can be set to automatically record a whole series.
PVR
Personal Video recorder, a hardware device used to record and time shift television.
Red button
TV viewers press the red button on their remote control to access additional content, such as competitions, extra footage or special promotions from advertisers or broadcasters. In turn, this captures data for advertisers.
Rentailer
Rental store.
Resolution
The amount of detail shown in an image, whether on screen or printed.
Rich media
The collective name for online ad formats that use advanced technology, such as interactive and audio-visual elements, to provide richer content.
S-Video
A higher-quality video connection that carries brightness and colour information separately. Usually found on high-end camcorders and on some graphics and TV tuner cards.
Set-top box
A device that enables a TV set to receive digital TV broadcasts.
Software
Programming which interfaces with hardware to provide a task or function.
Streaming
The process of delivering content over the internet which starts playing before the full file has been received. In general streaming formats do not save the file on the local hard disc, so the content can only be viewed once.
Streaming media
Compressed audio/video which plays and downloads at the same time. The user does not have to wait for the whole file to download before it starts playing.
SVoD
Subscription Video-on-Demand.
UMD
Universal media disc, developed by Sony for the PSP.
User-generated content
Online content created by website users, rather than media owners or publishers, through reviews, blogging, podcasting or posting comments, pictures or video clips.
Video
All pre-recorded formats; includes DVD, VHS, UMD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and online.
VoD
Video On Demand.
Wireless Multimedia Adapter
A device to transfer files from a computer to a television across a wireless network, for example Apple iTV.
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