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Analog: The current technology used to transmit conventional television and radio signals. Video cassettes, audio tape and vinyl LP records are examples of analog technology.
Back Channel: A means of communication between users to content providers. Today, a simple type of back channel is an Internet connection using a modem. Viewers and listeners can use a back channel to provide feedback, request additional information and purchase goods and services.
Bandwidth: The complete range of frequencies over which a circuit or electronic system is allocated to function. In transmission, the U.S. analog and digital television channel bandwidth is 6 MHz. WOSU-TV can use its bandwidth for one HDTV signal or up to four multicast digital signals and/or data transmission.
Broadband: Capable of handling frequencies greater than those required for high-grade voice communications.
Channel: The television broadcast frequency. The Federal Communications Commission assigns over-the-air television channels in the VHF and UHF band. When WOSU-TV begins DTV broadcasting its assigned digital channel will be 38. As it makes the transition to DTV, WOSU will broadcast on its current channel, 34 and its new DTV channel. After the transition is complete, WOSU-TV will broadcast only on DTV channel 38.
Datacasting: Enhanced options offered with some digital programming to provide additional program material or non-program related resources, allowing viewers the ability to download data (video, audio, text, graphics, maps, services) to specially equipped computers, cache boxes, set-top boxes, or DTV receivers.
DBS: "Direct broadcast satellite." An alternative to cable and analog satellite reception utilizing a fixed 18-inch dish focused on one or more geostationary satellites. DBS typically uses MPEG-2 encoding and QPSK transmission.
DTV: "Digital television." This is comprised of all the components of digital television, including HDTV, SDTV, datacasting, and multicasting. Learn more about the shift from analog to digital TV by clciking here
Electronic Programming Guide (EPG): An application that provides an on-screen listing of all programming and content that an interactive television service subscriber or digital television viewer has available to them.
Enhancements: Producers add these options to some digital programming to enhance program material - allowing viewers the ability to download related program resources to specially equipped computers, cache boxes, set-top boxes, or DTV receivers.
Enhanced TV: Term used by PBS for certain digital on-air programming (usually educational) that includes additional resources downloaded to viewers. Some forms of enhanced TV allow live interaction; other forms are not visible on-screen until later recalled by viewers. Also known as "datacasting."
Federal Communications Commission (FCC): U.S. Government agency charged with regulating radio, television, wire, cable, and satellite communications.
HDTV: "High Definition Television." This is the most superior video picture available in DTV. In the U.S., the 1080i and 720p formats in a 16:9 aspect ratio are the two acceptable HDTV formats. HDTV is a component of DTV.
Interactive Television: TV programming with interactive content and enhancements, blending traditional TV viewing with the interactivity of a personal computer.
Letterbox: Image of a wide-screen picture on a standard 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, typically with black bars above and below. It is used to maintain the original aspect ratio of the original source (usually a theatrical motion picture of 16X9 aspect ratio or wider).
Multicasting: Option made possible by digital technology to allow each digital broadcast station to split its bitstream into 2, 3, 4 or more individual channels of programming and/or data services.
NTSC: "National Television Systems Committee" and the name of the current analog transmission standard used in the U.S., which the committee created many decades ago.
On-Demand Streaming: Sending video/audio or other data that is transmitted to the end-user upon request (widely used on news and sports-oriented Web sites, for example).
Pixel: A tiny sample of video information; the "dots" that make up an overall picture.
Resolution: Directly affects picture quality. The higher the resolution, the more picture detail there is. Resolution is affected by number of bits, pixel count, format, receiver quality, cameras, lenses and lighting (used for live or taped programming.)
SDTV: "Standard Definition Television." Digital formats which do not achieve the video quality of HDTV. SDTV is at least equal, or superior to, current television pictures. It offers the ability to transmit at least 4 standard-quality programs simultaneously using the digital channel.
Set-top box (STB): Device that converts and displays data from analog cable, digital cable, or digital broadcast television to a standard frequency (channel number) for display on a standard analog television set, or a box that receives off-air DTV signal for display on a DTV monitor.
Simulcast: The broadcast of the same program simultaneously over two or more different systems or channels. An accelerated amount of simulcasting of both analog and digital programming will be required by FCC rules, during the DTV transition period.
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