A/V and IT Terms

Apple TV

Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and sold by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance and entertainment device that can receive digital data from a number of sources and stream it to a capable television.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth describes the maximum data transfer rate of a network or Internet connection. It measures how much data can flow through a specific connection at one time.

What does "CPU" stand for?

Central Processing Unit

What is a good analogy for understanding bandwidth?

"Think of a network connection as a tube and each bit of data as a grain of sand. If you pour a large amount of sand into a skinny tube, it will take a long time for the sand to flow through it. If you pour the same amount of sand through a wide tube, the sand will finish flowing through the tube much faster." https://techterms.com/definition/bandwidth

*Bits

A bit is a single digit number in base-2 (a zero or a one) and is the smallest unit of computer data. It takes eight bits to make one byte. The most common area where bits are used intstead of bytes is in measuring bandwidth (in bits per second).

*Broadcast Flag

A broadcast flag is a set of status bits (or a "flag") sent in the data stream of a digital television program that indicates whether or not the data stream can be recorded, or if there are any restrictions on recorded content.

*Byte

A byte is a set of 8 bits that represent a single character in the computer's memory. While bits are often used to measure data transfer speeds, bytes are used to measure file sizes, hard disk space, and computer memory. Larger amounts of data are measured in units such as megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes.

Do you want high or low-bandwidth connection?

A download will finish much faster when you have a high-bandwidth connection instead of a low-bandwidth connection.

Ethernet

A system for connecting a number of computer systems to form a local area network, with protocols to control the passing of information and to avoid simultaneous transmission by two or more systems.

Component Cable

A three-wire or five-wire cable set used to hook up TVs and other video equipment via the analog component video interface. The three wires are red, green and blue for video, and the five wires are the video plus red and white for audio.

Video Scaler

A video scaler is a system which converts video signals from one display resolution to another; typically, scalers are used to convert a signal from a lower resolution (such as 480p standard definition) to a higher resolution (such as 1080i high definition).

What is the difference between a cable and a wire?

A wire is a single conductor while cable is a group of two or more conductors.

Analog (signal)

An analog signal is a continuous wave denoted by a sine wave (pictured below) and may vary in signal strength (amplitude) or frequency (time). The sine wave's amplitude value can be seen as the higher and lower points of the wave, while the frequency (time) value is measured in the sine wave's physical length from left to right (both sound waves and radio waves are analog signals).

*HDCP

An encryption system for enforcing digital rights management over DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI interfaces. The copy protection system resides in the computer, DVD player or set-top box. If it determines the video material must be protected, it encrypts the signal via HDCP and transmits it to the display system, which decrypts it.

*DRM

Digital Rights Management is a set of access control technologies for restricting the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works (such as software and multimedia content), as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies.

DVI

Digital Video Interface is used to connect a video source, such as a video display controller, to a display device, such as a computer monitor. The interface is designed to transmit uncompressed digital video and can be configured to support multiple modes such as DVI-A (analog only), DVI-D (digital only) or DVI-I (digital and analog).

What does "DVI" stand for?

Digital Visual Interface

Digital (signal)

Digital signals, similar to Morse code, are sent to a computer which interprets these into words. A digital signal, a 0 or 1, is sent through the phone line. For example, when you type the letter A into your computer, it converts it into 01000001. This 01000001 goes to other computer, which interprets it as A. Digital signals are easier and more reliable to transmit with fewer errors. Digital data has a faster rate of transmission when compared to analog, and gives better productivity.

DisplayPort

DisplayPort (DP) is a digital display interface. The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor, and it can also carry audio, USB, and other forms of data. DisplayPort was designed to replace VGA, DVI, and FPD-Link.

*Fiber optic cables

Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically pure glass as thin as a human hair that carry digital information over long distances.

*GUI

GUI stands for "Graphical User Interface" and is pronounced "gooey." It is a user interface that includes graphical elements, such as windows, icons and buttons. The majority of digital interfaces are GUI's.

*GVIF

Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF) is a digital video serial interface developed by Sony in 1996 for high quality uncompressed video transmission from digital video hardware. It is intended primarily for automotive applications. It is compatible with the HDCP encryption system.

*What does "GUI" stand for?

Graphical User Interface

HDMI

HDMI is a digital audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital audio data from an HDMI-compliant source device to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device.

What does "HDMI" stand for?

High-Definition Multimedia Interface

*What does "HDCP" stand for?

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

*Data bus

In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers (e.g a USB).

Protocols

In networking, the term protocol refers to a set of rules that govern communications. Protocols are to computers what language is to humans.

*Parallel (communication)

In parallel transmission, multiple bits are sent simultaneously on different channels (wires, frequency channels) within the same cable and synchronized to a clock. Parallel devices have a wider data bus than serial devices and can therefore transfer data in words of one or more bytes at a time. They are generally more expensive than serial cables as each parallel cable has multiple wires.

*Serial (communication)

In telecommunication and data transmission, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at a time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. Serial communication is used for all long-haul communication and most computer networks, where the cost of cable and synchronization difficulties make parallel communication impractical.

What does "I/O device" stand for?

Input/Output device

What does "LAN" stand for?

Local area network

LAN

Local area network (LAN) technologies connect many devices that are relatively close to each other, usually in the same building. The library terminals that display book information would connect over a local area network.

USB-C

Most known for symmetrical design - has no up or down orientation, USB of the future. USB-C was released by the USB Implementers Forum in July 2013, and in addition to supporting USB 3.1 and earlier USB specs, it also supports DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, and power transfer. This means the same cable can be used for quick data transfer, powering USB devices, charging batteries in mobile devices, and connecting displays via HDMi, DisplayPort or VGA.

*What are the types of PoE cables?

Multiple PoE standards exist, but they all provide both data and electrical power over a single cable. One method, known as "Alternative A," uses the same wires within the Ethernet cable to transmit power and data. "Alternative B" uses one set of wires for sending power and another set of wires for transmitting data.

*What are possible restrictions of a Broadcast Flag?

Possible restrictions include the inability to save an unencrypted digital program to a hard disk or other non-volatile storage, inability to make secondary copies of recorded content (in order to share or archive), forceful reduction of quality when recording (such as reducing high-definition video to the resolution of standard TVs), and inability to skip over commercials.

What does "PoE" stand for?

Power over Ethernet

PoE

Power over Ethernet provides electrical current over an Ethernet connection. It powers electronic devices via Ethernet cabling without the need for batteries or a wall outlet. PoE cables provide both data and electrical power over a single cable.

Mini DisplayPort

The Mini DisplayPort (MiniDP or mDP) is a miniaturized version of the DisplayPort audio-visual digital interface. It was created and released by Apple in 2008 (although beginning in 2016 Apple began phasing it out of newer devices). This port also appears on some PC devices (like our Surfaces).

*USB Implementers Forum

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is a not for profit organization that has developed, certified, and shepherded the USB standard. Its main activities are the promotion and marketing of USB. It was formed in 1995 by the group of companies that developed USB. Notable members include Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Microsoft, Apple Inc., Intel, and Agere Systems.

*UI

The User Interface (UI) includes everything designed into an information device, website, or application with which a person may interact.

VGA

The Video Graphics Array cable is the standard monitor or display interface used in most PCs. A standard VGA connection has 15 pins and is shaped like a trapezoid.

*Analog Loophole

The analog loophole is a fundamental and inevitable vulnerability in copy protection schemes for non-interactive works in digital formats which can be exploited to duplicate copy-protected works that are ultimately reproduced using analog means.

*What is the word origin of "bit"?

The computer term "bit" comes from the phrase "Binary DigIT"

*What hardware and software constitutes a "data bus"?

This includes all communication-related hardware components (wire, optical fiber, etc.) and software, including communication protocols.

How is an Apple TV used?

To use it for viewing, it has to be connected to an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television via an HDMI cable. The device has no integrated controls and can only be controlled externally, either by an Apple Remote control device (with which it is sold) using its infrared/Bluetooth capability, by the Apple TV Remote app (downloadable from App Store) on iOS devices, such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple Watch, using its Wi-Fi capability, or by some third-party infrared remotes.

*What are some hardware and software components of a user interface?

UI Hardware can include display screens, keyboards, a mouse and the appearance of a desktop. UI software usually consists of a graphic interface like a menu.

What does "USB" stand for?

Universal Serial Bus

Upstream vs Downstream USB ports

Universal Serial Bus, or USB, hubs or ports enable a computer user to connect computer peripherals like a monitor to a computer. USB ports distinguish connections by allocating the use of "A" and "B" connectors. "A" connections go upstream toward the computer, while "B" connections move downstream and link to separate peripherals.

"Upconversion" or "Upscaling"

Upscaling is the automatic conversion of a low resolution image or video to high definition resolution.

*What does "UI" stand for?

User Interface

What does "VGA" stand for?

Video Graphics Array

What does "WAN" stand for?

Wide area network

WAN

Wide area network (WAN) technologies connect a smaller number of devices that can be many kilometers apart. For example, if two libraries at the opposite ends of a city wanted to share their book catalog information, they would most likely make use of a wide area network technology, which could be a dedicated line leased from the local telephone company, intended solely to carry their data.

Modem

Within a communications environment, a modem is a combination of two networking devices: a modulator and a demodulator (modem for short). These devices perform modulation and demodulation algorithms simultaneously, to convert a signal from analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog, enabling data transmission to and from various computing.