NCTI Consumer Digital Electronics
Digital terminal adapters (DTA) support which of the following?
Basic service
Why must the electronic program guide (EPG) be loaded into most digital set-top boxes' (STB) memory, before the box can be functional?
Because most STBs have a minimal, or no operating system, the EPG is a middleware application that ties the STB firmware and hardware functions to the user.
What must be done in order for a V-chip to intercept ratings codes and allow/deny access to programming?
Both a personal identification number and restricted content ratings must be set
What is one aspect that is common between digital video interface (DVI) and High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) signaling?
Both use transition-minimized differential signaling (TMDS).
Which of the following computer cards can only tune one transport stream at a time, making it incompatible to digital cable ready (DCR) devices that have multiple tuners?
CableCARD 1.0
VCR+ was originally designed to work with videocassette recorders (VCR), but newer recording devices including personal video recorders (PVR) and digital video recorders (DVR), can also have VCR+ functionality. What VCR+ functionality prompted the invention of VCR Plus+ Silver and VCR Plus+ Gold?
Channel mapping.
What are the two basic rules to follow for making the best connection options between consumer electronic devices?
Choose the connection with the least amount of signal processing and avoid signal conversions from analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog.
What are the two basic rules to follow for making the best connection options between consumer electronic devices?
Choose the connection with the least amount of signal processing; and, avoid signal conversions from analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog.
What video setting adjusts colors to appear in the real world with the way the TV or movie producer intended them to look?
Color saturation and tint.
What features of organic light emitting diode (OLED) display technology, make it an attractive alternative to other television technologies?
Color, brightness, wide viewing angle, durability, a thin light profile, and low energy consumption make OLED technology an attractive alternative to other television technologies.
What should the technician do after discussing the connection options with the customer?
Complete the table, matching the output connection number field to the desired input connection field, and then show the table to the customer for approval.
Which technology enables cable operators to control access to services by encrypting the programming?
Conditional access (CA).
What are two techniques for controlling access to, and unauthorized copying of copyrighted motion pictures on digital versatile discs (DVD)?
Content Scramble System (CSS) and Content Protection for Prerecorded Media (CPPM).
Dolby technology became more economical because of
Custom integrated circuit (IC) development.
List the order that should be followed when assessing the customer's TV during an installation:
(1) Verify normal TV operation; (2) locate and select the TV RF input connector; (3) check and/or adjust certain TV settings and determine if the TV set is cable-ready; and (4), if requested, adjust picture controls.
Why is it considered a best practice to use RCA cables provide by the cable operator instead of RCA cables provided by the customer?
) RCA cables provided by the customer are sometimes of questionable quality.
How many channels of audio can the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) support?
32.
THX Ltd., a company that develops audio technology, recommends attaining a viewing field of what degree, for high definition television (HDTV)?
40º or less.
A set-top box (STB) diagnostics feature is able to quantify the return carrier (up-stream) frequency and the signal level leaving the STB. The STB return path usually allocates carriers between what frequencies?
5 MHz and 20 MHz.
Dolby Surround is comprised of four audio channels carried on two physical tracks. Two of the channels are full-audio bandwidth (20-20,000 Hz) front left and right channels, another is a matrixed full-audio bandwidth center channel. The fourth channel is matrixed and limited to
7,000 Hz and is the back channel.
What terrestrial transmission technology did the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) select?.
8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB)
What restriction does content protection for recordable media (CPRM) place on authorized copying of commercial programming onto memory cards?
A copy can only be made from the original source content, making it impossible to copy the encrypted (protected) programming from one memory card to another.
What inexpensive device is used by cable operators to provide digital TV (DTV) services to all of their customers?
A digital terminal adapter (DTA).
What is added to a rear-projection cathode ray tube (CRT) display in order to support a 16:9 aspect ratio, and become high definition TV (HDTV)-ready?
A digital-to-analog (D/A) converter is added prior to the CRT's electron gun stage.
What is the general range of a remote control that uses a light emitting diode (LED) that emits an infrared (IR) beam of light?
About 30 feet, but is dependent on the strength of the transmitting LED.
What recent enhancement has Dolby made to their latest version of technology, Pro Logic IIz (9.1) system
Additional speakers have been placed three or four feet above the front left- and right-main speakers.
What must be installed in a TiVo digital video recorder (DVR), in order for it to record a cable operator's encrypted video services?
An installed and authorized CableCARD.
What designated category of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable is required for typical viewing and listening to quality, high definition (HDTV) content
Any Designated Category of HDMI cable should Work.
A customer is interested in purchasing a projection display and asks how DLP compares to other technologies. How does DLP technology compare to liquid crystal display (LCD) technology and related technologies, such as liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS)?
DLP images are brighter than those formed from LCD and LCoS technologies.
Why are digital terminal adapters (DTA) more cost effective than a full-featured set-top box (STB)?
DTAs do not communicate RF upstream..
What could prevent a consumer electronic device from being able to record, playback, or display digital content?
Device copy protection that is incompatible with the licensed copy protection embedded within the content.
What could prevent a consumer electronic device from being able to record, playback, or display licensed digital content?
Device copy protection that is incompatible with the licensed high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) embedded within the content.
What component in a digital set-top box (STB) provides signal to a block of common interfaces that include the HDMI?
Digital Processor
Of the following, which are the most appropriate digital set-top box (STB) capabilities to allow customers to experience VOD, IPPV, and HDTV; record and time shift programs; and record and watch different digital channels at the same time?
Dual-tuner HDTV STB with DVR.
You are connecting audio and video components at a customer's house. The customer would like their Xbox connected to the Internet, so that online gaming is possible. Which of the following components on the Xbox system should be used to establish an Internet connection?
Ethernet port.
What can be said about digital interfaces when connecting consumer electronics devices?
In most situations, the digital interfaces offer the simplest connection options, while providing the highest quality pictures and audio.
What are some commonalities of all projector displays?
Lamp life, brightness, lens type and variability, and connectivity.
Closed caption information is located on which line of the vertical blanking interval (VBI) signal?
Line 21.
What is the term for the standardized analog audio signal output level from consumer electronics devices
Line level.
A customer is interested in purchasing a video projector and asks about the different video display technologies. Which video display technology has strength that include high color saturation and color accuracy?
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
Which type of TV technology had to overcome early disadvantages such as weak contrast, a lag or trail effect where fast-moving images appear to "smear" and screen door effect where viewers see a visible pixel structure at close range?
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
Which statement below is correct in describing the internal process of a cathode ray tube (CRT)?
Magnetically directed electron beams, from electron guns, horizontally move back and forth, sending electron beams through a shadow mask.
What are the primary things to check when troubleshooting a remote control?
Make sure the consumer electronics selector switch is in the correct position, check the batteries and reprogram the remote control.
What should the technician do after creating a cabling table of preferred connection options that offer the highest quality signal?
Make the connections one at a time, reviewing how to access each component source with the customer, to make sure they are comfortable with it.
Why is the majority of all music distributed and transported in digital form?
Music in digital form provides higher quality sound, with features not available when transported in analog form
Video servers associated with video storage are classified as either:
Network-based or customer premises-based.
When placing the TV in a home theater system, based on the size of the TV, the distance from the viewer be:
No less than one and a half times the width of the TV display.
Using two separate proprietary conditional access (CA) systems to control access to program content from a set-top box (STB) has resulted in competing manufacturers gaining a competitive advantage. What initiative was created to provide solutions to the challenges of proprietary CA systems in the cable industry?
OpenCable
Like compact discs (CD), digital versatile discs (DVD) are created from a molded polycarbonate plastic that is coated with one or more thin metallic layers. Data is stored on the metallic layers as microscopic bumps on a long continuous spiral track. What are these bumps also known as?
Pits.
The liquid crystal in liquid crystal display (LCD) technology is suspended between two glass plates and the crystals are normally in a twisted configuration. What type of light follows the orientation of the crystals, and is allowed to pass through?
Polarized Light.
What are the main sound quality advantages when using bi-wiring for connecting speakers?
Provides for a cleaner, more efficient transmission and a broader spectrum of sound.
What signal modulation technique do cable operators use to transport digital television signals through the cable network?
Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
Home theater systems have become common in many homes. The relevance of the home theater system to a broadband cable technician is important, as the home theater will likely be connected to the cable system. Which of the following is the most important component of a home theater system?
Speakers capable of sound with spatial characteristics.
Some features found in today's audio/video (A/V) receivers are basic, or static, features. Select the feature group that lists only static features:
Surround sound decoding, image rescaling, a full complement of audio and video inputs and outputs.
What is the role of the audio/video (A/V) receiver in the home theater system?
The A/V receiver processes and boosts analog and digital audio signals, processes analog and digital video signals, and provides central control and expanded input capability to the television.
What is the name of the group that established the initial technical standards for the television industry, ensuring a single system would deliver consistent service across the nation?
The National Television System Committee (NTSC).
What legislation required all television stations switch to digital-only broadcasting?
The U.S. Deficit Reduction Act.
What information about the sound wave must be determined first, before the sampling A/D (analog-to-digital) process can begin?
The amplitude of the sound wave.
When assessing the picture settings on a TV, what should be the first setting to check after the television has warmed up for 30 minutes?
The color temperature
For optimum performance, the resistance of speaker wire needs to closely match the impedance of the rest of the speaker circuit. Using speaker wires that are too small for the distance will cause what to happen?
The loudness will be affected by various degrees across the frequency spectrum.
Which system advanced television to high definition (HD)?
The multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding (MUSE) system.
What determines precision during the quantization process?
The number of values in the scale on the fixed grid.
On TV sets with a fixed 16:9 aspect ratio, receiving content that has a 4:3 aspect ratio may display a nonlinear image that is stretched to fill the entire display. Which of the following format settings will display the images with a correctly proportioned 4:3 aspect ratio?
The pillarbox setting.
Projection technology enables larger displays than those of flat panel or direct view TV sets. With rear-projection TV sets, what does the depth of the TV set depend on?
The size of the screen
What is the major change in enhanced definition TV (EDTV) that improved picture quality over standard definition TV (SDTV)?
The use of progressive scanning mode in EDTV.
Additional speakers have been placed three or four feet above the front left- and right-main speakers.Which speaker characteristics are generally associated with the monopole speaker design?
They are more applicable to smaller rooms and provide sound in one direction.
How do set-top boxes (STB) typically connect to high definition televisions (HDTV) to provide the best picture quality?
To provide the best HD picture, STBs typically connect to HDTVs via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).
Speaker placement is critical to ensure high-quality sound reproduction for the customer. Where should the two surround sound speakers be placed?
To the side and slightly behind the listener, about 110º off-center.
What common device normally used by an installer during the installation of an additional TV outlet, is found inside the VCR and is part of the A/B switch?
Two-way splitter.
What is the value of connecting a video game console to the Internet?
When connected to the Internet, the video game console can be used to access and receive data streams containing digital games, movies, and TV shows.
When should the code scan method be used to program a remote control?
When the code for a brand and/or model for the device to be controlled is unknown.
List the order of preference when making analog connections to an analog TV?
(1) Component video; (2) S-video; (3) composite video; and (4) radio frequency (RF).
The Broadcast Television Systems Committee developed the multichannel television sound (MTS) standard, how many audio channels are there in this standard?
Four.
What types of parental control guidelines are provided for online video games?
Games accessed online carry the notice 'Online Interactions Not Rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB),' warning players about possible exposure to chat (text, audio, video) or other types of user-generated content outside of the ESRB rating assignment.
Which connections standard is used to connect digital terminal adapters (DTA) to high definition televisions (HDTV)?
HDMI
Pink noise is a test tone that is progressively output to each channel of an audio/video (A/V) receiver system. What is the main goal when using the pink noise test?
Having equal volume from each channel, at each listening location.
For cable and satellite providers, what is the bridge that provides content to multiple IP-connectable devices, such as tablets and smartphones?
Home media gateway (HMG).
Under what circumstances would a customer that subscribes to the basic service tier of digital cable, containing programming from local broadcast stations and public, educational, and government (PEG) access television channels, have to have a digital terminal adapter (DTA) installed?
If the cable operator chooses to secure this service tier from non-customers by applying encryption.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard A/52, specifies Dolby AC-3 to substantially reduce the amount of digital information for the compressed (or encoded) representation of the original audio signal. What aspect of the A/52 standard allows for proprietary, vendor-specific implementations?
Implementation of AC-3 codecs.
User-adjustable features provide a method for adjusting and setting parameters to optimal levels for the particular environment that houses the audio/video (A/V) receiver. Which of the following features in an A/V receiver is user-adjustable?
Response delay in signal processing.
What is one advantage of using the Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) to connect audio hardware
S/PDIF produces a digital signal that is robust and less vulnerable to electrical interference.
Three methods are used to store writable data on a digital versatile disc (DVD): changing the reflective properties of a dye on the disc layer; changing the reflective properties of a crystalline structure on the disc; and/or changing the magnetic properties of the disc. In each case, light from a laser causes the change to occur. Which method is also used for storing data on DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs?
The crystalline-changing (also known as phase change) method.
When connecting video game consoles, what is the first priority?
The customer's preferences.
Two competing technologies were introduced for high-capacity storage on digital versatile disc (DVD) media: HD-DVD and Blu-ray. HD-DVD technology had the support of the DVD Forum, while Blu-ray had the backing of the Blu-ray Disc Association. What is one major difference between HD-DVD and Blu-ray technologies?
The depth of the data image on the disc surface.
Wireless speaker systems utilize frequencies from 900 MHz to 5.8 GHz. Which portion of this frequency range is less subject to interference from other consumer electronics devices?
The higher end of the frequency range.
While much time and attention can be spent choosing a video projector technology, choosing the correct screen should play an equal role in the home theater experience. Viewing angle and gain are key parameters when choosing a screen. How does gain relate to viewing angle?
The higher the gain, the lower the viewing angle.
If the customer wants more storage space to digitally record video through a DVR, a common method is to use an external hard drive connected to the DVR with which of the following connection protocols?
e-SATA
