Feasibility Study of a Digital Platform for the delivery of UK ... - BFI

UK FILM COUNCIL
7. Glossary
A la carte VoD – video-on-demand business model where video content is paid for and consumed on an ad hoc pay per view basis
Application-based – Internet services that require the consumer to download a specific programme and/or application rather than be
available via an open website
Broadband – high-speed Internet connection, on average 10 times faster than normal dial-up connections (see below)
Codec – Software/hardware that compresses and decompresses digital audio and video data streams in order to speed up transmission
and save storage space. Term can also be applied to technology that performs analogue-to-digital or digital-to-analogue conversions.
Compression – technology enabling large audio-visual or computer data files to be digitally compacted to a smaller size, enabling easier
download/upload (see Codec)
Dial-up – basic Internet service that uses a simple telephone line to dial a connection to the Internet
Download – transferring of content or data from the Internet to a terminal (which can be a PC, personal digital assistant, mobile phone
or some other Internet-enabled digital device)
DRM – Digital Rights Management; software that regulates how and by whom digital content is used.
DSL – Digital Subscriber Line; broadband technology used in traditional copper-based telecommunications networks. Most common
flavour of DSL in the UK is ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line).
Encoding – process of digitising content. Quite literally, the process of electronically "writing" information.
EPG – Electronic Programme Guide; on-screen display that organises content for the viewer
IP – Internet Protocol; the standardized method of transporting information across the Internet in packets of data.
IPTV – Internet Protocol Television; the use of IP platforms such as DSL and FTTH to deliver video services to the television set using a
set-top box
ISP – Internet Service Provider
Kbits/s – Kilobits per second; measurement of Internet and network connection speeds
Mbits/s – Megabits per second; 1 Mbit/s is equal to 1,000 Kbits/s (see Kbits/s)
Metadata - data that is used to describe other data, which may include information about the author, title and subject of web resources.
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