- IPTV: The delivery of broadcast quality video over an IP network.
- Set-Top Box: The consumer equipment which acts as the interface between the user and the IPTV services provided by the network (converts signal to content which can then be displayed on the television screen)
- VoD: Video on Demand
- NDVR: Network Digital Video Recording (allows features such as live pause, fast forward and rewind).
- IP Multicasts: The transmission of an IP datagram to a “host group”.
- IGMP: Internet Group Management Protocol. Multicasting, using IGMP, allows control over which content goes to which user and therefore controls the amount of data being sent across the network at any one time.
- Unicast: Unicast allows VoD service to be requested by and sent to a single user (unicast is the exact opposite to broadcast in which we send information to all users on the network).
- RTSP: Real Time Streaming Protocol - describes a set of VCR like controls for streaming media
- QoE: Quality of Experience (i.e. is the subscriber receiving content adequately?)
- QoS: Quality of Service (i.e. is the network delivering content adequately?)
Jargon Buster
Author: Dennis Lennie
Published 1st August 2009