Glossary
Reference Guide: evolution 5000 E5780 and E5782 Encoder
Page A-5
ST.RE.E10135.4
FIFO
First In, First Out: A data structure or hardware buffer from which items are taken out in the
same order they were put in. Also known as a shelf from the analogy with pushing items onto
one end of a shelf so that they fall off the other. A FIFO is useful for buffering a stream of data
between a sender and receiver that are not synchronised - i.e. they not sending and receiving
at exactly the same rate.
Footprint
The area of the Earth’s surface covered by a satellite’s downlink transmission. Also (generally) the area from
which the satellite can receive uplink transmissions.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol:
A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network (Internet, UNIX, etc.). For
example, after developing the HTML pages for a Web site on a local machine, they are typically uploaded to the
Web server, using FTP. Unlike e-mail programs in which graphics and program files have to be attached, FTP is
designed to handle binary files directly and does not add the overhead of encoding and decoding the data.
G.703
The ITU-T standard that defines the physical and electrical characteristics of hierarchical digital interfaces.
GOP
Group of Pictures:
MPEG video compression works more effectively by processing a number of video frames as
a block. The TANDBERG Television Encoder normally uses a 12 frame GOP; every twelfth frame is an I frame.
GUI
Graphical User Interface:
The use of pictures rather than just words to represent the input and output of a
program. A program with a GUI runs under a windowing system and has a screen interface capable of displaying
graphics in the form of icons, drop-down menus and a movable pointer. The on-screen information is usually
controlled / manipulated by a mouse or keyboard.
H.264
ITU/ETSI name for MPEG-4 Part-10 (ISO/IEC 14496-10).
HD-SDI
High-Definition Serial Digital Interface
which is used for the input of HDTV signals
HDTV
High Definition Television.
HE-AAC High-Efficiency
AAC
is the broadcast profile for MPEG-4 and is specified in ISO/IEC 14496.3.
HPA
High Power Amplifier:
Used in the signal path to amplify the modulated and up-converted broadcast signal for
feeding to the uplink antenna.
HSYNC
Horizontal (line) SYNCs.
Hub
A device in a multi-point network at which branch nodes interconnect.
ICAM
Integrated Conditional Access Module:
Embedded in the IRD and responsible for descrambling, plus packet
filtering and reception. It also contains the physical interface to the subscriber’s viewing card.
ICE
Intelligent Compression Engine:
the module on which the advanced coding of video and audio is performed.
IDU
Independent data unit
that is a portion of elementary stream that can be decoded independently of any other
portion.
IEC
International Electrotechnical Committee.
IF
Intermediate Frequency:
Usually refers to the 70 MHz or 140 MHz output of the Modulator in cable, satellite and
terrestrial transmission applications.
Interframe Coding
Compression coding involving consecutive frames. When consecutive frames are compared, temporal redundancy
is used to remove common elements (information) and arrive at difference information. MPEG-2 uses B and P
frames, but since they are individually incomplete and relate to other adjacent frames, they cannot be edited
independently.
Intraframe Coding
Compression coding involving a single frame. Redundant information is removed on a per frame basis. All other
frames are ignored. Coding of a macroblock or picture that uses information only from that macroblock or picture.
Exploits spatial redundancy by using DCT to produce I frames; these are independent frames and can be edited.
IP
Internet Protocol:
The IP part of TCP/IP. IP implements the network layer (layer 3) of the protocol, which contains
a network address and is used to route a message to a different network or sub-network. IP accepts packets from
the layer 4 transport protocol (TCP or UDP), adds its own header to it and delivers a datagram to the layer 2 data
link protocol. It may also break the packet into fragments to support the Maximum Transmission / Transfer Unit
(MTU) of the network.
I-picture; I-frame
Intracoded Picture/Frame:
A picture / frame, which is coded using purely intracoding with reference to no other
field or frame information. The I frame is used as a reference for other compression methods.
IPPV
Impulse Pay Per View:
One-time events, purchased at home (on impulse) using a prearranged SMS credit line.
IRD
Integrated Receiver Decoder:
The Receiver with an internal MPEG Decoder, which is connected to the
subscriber’s TV. The IRD is responsible for receiving and de-multiplexing all signals. The unit receives the
incoming signal and if CA is active, decodes the signal when provided with a control word by the viewing card.
Domestic IRDs are also known as Set-Top Units or Set-Top Boxes.
IRE
Institute of Radio Engineers:
No longer in existence but the name lives on as a unit of video amplitude
measurement. This unit is 1% of the range between blanking a peak white for a standard amplitude signal.
