Glossary
Access Network
That part of a broadband network which connects subscribers to their immediate service provider. It is contrasted with the Core Network.
Analogue TV
The traditional broadcast medium for television. It is currently being incrementally replaced by digital broadcast. http://www.digitalready.gov.au
Backhaul
The backhaul portion of the broadband network comprises the intermediate links between the core, or backbone, of the network and the small sub-networks at the "edge" of the entire hierarchical network. For example, while cell phones communicating with a single cell tower constitute a local sub network, the connection between the cell tower and the rest of the world begins with a backhaul link to the core of the telephone company's network (via a point of presence).
Bandwidth
A measure of data transmission capacity across a communication network.
Broadband Network
A network capable of transporting data voice and video services.
Broadcast Spectrum
The radio spectrum, covering every residence in Australia. Allocated by the Commonwealth Government (Australian Communication & Media Authority) for terrestrial television broadcast.
Built-in Tuner
Automatically tunes digital broadcast channels into the TV without the need for a set top box. Built-in tuners are available for standard definition and high definition.
CASPA
A rich and flexible content and services delivery platform designed to provide a comprehensive range of broadcast and broadband services to consumers, business and government.
Coaxial Cable
A conventional electrical cabling standard primarily utilised for the delivery of Pay TV services.
Core Network
The central part of a broadband network that provides various services to customers who are connected by the access network.
Dark Fibre
Unused fibre strands, available for use. The term was originally used when talking about the potential network capacity of fibre optic networks.
Digital Free-To-Air (FTA) TV
Broadcasts the same TV channels currently receive with Analogue FTA television, as well as some additional channels (such as ABC2, SBS TWO, ONE, GO!, and 7TWO). FTA broadcasters (Seven, Nine, Ten, ABC and SBS) are expected to be progressively adding new digital channels and content over the next few years.
Digital Ready Scheme
A Commonwealth Government scheme to ease consumer’s migration from analogue to digital TV. http://www.digitalready.gov.au
Digital Switchover
A point in time at which the analogue signal is switched off at a broadcast tower and replaced by digital-only signals. Refer to http://www.digitalready.gov.au for more information on this program.
Digital Television (DTV)
A more efficient way of transmitting high-definition content to TV. It uses technology that has many benefits over the analogue system including: minimal interference by eliminating ghosting and snowy effects caused by interference; better quality by providing very high-quality video and audio; and more channels by providing a highly efficient broadcasting mechanism it allows broadcasters to squeeze more channels into the same spectrum.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
A set-top box with a hard disc drive is the digital replacement for the VCR.
Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
An electronic version of the printed TV program guide that is presented on the TV and the user interacts with via their remote control. An EPG will typically have functions allowing a viewer to navigate, select and discover content by time, title, channel or genre by use of their remote control.
Fibre-to-The-Premise (FTTP)
Same as FTTH.
Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH)
A broadband network that uses optical fibre to replace all or part of the usual metal local loop used for last mile telecommunications. It enables the delivery of much faster broadband speeds.
Firewall
A dedicated appliance or software which inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits passage based on a set of rules.
Free-To-Air (FTA) TV
Broadcast TV that, unlike Pay TV, is free to the viewer.
Freeview
A group formed by the leading FTA broadcasters to promote their digital TV services. Similar in construct to the highly successful and effective UK group. Refer to www.freeview.com.au.
Gigabyte (GB)
A unit of information or computer storage effectively equating to 1 billion bytes.
High Definition (HD)
Video: HD video is more stable and potentially has more detail that SD video.
Audio: Most broadcasts will deliver Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, which is a slight improvement on MPEG sound.
Hybrid TV
A content service provider (CSP) that provides a comprehensive portfolio of consumer content and services delivered over both digital broadcast and broadband networks. Refer to www.hybridtv.com.au.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
A retail provider of internet services to consumers or businesses.
IPTV
A method where a digital television service is delivered using Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include delivery by a broadband connection. A general definition of IPTV is television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional broadcast and cable formats, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for computer networks.
Kilobyte (KB)
A unit of information or computer storage effectively equating to 1,000 bytes.
kbps: kilobits per second
A measure of bandwidth (the total information flow over a given time) on a telecommunications medium. For example, 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps) is 28,800 bits per second.
Megabyte (MB)
A unit of information or computer storage effectively equating to 1 million bytes.
mbps: Megabits per second
A measure of bandwidth (the total information flow over a given time) on a telecommunications medium. A megabit is a million binary pulses, or 1,000,000 (that is, 106) pulses (or "bits")
MiMo
In radio, it is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance.
Multi-Channels
Additional SD and HD channels created by the free-to-air TV networks. Examples are 7TWO, One Sport, Go! for more information refer to www.freeview.com.au.
Next-Generation Network (NGN)
A broad term to describe some key architectural evolutions in telecommunication core and access networks that will be deployed over the next 5-10 years. The general idea behind NGN is that one network transports all information and services (voice, data, and all sorts of media such as video) by encapsulating these into packets, like it is on the Internet. The NBN network is a next-generation network.
Optical Fibre
A series of glass fibres contained in a pipe or cable that carries light along its length. Permits transmission of high-speed data over longer distances at faster bandwidths than traditional means.
Pay TV
A subscription-based TV service usually delivered over either cable or satellite. Pay TV usually charges the subscriber a fixed monthly fee for the provision a variety of aggregated content channels.
Pay-per-View
A method by which the consumer may elect to pay just for what they wish to view and not for what they do not view.
Personal Video Recorder (PVR)
Set-top boxes with a hard disc drive which is the digital replacement for the VCR.
Point of Presence (PoP)
An access point to the Internet. It is a physical location that houses servers, routers, switches, etc. It may be either part of the facilities of a telecommunications provider that the Internet service provider (ISP) rents or a location separate from the telecommunications provider.
Set-Top Box (STB)
A device that connects the TV and aerial and converts the television from analogue to digital so that it receives the digital channels. In most cases a new aerial isn’t needed, but some older aerials may need replacing.
Shaping
The practice of slowing data speed once the monthly data usage limit, as specified in an ISP Service Plan, is reached.
SmartStreet
A project undertaken by the Tasmanian Government, Hybrid TV and Tastel to demonstrate and research the NBN digital home experience.
Spectrum
A series of radio frequencies used to transmit television, radio and other forms of electronic communication including 3G and 4G.
Standard Definition (SD)
Video: Broadcast at nearly the same resolution and quality as analogue. The viewer may experience limited picture degradation under some circumstances.
Audio: Usually comes with MPEG stereo sound at close to CD quality.
Subscription TV
Refer to Pay TV.
Tastel
A Tasmanian ISP that provides telecommunication services to consumers and businesses across Tasmania. Tastel are the service provider for the Hybrid SmartStreet initiative. Refer to www.tastel.com.au.
Terabyte (TB)
A unit of information or computer storage effectively equating to 1 trillion bytes or 1,000 gigabytes.
TiVo Media Device
A device that combines two services in one box: access to digital broadcast television and access to broadband content and services. The device converts an analogue TV signal to a digital one and allows people to view all the free-to-air channels including the new digital channels in either SD or HD. The TiVo product is well known around the world for its ability to simplify and enhance the TV experience. With TiVo the user can: pause and rewind live television; auto record every episode in a season; auto record keywords like favourite actors, directors or terms; apply parental controls for safer child viewing as well as auto record programs for children that are kept separate from the parent’s viewing choices; and review all current broadcast channels as well as those scheduled over the next week using a 7-day on screen guide, and schedule automatic program recordings directly from the guide. The TiVo media device connects the TV and aerial. In most cases a new aerial isn’t needed, but some older aerials may need replacing.
Un-metering
A practice where the ISP allows certain data categories of content (i.e. pay-per-view movies) to be downloaded without adding to the monthly data usage limits effectively uncapping those data categories.
Video on Demand (VoD)
A technology that allows users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
A technology that provides standard telephony services over the Internet.
WiMAX
A wireless broadband technology that provides high-speed broadband connections using radio spectrum. It can support both fixed and mobile internet services. It is specifically designed for optimum broadband performance over radio spectrum. It is internationally recognised as a technology that delivers the highest quality wireless broadband.
Wireless Modem Router
A wireless modem router is a device in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination. A wireless router works in the same way as a modem router in a hard-wired home, but allows greater mobility for laptop/notebook or portable computers. The individual computers are equipped with small wireless transceivers that can be plugged into either a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or a PC Card slot