Used on Russian Rod Pentode Military valves (Tubes). Designed for NiCd rather than Carbon Zinc batteries of the domestic battery valve radios (1.5v direct filament)

Used on Russian Rod Pentode Military valves (Tubes). Designed for NiCd rather than Carbon Zinc batteries of the domestic battery valve radios (1.5v direct filament)

Mid 1950s innovation of Electrostatic focused Rod Pentode. Using rods for all grids. Early Russian Military type of Battery valve with 1.2V filament.

Another transliteration of 1j18b

1941 RCA miniature 1.5V direct filament Pentode in B7G base. Equivalent to DF91

Another transliteration of 1j18b

Advanced Audio Codec. Usually authors mean HE-AAC aka AAC+

Codec used by Dolby Digital, AKA DD and Dolby Surround. Intended for Cinema, DVD and BD (BluRay).

Licensed Person to Person transmissions for purpose of research and experimentation. Uses various bands and channels from 137kHz to 47GHz

Tradition TV via an aerial, 450 lines from 1936 to 1985, 525 lines (480i digital) since 1940s, 625 lines (576i Digital) since 1948 and 1125 lines (1080i Digital)1986 to 1990s. Uses PAL, NTSC or SECAM for colour encoding on a monochrome (Black & White) picture.

Complete computer programs for Linux, Windows, OS X, Symbian, iOS or other operating system on a PC, tablet or Smart phone that the User interacts with directly.

Analogue Switch Off. The Date and Time an Analogue Transmitter is turned off finally, only leaving Digital TV. Then the Digital transmissions can be increased in Power and in some areas in UK more channels or HD added.

Referring usually to the process of activation of Digital Terrestrial TV and Closure of Analogue TV.

Originally the 1 series 1.5V direct filament 7 pin RCA tubes in 1941. Also Philips/Mullard valves as Dx91 and Dx96 series. The latter half of 1950s the DK96, DF96, DAF96 and DL96 was the standard line-up. There are some 6.3V indirect filament valves in B7G format.

Often referring to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and N.I., rather than the large Island east of Ireland.

Conditional Access Module Used with a viewing card to decrypt (unlock) FTV or PayTV. On some receivers such as Sky Digital boxes, the CAM is not available for TVs or “generic” Receivers, but only built-in as part of the main design. The CAM has a slot for a credit card sized or SIM sized viewing card. If it’s an “embedded” CAM (which can be entirely in software), then there is only a Card Reading Slot. Official CAM usually only works for one Company (Canal+ etc), though there are some “multi-CAMs”. This is why some TVs and Boxes for mainland Europe may have multiple embedded CAM and card slots and multiple CI. Not needed for Saorview, Saorsat, Freeview or Freesat as they are FTA.

Common Interface A slot similar to a Laptop PCMCIA slot that a CAM can be inserted into.

Surround Sound. Usually Left, Center, Right, Rear Left, Rear Right and Bass effects, giving 5.1 Channels. Usually encoded via DD also known as Dolby Surround or AC3. Can be actually achieved with only four channels.

Coder / Decoder. Used to represent Audio or Video as digital information. Usually provides compression (a saving in space or bandwidth). MPEG2 and MPEG4 are common for Video, MP2, MP3, AAD, AC3 are common for Audio. MHEG5 is not a Codec.

Digital Audio Broadcasting. Multiple Digital Radio Stations carried on a single 1.7MHz wide carrier, usually in VHF Band III, about 180MHz to 200MHz. Uses Obsolete MP2 codec for audio and a COFDM signal to avoid distortion from multipath reception.

Version of DAB that can use AAC (more advanced than MP3) rather than obsolete MP2 Codec.

1941 type of miniature RF Pentode with B7G base (7 pins in a circle of 8) using 22V to 90V HT and 50mA 1.5V battery heater/filament direct oxide cathode. Equivalent with RCA 1T4. Replaced by 25mA DF96

1954 type of miniature RF Pentode with B7G base (7 pins in a circle of 8) using 22V to 90V HT and 25mA 1.5V battery heater/filament direct oxide cathode. Replaced earlier 1T4 / DF91

Brand name of Analogue FM video transmitter and receiver on 2.4GHz

The Spectrum to be freed and money made from closing down Analogue Television.

Any Broadcast Text system replacing Teletext, though Teletext is actually entirely digital and always has been.

(Digital Satellite Equipment Control), pronounced “Die-Sec”, is a special communication protocol for use between a satellite receiver and a device such as a multi-dish switch or a dish motor. DiSEqC was developed by European satellite provider Eutelsat. It uses the LNB / IF coax cable to the dish for power and signalling to the switch. It and multiple LNBs or a motor are needed to receive more than one satellite on a TV or Receiver.

B7G base 1.5V 25mA direct filament Heptode frequency changer / oscillator / mixer. From 1954.

Digital Switch Over. The Process of adding Digital Transmitters while Analogue TV is still on the air.

Digital Video Broadcasting. Used everywhere except for Japan, China, North America and South America which use four other incompatible Digital TV systems terrestrially. There are different versions for Mobile, Terrestrial, Cable or Satellite.

Digital Audio Broadcasting. Now Obsolete by DAB+ and DRM as they use AAC codec, using 1/2 the bandwidth or twice the quality as MP2 on DAB.

Digital Terrestrial Television is recieved in the same way as ordinary TV that uses an aerial. It needs a Digital Tuner built into the TV or sa separate box like Sky or UPC uses, except not compatible. A Cable TV or Satellite TV box does not work for DTT

Digital TV modulated for Cable. Cable in Ireland has no free channels. It’s Pay TV only. It also carries Analogue TV and DOCSIS Broadband (Internet). Ex NTL MMDS uses DVB-C, but ex-Chorus areas of UPC's MMDS use DVB-T

Digital TV modulated for Satellite transmission. Satellites are about 36,000 km away. A Dish and LNB is required as well as the DVB-S digital tuner.

A newer type of Satellite transmission. Most but not all HD channels use it. All HD Satellite receivers now can do DVB-S and DVB-S2, such as “Freesat HD” or “Sky HD” box. Some TVs can use it.

Digital TV modulated for use with Aerials. Another name for DTT in Europe. USA/North America, Japan, China and South America use 4 other incompatible DTT systems. Be careful buying equipment on-line.

A very new type of Terrestrial transmission, currently only in the UK since 2009 for HD DTT only. DVB-T2 receivers are all thus all HD and work with DVB-T also for HD or non-HD signals.

Electronic Program Guide. Like having a live RTE-guide or Radio Times built in. May show five to seven days ahead of all channels with details on each program. A PVR (Personal Video Recorder) for Saorview or Saorsat can use the EPG to “tag” all the programs to be recorded. Much easier than programming a VHS. The exact appearance of the program guide depends on the TV or Set-box used.

UK FTA (Free to Air) digital TV, excluding HDTV, picked up on a Dish from a Satellite 36,000km above the Equator @28.2E. This has more channels than Freeview and can be received for free anywhere in Ireland. All the most viewed channels are actually on Sky. Pay Channels such as Sky Sport and Sky One are not on Freesat, but they have less than 2% viewing time, among Sky Subscribers. No Pay channel has more than 2% viewing time and most are less than 0.1%! No Freesat model will work with Saorsat.

UK FTA (Free to Air) digital TV, including HDTV picked up on a Dish from a Satellite 36,000km above the Equator @28.2E. This has more channels than Freeview and can be received for free anywhere in Ireland. All the most viewed channels are actually on Sky. Pay Channels such as Sky Sport and Sky One are not on Freesat, but they have less than 2% viewing time, among Sky Subscribers. No Pay channel has more than 2% viewing time and most are less than 0.1%! Most but not all “Freesat HD” models will work with Saorsat. See the Satellite page on receiving Saorsat and Freesat/Freesat HD.

TVs or set-box with built in digital recording via a dish, excluding HDTV, a PVR for Freesat as VHS will be no use. None will work for Saorsat.

TVs or set-box with built in digital recording via a dish, excluding HDTV, a PVR for Freeview as VHS will be no use. Most but not all “Freesat HD” models will work with Saorsat. See the Satellite page on receiving Saorsat and Freesat/Freesat HD.

UK FTA (Free to Air) digital TV via an Aerial, excluding HDTV. Various places can receive N.I., I.O.M. and Welsh Transmitters. Analogue is turned of in Wales, so people that used to get good Analogue TV now get better Digital. In N.I, there is still Analogue (turning off in 2012) and after ASO (Analogue Switch Off), Irish reception of Freeview will improve in Border areas. See the N.I. Digital Page. A Freeview TV or Set-box generally won’t work on Saorview, but a Saorview receiver will work with Freeview, if you live in an area with UK reception.

Free To Air. No encryption, no extra charges (you do have to pay a TV licence in Ireland and UK). You may freely receive the channel by any method for personal domestic use. Different rules apply to Hotels, Guest Houses, Community TV schemes and other redistribution. An Apartment Distribution system may freely distribute all channels as long as Pay TV channels are not decoded, it’s just aerial or dish sharing in this case.

Free To Carry: A Satellite, Cable, Terrestrial Broadcaster, Community TV, Hotel System or IPTV provider does not need to pay to carry the channel, only obtain permission from the Channel and from the Regulator. Most FTA channels are not FTC.

Free To View: Encrypted, so a viewing card or other method to unlick the picture is needed. No subscription in pay TV sense, but a once off or annual charge

Usually 1080 visible lines rather than normal 576 lines visible on 625 Line Analogue or SD Digital. Means the TV can somehow (maybe only via Component or HDMI) display all normal kinds of HDTV pictures and the TV has a native 1920 x 1080 resolution and is progressive. All European Broadcasts are 1080i (Interlaced) and 50Hz. Some models are US 60Hz only. Says nothing about ability of TV to receive HD by aerial or how well it displays 1080i (50Hz, 25fps) content.

Means the TV can somehow (maybe only via Component or HDMI) display all normal kinds of HDTV pictures though the TV is not “full” HD resolution. Typically WXGA PC resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. An almost meaningless declaration on a TV as it does not ensure any HD reception via an Aerial, anywhere.

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact digital connection between High Definition Set-box or BluRay (BD) player and an HDTV. The traditional large SCART connector does not do HDTV.

Advanced Audio Codec, superior to MP3 digital Audio and MP2 Audio. Uses about 1/2 the space as MP2 audio

Just Another Language. Pascal / Basic like language for 10F, 12F, 16F and 18F PIC microcontrollers

Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group Version 5, a “middleware” system providing similar features to those familiar on a Sky SetBox for Program Guide (EPG), Interactive text with pictures and video. Not a codec.

Multimedia Home Platform, DVB-MHP, used as alternative to MHEG5

Software added to a TV or Set-box to give more features than simply tuning in and changing channel. The most used are “OpenTV” (Sky), “MediaHiway” (UPC), MHP (Italy) and MHEG5 (UK). Only MHEG5 is royalty free.

Original Codec for Digital Audio on Digital TV and Radio. Used with MPEG2 TV and DAB Radio.

Motion Picture Expert Group. The version of Codec used for Video on non-HD (SD) Freeview, Sky, UPC cable Digital and Freesat (excluding HD). Never used for HDTV anymore.

Motion Picture Expert Group. The version of Codec used for Video on “Freeview HD”, “Sky HD”, UPC cable Digital HDTV and “Freesat HD”. All HDTV requires MPEG4. Additionally many newer Digital services, including Ireland’s Saorview and Saorsat, only use MPEG4 for video, even SD (non-HD), with no use of MPEG2 at all. MPEG4 video of same quality and resolution takes about 1/2 the space or less, so twice the channels or more HDTV can be carried on same Transmitter or Satellite. Freeview, Sky and Freesat can’t change to MPEG4 to have more space as the original MPEG2 based TVs and Set-boxes can’t be upgraded to MPEG4. This is why on older services only the HDTV uses MPEG4 and new networks use only MPEG4. There is no MPEG3 in use.

A box to connect more than four Satellite Tuners to one to four Satellite (LNB) dish feeds, either on a single or multiple dishes. Used in distribution systems to share one dish to 5 to 2,000 satellite receivers. Usually fed by Quattro LNBs. It uses Diseqc switch commands to select Satellite.

Picture Element. Smallest dot or picture element of a digital image or Flat screen TV.

Personal Video Recorder. The replacement for VHS and DVD Recorders. They have a Digital Tuner and simply copy the live transmission exactly to a Computer type hard Drive (HDD). They can record from 50 hrs of assorted programs to an amazing one week of EVERY channel at once depending on Model and Capacity. Playback is thus identical quality to Live TV. They can “pause” Live TV if the phone rings, baby cries, door bell or pot boils over. When un-pausing some allow slightly faster than real-time playback so you can “catch up” with Live transmission. When you finish watching the channel/program the automatic background recording stops. Some models can “save” programs to DVDs or BD (blu-ray) writeable disc. The basic Analogue Tuner DVD recorder or VHS is obsolete. Typically you have a on-screen 7 day guide which allows you to pick a program or entire series for automatic recording. Some models will even automatically record if you normally watch a program and miss it without manually scheduling it.

This has various meanings: (1) The number of pixels wide and high a screen has. (2) The Density of the pixels or Image dots. (3) The transmitted width and height in dots per line and visible lines. (4) The “optical resolution”, quoted in lines, but these lines can mean different things. 720 dots across can only resolve 360 separate actual lines. Broadcasting uses many more different resolutions than DVDs or BD (Blu Ray Disc)

Irish Free to Air Satellite TV copy of Saorview. Might start in May 2011 via Ka-Sat @9E on Ka Band

Irish Free To Air Digital Terrestrial TV.

Traditional cable for VHS, DVD or Set-box to connect to a TV. Does not carry HDTV. RGB mode is the best quality. Also called Peritel. Not all carry RGB. Some have s-Video

SDTV, Standard Definition: 576 lines visible on 625 line PAL Analogue or on Digital TV in Europe. USA and Japan only use 480 visible lines on 525 Line NTSC Analog and Digital.

Software Defined Radio

Formerly called a Set-top Box, first used in 1950s to add ITV to BBC only TV sets! Modern TVs are too skinny to have a box on top. Over the years these have added Teletext, Cable TV, MMDS, Analogue Satellite, Sky Pay TV Satellite, Freesat, Freeview and even Digital Recording on a Computer type Hard Drive (PVR) . Some TV sets have Satellite tuners or even “PVR” features built-in.

A mix of Red, Green and Blue pixels that the eye averages to give a coloured pixel. Also used is Red, Green, Blue, Green (may be brighter and just as good colour) and Red, Green, Yellow and Blue (less accurate, but more vivid colour). Triple LCOS, LCD, RP CRT and DLP projectors don’t have sub pixels. Windows on LCD screens can use “sub pixel” addressing to improve text quality, but if the resolution is too low you get coloured fringing.

A text Broadcast system first deployed on Analogue TV in the 1970s, though Teletext is actually entirely digital and always has been. On Analogue it’s transmitted in unseen part of the picture. On Digital it gets a separate data stream as there is no “unseen” part in a Digitally encoded TV picture. A late 1970 version with photo images in the text, like modern digital text, was never adopted as transmission was too slow on Analogue TV. The BBC name is Ceefax and and RTE name is Aertel.

Very Small Aperture Terminal. Used for two way voice, outside broadcast or data connection.