A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

ActiveMovie - Microsoft graphic driver, used by the Windows Media Player, for playback of various types of animation formats. ActiveMovie supports AVI, QuickTime, and MPEG.

Acrobat - Adobe Acrobat is software that creates quality, un-editable, printer friendly documents. Acrobat documents are recognized as PDF files. You can download the Acrobat PDF viewer plug-in at the adobe web site www.adobe.com.

Amber Alert - an emergency broadcast or notification system used when there has been an abduction, esp. of a child

Animation - a sequence of frames that, when played in order at sufficient speed, presents a smoothly moving image like a film or video. An animation can be digitized video, computer-generated graphics, or a combination.

Applet - A small program that can be downloaded from a web site and executed on the user's computer.

Archive - A directory of related information, digital media, and other data.

Attribute - a characteristic of a style that you can modify; for example, the degree of slant in the italic style.

Authoring - One who writes or constructs an electronic document or system, such as a website, video, etc.

AVI - Audio Video Interleave. AVI is an early Microsoft video file format.

B

Back channel - a communication pathway that goes from a player, back to the control station.

Bandwidth - Bandwidth is how fast data transfers on a given transmission path. It is expresses in bits per second (bps). Web hosting businesses can provide you with summaries of bandwidth consumption.

Bitmap - A graphic image that is composed of dots, or pixels. Web sites display bitmaps.

C

Captive Audience Networks - a digital advertising network where spectators have nothing better to do but look at whatever is being displayed. Typically spectators standing in a line, riding in an elevator, watching a sports game.

CAT5 - Category 5 UTP Cable - used for connecting computer networks

Closed Circuit Television - a television system that is not used for broadcasting but is connected by cables to designated displays, television, plasma, LCD, projectors

Codec - An integrated circuit or other electronic device combining the circuits needed to convert digital signals to and from analog

Co-location - This word is commonly used to refer to a server that belongs to another person or group that is connected to a high-speed internet connection. Usually businesses tend to choose this method of web site hosting because it is more secure and faster.

Composite Video - a standard video signal containing color, brightness, and sync information. Most projectors have composite inputs.

Compression - he coding of data to save storage space or transmission time. Although data is already coded in digital form for computer processing, it can often be coded more efficiently using fewer bits.

Connection - A physical link, such as by wire or fiber-optic cable, between two or more points in a telecommunications system: established a connection to the Internet.

Content - any file, analog or digital that can be played back on your digital signage network.

D

Database - A collection of media arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval. Also called data bank

Datacasting - another term for broadcasting or narrowcasting. The delivery of any type of media over a network.

Decompress - expanding a file to its original uncompressed form after being compressed.

Digital Dynamic Signage - Digital dynamic signage is a term used to describe a narrowcast network of displays; television, LCD, plasma, projectors.

Digital Instore Merchandising - Digital in-store merchandising refers the use of digital audio/visual equipment in retail store to captivate shoppers at the point of sale.

Digital Broadcast - broadcasting multimedia over the Internet or satellite to be downloaded and played back by multimedia receivers, or players.

Digital Signage - is defined as a dynamic display that communicates a message in a public environment. It could be a TV, plasma, LCD, projector, or computer monitor displaying advertisements in a retail store, or it could be displaying training seminars in a university. Digital signage is most commonly used in a network of digital displays that are controlled from a central computer server. Digital signage gives businesses the power to communicate with their customers and employees through a private network.

Digital Signage Network - Dec 20th, 2007 - Gridcast is now managing Canadian Exhibition Place LED System for Clear Channel Outdoor Canada. This marks the fourth large format Digital signage system managed by Gridcast for Clear Channel Outdoor Canada.

Digital Signs - Digital signs are display devices; television, LCD, plasma, projectors used in a public signage application.

Digital Video - a video that has been digitized and played back on a digital monitor.

DirectX - A Microsoft programming interface standard, first included with Windows 95. DirectX gives (games) programmers a standard way to gain direct access to enhanced hardware features under Windows 95 instead of going via the Windows 95 GDI. Some DirectX code runs faster than the equivalent under MS DOS

DivX - An MPEG-4 compliant video codec from DivXNetworks, www.divx.com, DIVX can compress to a much smaller file size. Despite the file size, the video maintains a near DVD quality format.

DSL - A Digital Subscriber Line is a fast continuously available internet connection that uses a phone line and DSL modem. A DSL connection to the internet does not interfere with voice transmission.

E

Electronic Billboards - billboards that can be updated electronically. Usually a large projection spectacular or LED sign.

Electronic Kiosks - database terminals that have a touch panel graphic user interfaces. Similar to an ATM, ABM.

Electronic Signage - Another term for digital signage, please see digital signage.

F

Flash - Macromedia Flash is a vector-based animation application. Flash web site designs are quick to download, of high resolution, and browser friendly. To view flash pages, you require shockwave, www.shockwave.com

Frames Per Second - (fps) the speed at which an animation, film or video is displayed.

FTP - A communications protocol governing the transfer of files from one computer to another over a network.

G

Gateway - A piece of hardware or software that translates between 2 dissimilar protocols

GIF - Graphic interchange format is a common format for an image file. Usually appropriate for large, few colour images. The file size of GIF's are significantly smaller that JPEG's.

Graphical User Interface - GUI a user interface based on graphics (icons and pictures and menus) instead of text; uses a mouse as well as a keyboard as an input device.

Group - Select display devices that display the same content. A player must belong to a group and a player can only belong to one group.

H

HDTV - A television system that has twice the standard number of scanning lines per frame and therefore produces pictures with greater detail.

HTML - HyperText Markup Language is the most commonly used language to create web design.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used to format and transmit data over the Web.

Hypertext - Is a system that links text, graphics, music, and software to each other in a non-linear manner. AKA Hypermedia

I

Interactive Kiosks - A stall set up in a public place where one can obtain information, e.g. tourist information. The information may be provided by a human or by a computer. In the latter case, the data may be stored locally (e.g. on CD-ROM) or accessed via a network using some kind of distributed information retrieval system such as Gopher or World-Wide Web.

Internet - The wide collection of connected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols.

Intranet - A private network inside an organization or company that uses the same kinds of software. An intranet is used for internal use.

IP Address - An IP address that uniquely identifies a node on an internet. Ie. 10.0.0.12.

ISP - an Internet Service Provider is a company that provides you with a connection to the internet via either a dial-up or broadband connection.

IT - (Information Technology) The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications.

J

Java - Is a network-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the internet.

JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group is the most commonly used image file format for displaying photographic images.

K

Kiosk - A stall set up in a public place where one can obtain information, e.g. tourist information. The information may be provided by a human or by a computer. In the latter case, the data may be stored locally (e.g. on CD-ROM) or accessed via a network using some kind of distributed information retrieval system such as Gopher or World-Wide Web

Kilobyte - 1024 bytes

L

LAN - A computer network limited to the immediate area of computers. Usually limited to a building or floor.

LCD - A low-power flat-panel display used in many laptop computers, calculators and digital watches, made up of a liquid crystal that is sandwiched between layers of glass or plastic and becomes opaque when electric current passes through it. The contrast between the opaque and transparent areas forms visible characters.

LCD Projection Panel - a projection panel reflects larger projection images. They are common in LCD projectors we use today.

LED - (light emitting diode) A semiconductor diode that converts applied voltage to light and is used in digital displays, as of a calculator.

Log File - a file displaying the activity of a piece of software.

Login - an account that requires a login and password to gain access to a system or software solution.

Loop - a sequence of scheduled media files. Content is arranged in a loop and scheduled on each player.

M

Megabyte - 1024 kilobytes.

Modem - A device used that you connect to your computer and phone line/cable to the internet.

MOV - file-type extension for digital video files in Apple QuickTime format. download at www.apple.ca.

MPEG - (Motion Picture Experts Group) a standard used for the compression of digital video and audio sequences.

MPEG-2 - A variant of the MPEG video and audio compression algorithm and file format, optimized for broadcast quality video. MPEG-2 was designed to transmit images using progressive coding at 4 Mbps or higher for use in broadcast digital TV and DVD.

MPEG-4 - MPEG-4 extends the earlier MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 algorithms with synthesis of speech and video, fractal compression, computer visualization and artificial intelligence-based image processing techniques.

Multi-Media - A method of communicating using text, graphics, animations, video, audio and layout.

Multicast - an audio or video communication made to a select group of multiple destinations simultaneously, or two-way communication such as videoconferencing, teleconferencing, or e-mail.

N

Narrowcasting - To transmit creative content confined to the interests of a specific group of viewers or target market.

Network - When you have 2 or more computers connected to each other. Networking is used to share application files.

Network Administrator - an information technology professional responsible for setting up, maintaining, and securing a computer network.

NTSC - (National Television Standards Committee) The body defining the television video signal format used in the USA. The UK equivalent is PAL

O

Out Of Home Advertising - refers to that portion of advertising delivered in locations other than the home. Primary examples include billboards, movie theaters, and gas stations.

Out-of-Home Media Networks - Out-of-Home Media Networks are commonly used by outdoor advertising companies as a median to distribute television advertisements to the public

P

PAL - (Phase Alternating Line) the color video and broadcasting standard used mainly in western Europe and South America.

Password - A code used to gain access to a locked system or application.

Permissions - Attributes that are associated with a folder to restrict the types of access users have to it.

PDF - AKA Adobe Acrobat File, it stands for Portable Document Format. PDF's are viewable with the PDF viewer plug in developed by adobe. www.adobe.com

Plug-in - A software extension that enables added capabilities. Plug-ins are usually available at software developers web sites.

PNG - An extensible file format for the lossless, portable, well-compressed storage of raster images. PNG provides a patent-free replacement for GIF and can also replace many common uses of TIFF.

P.O.P. - (point of purchase) a counter display used to sell a product.

Q

Quicktime - Is Apple video technology that allows video, digitized sound, 3D objects, and virtual reality.

R

Router - A special purpose computer or application that handles the connection between 2 or more networks. Routers determine the appropriate destinations for packets.

S

Server - A computer or application, that provides a service to client software on other computers. Servers are used for web hosting and other web applications.

Shockwave - is a plug in developed by Macromedia that allows you to view new forms of entertainment on the Web. With the shockwave plug-in, you can view games, music, rich-media, chat, and much more. www.shockwave.com

SMDS - Switch Multi megabit Data Service is the new standard for extremely high-speed data transfer.

SMTP - Simple Mail Transport Protocol is the main protocol used to send electronic mail over the Internet.

SQL - Structured Query Language is a special programming language used for sending queries to a database.

SSL - A Secure Socket Layer is a protocol designed by netscape that enables encrypted communication over the Internet.

Streaming - Streaming media is when an audio or video file can be viewed even though it isn't completely downloaded.

T

Transition - Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another.

V

VOB - An acronym for Video Object file. A VOB is a file that contains MPEG-2 content, typically data on a DVD is in VOB format.

W

WAN - (wide area network) A communications network that uses such devices as telephone lines, satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a LAN

Wi-Fi - (Wireless Fidelity) a local area network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet; uses ethernet protocol

X

XML - (Extensible Markup Language) A metalanguage written in SGML that allows one to design a markup language, used to allow for the easy interchange of documents on the World Wide Web.

XviD - An open source digital video compression format based on DivX (MPEG-4)

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