HERI Committee Report

APPENDICES

Appendix 5
Glossary

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): Technology that employs standard twisted-pair copper telephone wire to transmit and receive information at high speeds. It is "asymmetric" because the download speed (i.e., to the subscriber) is faster than the upload speed.

Affiliate: A broadcast station (usually independently owned) that has a contractual relationship with a network to carry the network's programs and announcements in specific time periods.

Analog Signals: Analog signals travel as waves. Human speech is composed of waves (of air) that we hear as different sounds. Before 1960 telephone conversations were transmitted as analog signals. Human speech was transformed into electromagnetic waves. Waves are described in terms of frequency. Frequency is described in Hertz (Hz). Bandwidth refers to capacity but is expressed differently in analog and digital transmissions. In analog systems bandwidth is described in hertz.

Anik: The family name for Telesat Canada's satellites. Anik means brother in the Inuit dialect.

Antenna: A device for radiating and receiving radio waves, usually designed to focus the waves to or from one direction. The antenna is often referred to as a dish.

Bandwidth: A measure of the amount of frequency spectrum occupied by a signal. Usually measured in Hertz (Hz), Kilohertz (KHz) or Megahertz (MHz). Also a measure of the information capacity of a transmission channel. Originally bandwidth capacity was described in bits per second, bps. The more bandwidth a channel has, the more information it can carry. When bandwidth is large enough, full motion video — such as television signals — can be carried. Broadband is lots of bandwidth.

Bits (bytes): A bit is a 1 or a 0 in our digital world. It takes 8 bits to represent a character (e.g., the letter "a"). Eight bits is a byte. Transmission speed over a network is described in bits per second (bps). The storage capacity of a disk is described in bytes (e.g., a computer might have a 20 gigabyte hard drive).

Bot: A software program that provides limited capabilities of artificial intelligence (derived from robot).

BDU: broadcasting distribution undertaking.

Bps: Bits-per-second. Describes the speed with which data is transferred within a network. Increases in speed have led to other acronyms. A thousand bits per second is Kbps (a kilobit) and a million a second is a megabit (Mbps).

Broadband, Narrowband, or Wideband: These are terms that correspond to slow and fast. A 'narrowband' network might carry 24 voices or data telephone conversations on a fiber optic cable at 1.54 million bits per second (1.54 Mbps). A "wideband" network might carry 672 conversations over a fiber optic cable at 44.7 million bits per second (44.7 Mbps). Broadband is synonymous with high bandwidth.

CAVCO: The Canadian Audio Visual Certification Office, located within the Department of Canadian Heritage administers the system that determines how many points a Canadian production has obtained. Productions receiving 10 out of 10 points are often referred to as "distinctively Canadian," while productions receiving 6 out of 10 points are referred to as "industrial productions."

CTF: Canadian Television Fund.

CD: Compact disc. The compact disc was developed by Sony and Phillips and commercially available in the early 1980s. By 1986 CDs were outselling vinyl recordings.

Coaxial Cable: A cable composed of a copper wire surrounded by insulation, which is itself surrounded by a grounded shield of braided wire to minimize interference.

Compression: A set of techniques to store information (e.g., a photograph) using fewer bits. There are many different standards in use (e.g., JPEG, ZIP, GIF). The ability to compress a data file means that it can be sent more quickly over a network. In particular, it can be sent more quickly over the "last mile" to households who do not have access to lots of bandwidth (broadband).

Convergence: Used in at least three different ways. During the 1970s the more common term was "integration." Integration (of different modes of telecommunication) referred to the fact that distinctions between the telephone and cable systems were breaking down with the emergence of digital technologies. For example, what had been the "plain old telephone system" (POTS) would carry voice, data and video signals. As technical changes eroded the distinctions between modes of telecommunication the companies involved developed business plans to exploit the new capabilities. This led to a second use of the word "integration" or "convergence" namely changes in ownership (e.g., mergers and acquisitions within broadcasting and telecommunications companies). Many current (2001-03) articles in the news media discuss mergers and acquisitions in terms of convergence. The third use of the term refers to the consumer who increasingly will notice little difference among a variety of broadcasting and telecommunication services in the home. At some point in the near future there will be, for the consumer, no noticeable difference between what is now referred to as television and the computer. The world of telecommunications and computing will have become "seamless."

Convergence and New Media (CRTC definition): The term "convergence" refers to the use of digital technology for the exchange of information, whereby new, interactive services and products combine voice, data, text and/or image. It also applies to the availability of conventional communications services on the Internet and to organizations operating across previously distinct boundaries, for example, cable companies in the telephone and Internet businesses and telephone companies taking on broadcasting activities. Convergence has had a major impact not only on the industries under our jurisdiction, but on the lives of all Canadians.

Copper Wire: Copper wire was used for telephone systems (until the invention of glass or plastic fiber which uses pulses of light). Copper wire into households is currently limited to approximately 56,000 bits per second (56Kbps). However, voice communications are carried only on 4 kilohertz of the available frequencies on copper wire. It is technically possible to send data downstream (to the home) at a rate of 8 million bits per second (8 Mbps) and upstream (from the home to the telephone company office) at one million bits per second (1Mbps).

CRTC: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. An agency of the Government of Canada that regulates all aspects of the broadcast and telecommunications industries.

Crisis: A time of danger or great difficulty, the turning point of a disease, a decisive moment.

Cross-Platform: Cross-platform refers to the idea of promoting a television show, a movie or a special event (e.g., the Juno Awards) in a number of different media. For example, advertisements could appear in a newspaper, on the radio, on billboards and on television. Promotion of an event across a number of platforms predates the notion of convergence and cross-media ownership. One of the supposed benefits of cross-media ownership is the ability to use all of a company's assets to promote a television program or movie. It is not clear that this is a particular advantage of cross-media ownership, just as the idea of selling advertising across a company's various media ("bundled advertising") does not appear to have produced the benefits claimed for it. However, the ability to promote a particular event (e.g., the Juno Awards) in a number of different ways only some of which involve advertising can produce successes that may not be available to media organizations with a more limited range of outlets.

Dark Fibre: Optical fibre that is in place but is not connected to transmission equipment. Fibre that is in use is referred to as lit fibre.

Digital: Refers to the storage of information as strings of 0s and 1s. Information is stored on a CD or a videodisc in a digital format. Although the idea of storing information in a digital format is as old as Leibniz (1600s) the key technical development was probably the invention of the transistor (1947) and the creation of the first integrated circuit (1957). One could say that the digital age began for the larger public with the invention of the first personal computers (early 1980s).

Digital Compression: Technology used to compress a stream of computer-generated digital information. It allows information to be sent using less bandwidth and makes more "space" available for more channels and/or services. Using high-speed computers, it means more complex information can be digitized; working with various combinations of sound, still images, video and text. Digital video compression (DVC) reduces the amount of channel bandwidth required to transmit a conventional television signal. Digital audio compression does the same for music or other audio services.

Digital Information: Uses the binary code of computer language. Television and audio analog signals are converted to a digital bit stream. With computers these "bits" of information are endlessly interchangeable. Letters, numbers, sounds and images are reduced to a sequence of computerized digital pulses or "bits" of information comprised of zeros and ones. A digitized audio signal provides sound comparable to compact discs.

Digital Signals: Digital signals travel as binary bits. A bit is composed of two parts. The presence or absence of a voltage produces the two parts. On correspond to "ones" and off corresponds to 'zeroes.' Digital signals have several advantages over analog signals. They can travel at higher speeds, provide clearer voice quality, have fewer errors and require less complex equipment. In digital systems, bandwidth is described in bits.

Discretionary Service: A programming or non-programming service not included as part of the basic service offered by a cable system. It is offered to subscribers on a discretionary (optional) basis, either individually or in a package, for a fee separate from, and in addition to, the basic monthly fee.

Diversity: Variety. Montaigne in his Essays has this to say, "And there were never in the world two opinions alike, anymore than two hairs or two grains. Their most universal quality is diversity."

DBS: Direct Broadcast Satellite.

DSL: Digital Subscriber Line.

DTH: Direct-to-Home, direct-to-home satellite distribution.

DVD: Digital Versatile Disc. Sometimes referred to as Digital Video Disc.

FCC: Federal Communications Commission. The regulator that is responsible for broadcasting and telecommunications licensing in the United States.

Fibre Optics: A communications technology that sends signals down cables made of glass fibre. Narinder S. Kapany in England developed it during the 1950s. Fibre-optic cable is cheaper than copper wire and allows almost unlimited bandwidth. If copper wire supports transmission speeds in megabits per second (mbps) fibre-optic cable easily supports transmission speeds in gigabits per second (gbps).

Footprint: The area on the earth that a signal covers.

Format: The general character of a program (e.g., all-news, classical, oldies, etc.).

Gigabits: A billion bits per second.

HDTV: High Definition Television. A system with higher resolution, or picture quality, than conventional television (which uses 525 lines per picture frame).

Internet Protocol (IP): A protocol (i.e., a set of rules) for sending information from one computer to another. Data sent from one computer to another using the Internet protocol are sent in packets. Each packet contains a header (including the address) and the message.

Modulation: The process whereby some characteristic of a carrier is varied in accordance with some characteristic of the signal to be carried. For example, the frequency of the carrier can be varied according to the amplitude of the signal.

MAPL: An acronym composed from Music, Arrangement, Performer, Lyrics. To count as Canadian content on a radio station a record has to have two of the four categories. For example, if a Canadian wrote the lyrics and a Canadian sings the song then the record will count as Canadian content.

MDS: Multi-point distribution system. Off-air retransmitters carrying scrambled signals.

MTV: Multiple channel undertaking, or multi-transmitters. Off-air retransmitters carrying unscrambled signals

Multiplexing: Provides an electronic means of allowing a number of different signals (voice, data, audio or video) to be sent over the same line (whether copper telephone line, coaxial cable or fibre optic cable) at the same time without interfering with one another.

Multiplexed Programming: Programming broadcast by a pay television service that is distributed on two or more channels of a cable television undertaking. This provides staggered viewing start times for any given program.

Narrowcasting: Programming designed to appeal to special interest or age groups.

Nimiq 1& 2: Nimiq was Canada's first Direct Broadcast Satellite. Nimiq is an Inuit word meaning any object or force that unites things or binds them together.

Pay Television Service: A television service such as those consisting of movies only which are offered via cable or direct satellite feed on a per channel basis (e.g. SuperChannel in Western Canada and The Movie Network in Eastern Canada or the Family Channel). Advertising on pay television is prohibited by CRTC regulations. All pay TV services are authorized for cable TV carriage on a discretionary basis only.

Pay-Per-View Service: A purely discretionary service, typically consisting of movies and special events. It is offered via cable or direct satellite feed on a "pay-per-program" basis. Pay-per-view services offer subscribers the option of selecting the specific programming they want to watch and pay for.

PDTH: Pay-per-view direct-to-home.

People Meter: A meter attached to a television set to measure individual viewing habits.

PCS (Personal Communications Service): PCS is a wireless telephone service that operates in a similar way to cellular telephone service using digital technology for transmission and reception.

Photonics: All of the elements of optical communications. This includes fiber, lasers, and optical switches and all elements involved in transmitting light over fiber.

Point-of-Presence (POP): A point-of-presence is an access point to the Internet. Each POP has a unique Internet Protocol address.

Programming: Addressable technology allows cable companies to individually send and possibly receive information from their "address" to the subscriber's "address." It provides greater choice and customization of services to subscribers. The cable operator controls signals provided to individual subscribers through special equipment installed at the cable company and addressable receiving apparatus installed on or off the subscriber's premises. Addressable decoders will allow subscribers more flexibility in tailoring their packages of cable TV services.

POTS: Plain Old Telephone System.

PPV: Pay-per-view.

Protocol: A formal set of conventions that govern the formatting and relative timing of message exchange between two communicating systems.

Router: A physical device that joins multiple networks together. On the Internet, a router is a device or software that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded.

Simultaneous Substitution: Cable or satellite replacement of American identification and commercials with Canadian where the U.S. and Canadian station are telecasting the same episode of a program at the same time.

Specialty Television Services: A specific type of programming aimed at a specific audience group (e.g. The Sports Network, MuchMusic, YTV, etc.). Most specialty services have lower limits on the maximum amount of advertising they can carry than do conventional television stations or networks, which aim their services at a broad spectrum of the population. A specialty TV service may be authorized for distribution either as part of the basic cable TV service, or as part of a discretionary package of services. Specialty services normally generate their revenues from a combination of advertising and subscriber fees.

Speed: Most often described in thousands, millions, billions and trillions of bits per second.

Spectrum: An ordered arrangement of something by degree or according to a particular quality or characteristic. For example, radio waves arranged according to their length are referred to as the radio frequency spectrum (RFS). However, the word can be used in other contexts. A character in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited describes green chartreuse in the following words. "There are five distinct tastes as it trickles over the tongue. It is like swallowing a sp-spectrum."

SRDU: Satellite Relay Distribution Undertaking.

Stream: Data in the form an encoded text, audio and/or video, requested by a computer user and delivered via the Internet. Hence streaming audio or streaming video.

Streaming: A technique used to speed up the transmission of audio and video over the Internet. This capability has led to the development of such terms as "Internet Radio." Internet Radio is not, strictly speaking, a broadcast from a traditional radio station. There are, however, radio stations that no longer transmit over the airwaves but that do offer programming over the Internet. Radio-Locator (www.radio-locator.com) is perhaps the most comprehensive radio station search engine on the Internet, with links to over 10,000 radio station Web pages and over 2,500 audio streams from radio stations all over the world.

STV: Subscription Television. Off-air retransmitters carrying scrambled signals.

TDR: Transitional Digital Radio.

Terabits: A trillion bits per second. (Approximately three centuries worth of a large daily newspaper.) A substantial research library might be as large as two terabits.

The Last Mile: A phrase in common use to describe the distance between the advanced part of the telecommunications system (usually fibre optic) and the consumer. For consumers who do not have cable "the last mile" is usually copper wire.

Third Generation Wireless (3G Wireless): The next generation of wireless communications that will provide data at rates similar to cable and ASDL. Analogue cellular and digital PCS are considered to be the first and second generations of wireless telecommunications.

Transponder: Equipment on a satellite that receives signals on the uplink, translates them to the downlink frequency and amplifies them for retransmission to earth. The word was created from transmitter and responder.

Video-on-Demand (VOD): A service which will allow consumers to "dial up" programming such as a movie or other program from a central information bank.