Understanding Cable Technology

Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

1080i

1080 interlaced

category of HDTV video, a pixel resolution of 1080

horizonal lines x 1920 vertical lines. E.g., 1080 x 1920 /
2 = 1,036,800 pixels of resolution

1080p

1080 progressive

category of HDTV video, a pixel resolution of 1080

horizonal lines x 1920 vertical lines. E.g., 1080 x 1920
= 2,073,600 pixels of resolution

3DTV

3D TeleVision

TV that employs a three dimensional presentation

480p

480 progressive

category of SDTV video, a pixel resolution of 480

horizonal lines x 640 vertical lines

4G

Forth Generation

a cellular signal on the 4th generation network

720p

720 progressive

category of HDTV video, a pixel resolution of 720

horizonal lines x 1280 vertical lines. E.g., 1280 x 720 =
921,600 pixels of resolution

ACM

Address Complete Message

refers to the signaling message that contains call-status

information sent prior to the called party going off-hook.

AP

wireless access points

device which allows wireless devices to connect

ATSC

Advanced Television Systems Committee

a standard for digital TV transmission

AVC

Advanced Video Coding

an advanced version of MPEG-2 called MPEG-4. offers

better compression ratio that leads to more bandwidth
for the cable operator

BSS

Business Support Systems

concerned with billing and accounting

CALEA

Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act

a means forlaw enforcement agencies to conduct

electronic surveillance (call detail and/or call content
monitoring)

CATV

Community Antenna Television

antenna receiver would be mounted at the highest point

near the valley

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

CDN

Content Delivery Network

a network providing video content using a cloud service

to cable, satellite and telco service providers

CEA

Consumer Electronics Association

standard for forward path EIA channels, CEA-542-C

CEA

consumer electronics

electric home networking devices available at a retail

store

CM

cable modem

modulates and demodulates RF carriers from the HFC

CMS

Call Management Server

manages the connection of calls

CMTS

Cable Modem Termination Service

the primary DOCSIS component located at the headend

or hub site that communicates with cable modems and
MTAs

ct

count

used as a measure in the number of fiber is a optical

cable's buffer tube

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

provides automated IP addressing information to

CMTSs, CMs, eMTAs, eRouters, etc

DLNA

Digital Living Networking Alliance

a protocol to share video content to PCs and mobile

devices. gaming consoles, TVs, cameras, laptops, PC,
smartphones and printers are a few of the products that
have implemented this technology

DNS

Domain Name System

translates easier to remember text addresses such as

www.scte.org to the numerical addresses 66.252.98.20

DOCSIS

Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification

a CableLabs standard for HSD and VoIP delivery over

an HFC architecture

DRM

Digital Rights Management

protects the use of digital content

DS

downstream

the RF signal from the headend / hub to the subscriber,

also known as forward path

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

DTA

Digital Terminal Adapter

QAM to analog NTSC signal converter

DVD

Digital Versatile Disc

media format for video and data storage

DVR

Digital Video Recorder

a consumer electronic device that allows the subscriber

to record TV shows, movies or other TV content

EBIF

Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format

multimedia content format developed by CableLabs for

TV. E.g., widgets, multimedia pages

eDVA

embedded Digital Voice Adapter

provides packetcable 2.0 VoIP phone service with an

embedded cable modem

EIA

Electronic Industries Alliance

forward path channels, 6 MHz increments

EMI

Electromagnetic Interference

distrubance that affects cable operator's signals

EMS

Element Manager Systems

used to control and monitor performance/operation of

the various network elements (components) to ensure
everything operates properly

eMTA

embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter

provides packetcable 1.0 VoIP phone service with an

embedded cable modem

EoD

Everything on Demand

the ability to watch the entire channel lineup at any time

FoD

Free on Demand

free video content that can be watched at any time

FSO

Free Space Optical

uses light propagating in free space to transmit data

between two points

FTTC

Fiber to the Curb

fiber optic technology from the utility pole / pedestal to

cable operator's headend/hub

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

FTTH

Fiber to the Home

fiber optic technology from the subscriber to cable

operator's headend/hub

FTTN

Fiber to the Node

typical HFC fiber design

Gbs

gigabit per second

1 gigabit per second, a measurement of data throughput

GHz

GigaHertz

a unit used to measure cable frequency, a billion cycles

per second

GPS

Global Positioning System

navigation system that is feed by a satellite system

GWR

gateway routers

forward data packets across subscriber and cable

operator's network

HBO

Home Box Office

premium cable television network

HD

High Definition

a video format with a high resolution for better picture

quality

HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface

a compact audio/video interface used for HDTV

HDTV

High Definition Television

a TV that supports a higher resolution video format

HFC

Hybrid Fiber Coax

the cable and fiber plant from the headend to the

subscriber

HomePNA

Home Phoneline Networking Alliance

uses existing phone lines in the home to connect devices

together

HP

Homes Passed

a term to describe the number of subscribers connected

to an HFC node

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

HSD

High Speed Data

broadband data service

HSI

High Speed Internet

broadband data service

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol

used to read and view web pages

Hz

Hertz

a unit used to measure cable frequency, 1 cycle per

second

IAM

Initial Address Message

first message sent in a call set-up

IEEE

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Wi-Fi and Ethernet is standardized by this organization

IP

Internet Protocol

the 4th generation of IP, e.g, 192.168.100.1 /24

IPTV

Internet Protocol TV

delivering IP video to TV

IPv6

Internet Protocol version 6

the 6th generation of IP, e.g, 2001:332:0:1::1/64

iTV

Interactive Television

a viewing experience that will allow the subscriber to

interact with the TV program

JPEG

Joint Picture Experts Group

still images or frames used for video

KHz

KiloHertz

a unit used to measure cable frequency, a thousand

cycles per second

MG/MGC

Media Gateway / Media Gateway Controller

uses the media gateway control protocol for signaling

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

MGCP

media gateway control protocol

messages signifying a mode change

MHz

MegaHertz

a unit used to measure cable frequency, a million cycles

per second

MIMO

multiple-input multiple-output

a device that is able to increase bandwidth by using

multiple signals

MMF

Multi-Mode Fiber

multiple light sources on a piece of fiber optic

MoCA

Multimedia over Coax Alliance

a protocol providing a coax backbone for nextgeneration home entertainment networking technology

MPEG-2

Moving Pictures Expert Group version 2

the digital video format used by cable operators

MPEG-TS

Moving Pictures Expert Group Transport Stream

the digital video format used during transport by

operators

MSO

Multi System Operators

a term used to describe cable operators that offer more

than one service (voice, video, mobile or data)

MTA

Multimedia Terminal Adapter

provides VoIP phone service

nm

nano meter

1 billionth of a meter

NTSC

National Television Standards Committee

standard for analog signals, typical tuner in older

televisions

OHNP

OpenCable Home Networking Protocol

a standard way of sharing personal content (home

movies and photos) to digital consumer devices such as
TVs using a <tru2way> STBs

OS

Operating System

software that is installed on a PC to allow the user to

utilize the PC's hardware

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

OSS

Operations Support Systems

concerned with getting the service up and running

PAN

personal area network

a small personal network, e.g., smartphone connected to

laptop over a network

PC

Personal Computer

a general purpose computer used in a personal manner

PID

Program Identifier

a medthod used to ID each MPEG stream sent over the

HFC

PPV

Pay Per View

video events that subscriber's can pay a one time fee to

view

PSTN

public switched telephone network

telco network

PVR

Personal Video Recorder

a consumer electronic devices adapts to the recording

habits of the subscriber

QAM

Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

a modulation technique which uses amplitude as wells

as phase for encoding RF data at higher data rates

QoS

Quality of Service

mechanisms to guarantee a specified level of service

QR

Quantum Reach

a type of coax cable with better attenuation properties

than series 6 (RG-56) coax

RF

Radio Frequency

signals in the spectrum of 30 KHz to 300 GHz

RF4CE

Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics

a low powered and long battery life personal area

network

RFI

radio frequency interference

a disturbance that affects an electrical circuit such as the

HFC or subscriber premises network

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

RFoG

Radio Frequency over Glass

a deep fiber network design in which the coax portion of

the HFC network is replaced by a single-fiber

RG

Registered Gauge

a measurement of coaxial cable

RGB

Red, Green & Blue

a pixels is made up of these colors, the greater number

of pixels the better the digital video resolution or picture
quality

SD

Standard Definition

a resolution that meets standards not consider high

defination

SDTV

Standard Definition Television

a resolution that meets standards not consider high

defination

SG

Signaling Gateway

device that resolves signaling differences

SMF

Single Mode Fiber

one light source on a piece of fiber optic

SS7

Signaling System 7

is an protocol architecture for performing out-of-band

signaling in support of the call-establishment, billing,
routing, and information-exchange functions of the
PSTN

STB

Set Top Box

a device that connects to a television to convert the cable

operators QAM signal into a NTSC or ATSC signal

SVoD

Subscription Video-on-Demand

users to select and watch/listen to video content on

demand from subscription based channels like HBO

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol

a file server used to update the customers service level

THz

TeraHertz

a unit used to measure cable frequency, a trillion cycles

per second

ToD

Time of Day

a clock to keep the customer synchronized with the

CMTS and billing systems

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Abbreviation

Acronym

Description

TVRO

Television Receive-Only

reception of satellite television

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

the text used to connect to a website such

http://www.scte.org

US

upstream

the RF signal from the subscriber to the headend / hub,

also known as return path

UV

Ultraviolet

the jacket of a piece of coax protect againsted

electromagnetic radiation (10 nm to 400 nm)

VCR

videocassette recorder

a type of video tape recorder that uses removable

videotape cassettes

VoD

Video on Demand

users to select and watch/listen to video content on

demand

VoIP

Voice over IP

internet technologies for the delivery of voice

communications and multimedia of Internet Protocol.
Cable uses managed networks.

WDM

Wave Division Multiplexing

multiple light sources on SMF

Wi-Fi

Wireless Fidelity

a wireless enabled device based on the 802.11 wireless

standards

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