Home Satellite TV Receivers

A DiSEqC compatible receiver relies on a switching box which detects the 22kHz tone pulsing rapidly on and off . In this way, a specially designed receiver can control numerous LNBs through a DiSEqC switching box.

Dolby Digital

An encoding system that digitally compresses up to 5.1 discrete channels of audio (left front, centre, right front, left surround, right surround) into a single Bitstream. A low frequency eff ect (LFE) channel is included providing the sound needed for special eff ects.

DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)

Set of standards that defi ne digital broadcasts using satellite, cable or terrestrial systems.

EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)

An electronic equivalent to a printed television listings magazine; it is an application used with digital set-top boxes and digital television sets to list current and scheduled programs that are or will be available on each channel, including a short summary or commentary for each program. The information supplied in the EPG is sent and updated by the channel broadcaster.

FEC (Forward Error Correction)

A technique for error control of data transmission.

Frequency

The property of a signal measured in cycles per second (=Hz).

FTA (Free- To-Air)

An unscrambled broadcaster allowing customers to view channels or services without paying any subscription.

Hi-Fi (High Fidelity)

The characteristics of audio devices that can play back all the audio frequencies a person can detect, which is the range of 16Hz~20KHz. Sometimes it is used to indicate good quality of audio devices such as stereo tape recorders.

LNB (Low Noise Block)

A device that is mounted on an arm facing your satellite dish, focusing on satellite signals. A LNB converts signals received from satellite to a lower frequency and sends them to a satellite receiver via coaxial cable.

OSD (On Screen Display)

OSD displays the basic information necessary for the users to confi gure monitor or TV settings. OSD information may include brightness, contrast, tuning, RGB adjustment, and screen size and position.

OTA (Over the Air)

A standard for the transmission of software for equipment, through a broadcast system. Manufacturers reserve the right for deciding the release of the software for their products.

Polarization

The direction of the electrical and magnetic fi elds of a signal. Satellites use both vertical and horizontal polarisation. Means that a frequency can be used twice.

PID (Packet Identifi er)

A set of numbers identifying stream packets contained within a single data stream.

QPSK (Quaternary Phase Shift Keying)

Digital modulation technique in which the carrier phase can have one of four possible values.

RF (Radio Frequency)

Television signals are modulated onto RF signals and are then demodulated by your television’s or STB’s tuner.

RF Modulator

Enables you to output the receiver’s digital signals to a TVs RF (Aerial) input, allowing you to connect the receiver to a TV set without a SCART connection.

RS-232C

A connection to allow you to connect to a PC to update receiver’s software.

SCART

A 21-pin connector standard to connect two pieces of Audio-Visual equipment such as a TV and a VCR. Each device will have a 21-pin female connection; a cable with male connection at both ends is used for connecting the devices.

Smartcard

A credit card sized card that contains updateable chip memory. It is used for accessing Pay TV (encrypted) channel or services when inserted into an appropriate receiver.

S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface format)

A standard format for the transfer of digital audio signals. It allows the transfer of digital audio between two devices without any conversion to and from analogue, which could degrade the signal quality.

S-Video (Super-Video

Sometimes referred to as Y/C video; a technology for transmitting video signals via a cable. It is a video signal transmission in which the luminance (brightness) and the chrominance (colour) signals are transmitted separately to achieve superior picture clarity.

Transponder

A satellite is divided up in parts called transponders. A transponder is one distribution section of the satellite. Each transponder can be used for distribution of several channels or services.

PIP (Picture In Picture)

A function that allows you to display two diff erent TV channels (or TV inputs) on a single screen.

PVR (Personal Video Recorder)

Video recorder that can record and playback programmes directly using the embedded hard disk drive(s).

Trick-Play

Pause, Fast Forward/Fast Rewind, Slow Motion, Instant Replay, Commercial Skip, Repeat A-B.

TSR (Time Shifted Recording)