Glossary - E
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
Earth Station - Structure, referred to as a “dish,” used for receiving and/ or transmitting those electromagnetic signals coming from or going to a satellite.
Easement - The right to use land for a specific purpose, such as laying cable.
Echo - A wave which has been reflected at one or more points in the transmission medium, with sufficient magnitude and time difference to be perceived in some manner as a wave distinct from that of the main or primary transmission. Echoes may be either leading or lagging the primary wave and appear on the picture monitor as reflections or “ghosts.” Also known as Reflection.
Education Channel - FCC rules require cable systems in the top 100 markets to set aside one channel for educational uses, to be available without cost for the “developmental period.” The developmental period of a cable television system runs for five years from the time that subscriber service began, or five years after the completion of the basic trunk line.
Educational Television Station (ETV) - A non-commercial television station primarily devoted to educational broadcasting.
Electro-Magnetic Interference - Electro-magnetic (EM) interference is caused when magnetic force lines generated by radio waves, electrical current in other phone lines, and events in outer space, like sun-spots, intersect with a telephone wire, generating a slight variation in the electrical current that we hear as “static.” Magnetic interference is the major obstacle to higher modem speeds because they change the very precisely modulated analog signal modems use to transmit and receive data. Today’s 28.8 Kbps “V.34” modems, for example, usually have to “fall back” to lower speeds of 21.6 to 24 Kbps due to EM interference.
Electromagnetic Spectrum - A continuous range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation (i.e., oscillating electrical and magnetic energy which can travel through space). Within the spectrum, waves have some specified common characteristics; the TV broadcast spectrum, for instance, ranges from 45 to 890 MHz. See Frequency.
Elementary Stream (ES) - An elementary stream is a generic term for one of the coded video, coded audio, or other coded bit streams. One elementary stream is carried in a sequence of PES packets with one and only one stream_id.
Emergency Alert System (EAS) - The US Federal system for alerting the public to emergencies. EAS is a digital upgrade to the old Emergency Broadcasting System.
Email - The electronic exchange of messages and files between computers on a network, email is the abbreviated form of electronic mail. An e-mail client is usually integrated with popular browsers.
Encryption - A form of encoding transmitted data for security purposes. It normally requires the decryption “key” to decipher the transmission upon receipt. The level of security is dependent on the complexity of the key used.
End User - A human being, organization or telecommunications system that accesses the network in order to communicate via the services provided by the network. Also known as customer.
Enhanced TV Services - Services that enable viewers to access further information abou the television programs and advertising they're watching (including how to purchase an item). They may also allow consumers to play along with game shows, participate in opinion polls and to obtain up-to-the-minute news and weather.
Equal Access - The offering of access to local exchange facilities on a non-discriminatory basis.
Equalization - A means of modifying the frequency response of an amplifier or network, thereby resulting in a flat overall response.
Equalized Loss - Any loss in cable television systems caused by coaxial cable; also, insertion loss of components designed to match cable loss characteristics.
Ethernet - The most popular LAN technology in use today. The IEEE standard 802.3 defines the rules for configuring an Ethernet network. It is a 10Mbps, CSMA/CD baseband network that runs over thin coax, thick coax, twisted pair or fiber optic cable.
Events - Events are asynchronous communication between applications and the OpenCable system on which they are being executed. They provide communication between solution elements. An event may also refer to a unit of programming, such as a movie, an episode of a television show, a newscast or a sports game.
Exclusivity - The provision in a commercial television film contract that grants exclusive playback rights for the film or episode to a broadcast station in the market it serves. Under the FCC’s rules cable operators cannot carry distant signals which violate local television stations’ exclusivity agreements.
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