Glossary - F
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
F-Connector - The final piece of hardware (familiar to subscribers) on a drop cable. It is cylindrical with a center pin sticking out, that plugs into the set-top box, cable ready TV or VCR.
F-Link - F-Links are Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) links that directly connect two SS7 end points, such as two signal switching points (SSPs). 'F' stands for "Facility Associated".
Facsimile - The electronic transmission of pictures, charts, graphs, etc., from one place to another by radio, telegraphy or telephone. With special facsimile equipment, a home television receiver may be able to deliver mail and newspapers by cable.
Factory Alignment - Refers to the bench test alignment conditions with the slope and gain controls (where applicable) are turned to maximum and no pad or equalizer is installed. These specs can be used to verify operation during a bench test.
Fading - The reduction in signal intensity of one or several of the components of a radio signal, typically caused by the reflective or refractive effects of multi-path.
Favorites - The Internet Explorer equivalent of a bookmark, it is a web site location which has been saved to an organized list for quick access at a later time.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - The agency that regulates communications services, including cable television, at the federal level.
Feeder Cable - Coaxial cables that run along streets within the served area and connects between the individual taps which serve the customer drops.
Feeder Line - Cable distribution lines that connect the main trunk line or cable to the smaller drop cable.
Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) - A network based on the use of optical fiber to transmit data at a rate of 100Mbps.
Fiber Node - A point of interface between a fiber trunk and the coaxial distribution.
Fiber Optics - Very thin and pliable tubes of glass or plastic used to carry wide bands of frequencies.
Field - One half of a complete picture (or frame) interval, containing all of the odd or even scanning lines of the picture.
Field Frequency - The rate at which a complete field is scanned, nominally 60 times a second.
File & Print Sharing - A network component which allows a user to share files or printers on their computer with others on the network.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - A method used to exchange files between computers on a network or the Internet using the TCP/IP protocol. It can also be the verb used to describe that transfer ("I need to FTP a file to them").
Filter - A circuit that selects the frequency of desired channels. Used in trunk and feeder lines for special cable services such a two-way operation.
Flat Loss - Equal loss at all frequencies, such as caused by attenuators.
Flat Outputs - Operation of a cable television system with equal levels of all TV signals at the output of each amplifier.
Flexible Call Offering (FCO) - Defined by Bellcore as a grouping of three common voice telephone features, call transfer, drop, and hold. Also called the Big Three Feature Set by some companies, FCO is a component of the Easy ISDN1 ordering code.
FM Cable System - FM radio signals offered by the cable system (the cable must be connected to the subscriber's FM stereo receiver)
Forward Error Correction (FEC) - FEC enables the receiver to detect and fix errors to packets without the need for the transmitter to retransmit packets.
Forward Channel - The direction of radio frequency (RF) signal flow away from the headend toward the end user; equivalent to downstream.
Fragmentation - When broad television audiences break into smaller segments due to multiple viewing choices and niche programming that targets particular demographics. Also applies to packets in a transmission as a part of DOCSIS 1.1.
Frame - One complete picture consisting of two fields of interlaced scanning lines.
Franchise - A contract between a cable television company and a municipal government authorizing the company to install cable and offer cable television service within the community.
Frequency - The number of times a complete electromagnetic wave cycle occurs in a fixed unit of time, usually one second. The rate at which a current alternates, measured in Hertz on a telecommunications medium.
Frequency Modulation (FM) - A common method of transmitting information over a carrier wave by changing its frequency.
Front End - The first radio-frequency amplifier stage on a receiver. This is one of the most critical components of the receiver because the sensitivity of the front end dictates the sensitivity of the entire receiver.
Full-Motion Video - Not compressed; a standard video signal of 30 frames per second, 525 horizontal lines per frame, capable of complete action.
Full Network Station - A commercial television broadcast station that generally carries 85 percent of the hours of programming offered by one of the three major national networks during its weekly prime time hours.
Full Service Network (FSN) - Cable networks that are intended to provide broadcast TV, Internet access, VOD, and voice telephony simultaneously.
Fully Integrated System - A cable television system designed to take advantage of the optimum amplifier-cable relationship for highest performance at lowest cost. Such a system is also admirably suited to the fully automated cable television system concept.
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