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Technical - Digital Signage Terms Glossary

# 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

*Your search for digital signage terms in the category "Technical" has returned 96 results.

Air

Air - digital signage

This refers to an important option on digital signage text that helps keep underlined text legible. It is an outline applied to the actual letters of underlined text and is the same color as the background. When the color of the text and the underline is the same, the air keeps the text and underline from blending together.

AJAX

AJAX - digital signage

Standing for Asynchronous Javascript And XML, AJAX is a new term for an established technique in web programming. It describes an approach whereby Javascript calls are made from a given page back to a web server in order to retrieve small bits of XML for use in updating the page on the user's screen, or even for committing changes to data residing on the server with a web service all without any page refreshes. While AJAX programming is not a cure-all, and does not replace page-based navigation of the web, it will make web applications much easier to use and quicker than when page refreshes are involved. The AJAX technology will apply well to digital signage applications, and will help increase the speed and reliability of the applications over a network.

Alignment

Alignment - digital signage

Refers to the position of an element, or lines in a multi-line text element, in relationship to left / right margins.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange

American Standard Code for Information Interchange - digital signage

See ASCII.

Animation

Animation - digital signage

Animation is a sequence of frames that, when played in order at sufficient speed, presents a smoothly moving image such as a video clip. In digital signage, an animation is generally a digitized video clip, a computer-generated graphic, or a combination of the two.

Animclip

Animclip - digital signage

An animclip is an animation in the FLC or AnimGIF format which has been loaded as a clip. Like regular clips, animclips can be moved and sized, and like animations, their speed and other animation parameters can be set and controlled. For more information, see also movieclip.

AnimGIF

AnimGIF - digital signage

An AnimGIF is an animation in the GIF format that is capable of automatic looping playback. See GIF for more information.

ASCII

ASCII - digital signage

Standing for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, ASCII is the universal standard for representing text (letters, numerals, punctuation marks and control instructions) in computer storage and communication.

Asynchronous Javascript And XML

Asynchronous Javascript And XML - digital signage

See AJAX.

Attribute

Attribute - digital signage

An attribute is a characteristic of a style element that one can modify; for example, the degree of slant in the italic font style. Attributes also apply to digital video files. For example, a video file's bitrate could be considered an attribute.

Attributes

Attributes - digital signage

Audio Video Interleave

Audio Video Interleave - digital signage

See AVI.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth - digital signage

Bandwidth is a measure of how fast data is transferred on a given transmission path, and is expressed in bits per second (bps). Web hosting businesses can provide you with summaries of bandwidth consumption for their networks. When it comes to bandwidth, more is better.

Baud Rate

Baud Rate - digital signage

Baud rate is a measure of the speed of serial communication using a modem or null-modem, and is roughly equivalent to bits per second.

Bitmap

Bitmap - digital signage

A bitmap is a data file or structure representing a grid of pixels, or points of color, on a computer monitor, paper, or other display device. A bitmap corresponds bit for bit with an image displayed on a screen, generally in the same format as it would be when stored in the display's video memory. A bitmap is characterized by the width and height of the image in pixels and the number of bits per pixel. The number of bits per pixel determines the number of colors it can represent. The color of each pixel is individually defined, and the greater the number of colors, the greater the file size. bandwidth

Bits Per Second

Bits Per Second - digital signage

See BPS.

Boot

Boot - digital signage

Refers to powering up a computer, server, or application. To boot your computer simply means to turn it on. It comes from the expression, "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps." Also see reboot.

BPS

BPS - digital signage

Short for Bits Per Second, BPS is a measure of how fast data travels on a given transmission path. BandWidth

Branch

Branch - digital signage

A term used in scripting to refer to a jump to a different point in the linear sequence of events, as the result of a Go To, Repeat, or other similar event.

Broadcast Folder

Broadcast Folder - digital signage

A term used with some Scala applications, a broadcast folder is a folder on the Broadcast Server machine in which published files are received for subsequent broadcast transmission.

Composite Video

Composite Video - digital signage

Composite video is a standard video signal containing brightness, color, and synchronization information. Most digital displays and projectors have composite inputs, as they are commonly used in digital signage.

Compression

Compression - digital signage

Compression is the encoding of content or data to reduce the size of the file by removing unnecessary or redundant bits. Compression results in smaller file sizes meaning that less storage space is used on the server, less RAM us used when running the file, and that the file can transferred over your digital signage network faster and more efficiently.

Decompression

Decompression - digital signage

The process of expanding a content file to it's original uncompressed form after being compressed.

Digital Video

Digital Video - digital signage

Video footage, or animation that has been digitized for playback by a digital media player. With the advent of digital video cameras, the footage is recorded in a digital format as it is shot.

DirectX

DirectX - digital signage

DirectX, a Microsoft technology, is a of APIs for handling multimedia tasks and programming, especially game programming.

DivX

DivX - digital signage

DivX is an MPEG4 compliant video codec from DivXNetworks. DivX is capable of much greater compression, reducing video files to a much smaller size. Even though the compression is so extreme, and the file size reduction is large, the video file maintains a near DVD quality of both it's video stream and its audio stream.

DSL

DSL - digital signage

Standing for Digital Subscriber Line, this type of internet connection is fast, continuously available, and uses a phone line and DSL modem. When a DSL connection is made via the phone line, the voice transmission is not affected.

Event Alert

Event Alert - digital signage

In many digital signage management applications, event alerts can be set. These are designed to automatically contact administrators when there is a technical problem. You should discuss this with your digital signage solution provider during the initial meetings.

File Transfer Protocol

File Transfer Protocol - digital signage

See FTP.

FPS

FPS - digital signage

See Frames Per Second.

Frames Per Second

Frames Per Second - digital signage

A measure of the speed at which a motion picture, animation, film, or video is played.

FTP

FTP - digital signage

FTP Stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a communications protocol governing the transfer of files from one computer to another over a network.

Gateway

Gateway - digital signage

A gateway is is a computer or a network of computers that allows or controls access to another computer or network of computers.

GIF

GIF - digital signage

GIF stands for Graphic interchange format and is a common image file format. This format is not appropriate for all images because of its quality issues. It is generally suitable for smaller images that contain minimal colors. The file size of GIF files is significantly smaller that of JPEG files, making GIF files the preferred alternatives for web images. The small file size allows for fast downloads and transfers, and uses very little RAM when displayed.

Graphic Interchange Format

Graphic Interchange Format - digital signage

See GIF.

Graphical User Interface

Graphical User Interface - digital signage

Also known as the GUI (Pronounced gooey) the graphical user interface referrs to a user interface based on graphics instead of text, and uses multiple channels for user input. The windows operating system Vs. MS DOS is a good contrast between a graphical user interface and a textual user interface.

GUI

GUI - digital signage

See graphical user interface.

HDTV

HDTV - digital signage

Standing for High Definition Television, HDTV is a television system that has twice the standard number of scanning lines per frame. This produces pictures with greater detail.

High Definition Television

High Definition Television - digital signage

See HDTV.

HTML

HTML - digital signage

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and is the most commonly used language to create web pages.

HTTP

HTTP - digital signage

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and is used to format and transmit data over the internet, or a network.

Hypermedia

Hypermedia - digital signage

See Hypertext.

Hypertext

Hypertext - digital signage

Is a system that links graphics, music, software, and text to each other in a non-linear manner. Hypertext is also known as Hypermedia.

HyperText Markup Language

HyperText Markup Language - digital signage

See HTML.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Hypertext Transfer Protocol - digital signage

See HTTP.

Information Technology

Information Technology - digital signage

See IT.

Internet

Internet - digital signage

The wide collection of connected networks that use the TCP/IP set of protocols. The internet enables remote management of digital signage applications, displays, and content.

Internet Protocol Address

Internet Protocol Address - digital signage

See IP Address.

Internet Service Provider

Internet Service Provider - digital signage

See ISP.

Intranet

Intranet - digital signage

An intranet is a private network inside an organization or company. An intranet is generally intended for internal use. Some digital signage installations are set up on intranets so that each display can gather content, and be administered from a central group of servers. An intranet is not generally accessible from outside the network.

IP

IP - digital signage

See IP Address.

IP Address

IP Address - digital signage

Standing for Internet Protocol, An IP address is a set of numbers that uniquely identifies a node on an internet or intranet. An IP address has four blocks of numbers separated by decimal points. Each block of numbers can have from one to three digits. Ie. 24.222.2.12

ISP

ISP - digital signage

Standing for Internet Service Provider, and ISP is a company or organization that provides you with a connection to the internet. This is usually done through a dial-up or broadband connection. Utility companies, such as telephone companies and cable companies are usually ISPs.

IT

IT - digital signage

Standing for Information Technology, IT is the development, installation, implementation, and maintenence of computer systems and applications. This is a very broad term, and has many thousands of definitions depending on the context.

Joint Photographic Experts Group

Joint Photographic Experts Group - digital signage

See JPEG.

JPEG

JPEG - digital signage

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, and is the most commonly used image file format for displaying photographic images. Most digital cameras on the market today use this format for storing images.

KB

KB - digital signage

KB stands for kilobyte. A kilobyte is comprised of 1024 bytes.

Kilobyte

Kilobyte - digital signage

See KB.

Log File

Log File - digital signage

A file that records the activity of a piece of software or hardware. Commonly used in troubleshooting, or investigating security threats.

MB

MB - digital signage

See megabyte.

Megabyte

Megabyte - digital signage

A megabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to 1024 kilobytes. It is commonly abbreviated MB. Mb (with a lowercase b) is used for megabits.

Modem

Modem - digital signage

A device used to connect to a computer and to the internet via either a phone line or a cable line.

Motion Picture Experts Group

Motion Picture Experts Group - digital signage

See MPEG

MOV

MOV - digital signage

.mov is a file-type extension for digital video files created in Apple QuickTime format. These are generally played back on exclusively Apple's QuickTime media player.

Movieclip

Movieclip - digital signage

A digital video segment in an ActiveMovie supported format, such as QuickTime, AVI , or MPEG, that has been loaded as a clip. Movieclips are similar to animclips except that they can also have sound associated with them. Movieclips generally cannot have their frame rate or color palettes adjusted.

MPEG

MPEG - digital signage

A standard, short for "Motion Picture Experts Group", that is used for the compression of digital video and audio sequences. There are various versions of MPEG compression, including MPEG2, MPEG3, and MPEG4.

MPEG-2

MPEG-2 - digital signage

See MPEG2.

MPEG-4

MPEG-4 - digital signage

See MPEG4.

MPEG2

MPEG2 - digital signage

A variant of the MPEG video and audio compression algorithm and file format, MPEG2 fiels are optimized for broadcast quality video. MPEG2 was designed to transmit images using progressive coding at 4 Mbps or higher for use in broadcast digital TV and DVD.

MPEG4

MPEG4 - digital signage

MPEG4 extends the earlier MPEG and MPEG2 algorithms with synthesis of speech and video, fractal compression, computer visualization, and artificial intelligence-based image processing techniques. DivX files often use MPEG4 technology.

National Television Standards Committee

National Television Standards Committee - digital signage

See NTSC.

Network

Network - digital signage

Two or more computers connected to each other. Networking is used extensively in digital signage solutions to share application files, content, and metadata. Additionally, most digital signage solutions offer remote administration, a feature made possible by networks.

NTSC

NTSC - digital signage

NTSC is short for National Television Standards Committee. The committee is the body defining the television video signal format used in North America. The United Kingdom equivalent is PAL.

PAL

PAL - digital signage

Standing for Phase Alternating Line, PAL is the color video and broadcasting standard used mainly in western Europe and South America. NTSC is the North American equivalent.

PDF

PDF - digital signage

Stands for "Portable Document Format" which is a file type developed by Adobe Systems. PDF has the ability to capture style and formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications, making it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they were intended. PDF files can be made read-only before distribution, so that others can not edit them. These files are viewed and manipulated with Acrobat software created by adobe.

Permissions

Permissions - digital signage

Security attributes that are associated with a folder, file, or group of files to restrict the types of access users have to it.

Phase Alternating Line

Phase Alternating Line - digital signage

See PAL.

Plug-In

Plug-In - digital signage

A plug-in is a software extension that enables added capabilities and features. Plug-ins are usually available from software developer's web sites.

PNG

PNG - digital signage

An extensible file format for the lossless, portable, well-compressed storage of raster images. PNG provides a patent-free replacement for GIF files and can also replace many common uses of TIFF files.

Portable Document Format

Portable Document Format - digital signage

See PDF.

Reboot

Reboot - digital signage

reboot means restarting a computer, server, or application. It can mean having to power off, then power back on, or simply hitting the restart button. Some applications and systems require waiting a few seconds between the turning off, and the powering back on. This helps to ensure that the memory has been completely cleared out. See boot.

Secure Socket Layer

Secure Socket Layer - digital signage

See SSL.

Simple Mail Transport Protocol

Simple Mail Transport Protocol - digital signage

See SMTP.

SMDS

SMDS - digital signage

SMDS stands for Switch Multi megabit Data Service, and is the new standard for ultra high-speed data transfer.

SMTP

SMTP - digital signage

SMTP, which stands for Simple Mail Transport Protocol, is the main protocol used to send electronic mail over the Internet.

SQL

SQL - digital signage

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is a special programming language used for sending queries and commands to a database.

SSL

SSL - digital signage

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, and is a protocol designed by netscape that enables encrypted communication over the Internet.

Streaming

Streaming - digital signage

See streaming media.

Streaming Media

Streaming Media - digital signage

Media that can be viewed even when the complete file has not been transferred to the client machine. Not all media formats can be streamed. This type of technology is clearly beneficial in digital signage solutions.

Structured Query Language

Structured Query Language - digital signage

See SQL.

Switch Multi megabit Data Service

Switch Multi megabit Data Service - digital signage

See SMDS.

Transition

Transition - digital signage

Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another. This term is used in various contexts. Data can be transitioned from one location to another, or a video clip can be transitioned smoothly in to the next.

WAN

WAN - digital signage

Standing for wide area network, A WAN is a communications network that utilizes traditional data transmission mediums such as telephone lines, cable lines, satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a LAN.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi - digital signage

Standing for Wireless Fidelity, wi-Fi is a local area network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet. (This range is constantly being pushed larger as technology in this area progresses.) Wi-Fi uses ethernet protocol, and is often used in digital signage displays that are tough to wire because of location.

Wide Area Network

Wide Area Network - digital signage

See WAN.

XML

XML - digital signage

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is a meta-language written in SGML that allows one to design a markup language of their own. It is used to allow for the easy interchange of data over the internet. (As opposed to the interchange of both data and style information which characterizes languages like HTML.)

The digital signage terms glossary is aimed to help you understand the technology behind the digital signage marketing revolution. You can also suggest a digital signage term here.

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