ASM, Any-Source Multicast
Any-source multicast is a form of multicast where multiple senders can be on the same group/channel, as opposed to source-specific multicast where a single source is specified.
Asset or Media Asset
This term is used by the industry to refer to Media Content which is owned or in care of a Content Service Provider. This term may be used interchangeably with the term “content”
AS or AD, Autonomous System or Administrative Domain
These terms are often synonymous. A network managed by a single entity or organization. An AS presents a clearly defined routing policy to the internet. An AS may be a Tier 1,2 or 3 ISP.
BIER, Bit Index Explicit Replication
An architecture for forwarding multicast traffic. Eschewing multicast forwarding trees, multicast packets are encapsulated into a header and forwarded based on that.
Client
Software that receives or accesses data from a remote service on another computer.
Client Device
Hardware Host of the Client software.
CDN, Content Delivery Network
A CDN is a network of edge servers, replicating a CSP’s media assets at Tier2 Internet Exchange points, and at some Tier 3 ISP sites. This lessens the burden on Tier1 ISPs.
CSP, Content Service Provider
A provider of Media typically to a subscriber customer base.
CF, Crest Factor
Crest factor is a term to describe the ratio of a peak value to an effective average value. In other words, crest factor indicates how extreme the peaks of demand are, in a plot of demand over time.
DMA, Digital Media Adapter
Another term for Set Top Box.
ES, Elementary stream(s)
Typically, the output of an audio or video encoder. Each ES contains only one kind of data (e.g. audio, video, or closed caption). An elementary stream is often referred to as “elementary”, “data”, “audio”, or “video” bitstreams or streams. The format of the elementary stream depends upon the codec or data carried in the stream.
Fat Tail distribution
The antithesis of “Long Tail” distribution, popularized by author Chris Anderson. The idea promoted that in the digital economy, niche products (media content) would find preference to generic, hit products.
FTTP, Fiber to the Premisis
Just that, Fiber physical connection to the household.
5G, 5G New Radio
5G NR is a new radio access technology, developed for the fifth generation mobile network. It is designed to be the global standard for the air interface of 5G networks.
IR, Ingress Replication
A mechanism to deliver IPv6 Multicast traffic across an intermediary unicast network. It’s colloquially been termed “Spray Multicast”.
Interdomain
Data flow control and interaction between Internet carriers.
IXP, or IX, Internet Exchange Point
A physical infrastructure through which ISPs and CDNs exchange Internet traffic between their networks (Autonomous Systems).
Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet.
IPv4, Internet Protocol v4
Internet Protocol version 4 is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP). It is the predominant networking protocol in use today.
IPv6, Internet Protocol v6
Internet Protocol version 6 is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP). IPv6 was developed to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion. IPv6 is intended to replace IPv4. IPv6 theoretically allowing 3.4×1038 addresses. The total number of possible IPv6 addresses is more than 7.9×1028 times as many as IPv4. IPv6 removes the requirement of clumsy Network Address Translation practices at premise locations. IPv6 provides other technical benefits. In particular, it permits the more streamlined multicast mechanisms, optimizing the delivery of such services.
It should be noted that while IPv4, has expanded to support specifications and resources to support the application of this invention across public internet domains. Still, very few networks comply in a uniform manner. The unavoidable ubiquity of IPv6 permits the practical deployment of this initiative.
IP Transit or Transit
The charge levied by a Tier2 or Tier3 ISP for either (not typically both) ingress or egress of IP content.
LAN, Local Area Network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, or a single site business.
Machine Learning
Machine learning is a means to achieve logical objective without using explicit instructions, relying on patterns and inference of predetermined rules. It is a subset of artificial intelligence. Machine learning algorithms build a mathematical model based on sample data, known as “training data”, in order to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to perform the task.
MC, or MC IP, Multicast, Multicast IP
In computer networking, multicast is group communication where data transmission is addressed to a group of destination computers simultaneously. Multicast can be one-to-many or many-to-many distribution.
NAS, Network Attached Storage
Network-attached storage is a file-level computer data storage server connected to a computer network providing data access to a heterogeneous group of clients. It is often manufactured as a computer appliance – a purpose-built specialized computer.
Operational Immediacy
The ability to control a device, at the whim of the user without material latency.
QoE, Quality of Experience
A subjective measure of the quality of subscriber experience. Might include service availability, video stalls, Operational latency, etc.
SVoD, VoD, Subscription-Video-On-Demand, Subscriber-Video-On-Demand, Video-On-Demand
Subscription-Video-on-Demand is an entertainment programming model where users pay a monthly fee in exchange for instant access to a streaming library consisting of movies, TV shows, and other media content. Companies like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have taken advantage of this new system of media consumption and used the technology to grow their brands into some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.
The demand for their services is only expected to increase from here, with worldwide digital video revenue expected to grow in the coming years and SVoD accounting for a larger percentage each year.
The number of SVoD users worldwide is expected to rise from around 283 million in 2018 to 568 million in 2022. This together with the demand for higher video resolutions is raising the burden on Network bandwidth and other internet connected infrastructures.
Video-on-demand is a form of video media distribution that allows users to consume content whenever they choose, instead of having to watch content at a scheduled broadcast time.
Unicast, Unicast IP
In computer networking, unicast refers to a one-to-one transmission from one point in the network to another point; that is, one sender and one receiver, each identified by a network address.
UHD, Ultra-High Definition
A 4K UHD display has 3840 pixels horizontally and 2160 pixels vertically for a total of 8.3 megapixels. An 8K UHD display has 7680 pixels horizontally and 4320 pixels vertically for a total of 33.2 megapixels. 4K UHD has four times as many pixels as conventional HDTV (high-definition television), and 8K UHDTV has 16 times as many pixels as conventional 1080p HDTV.
UDP, User Datagram Protocol
One of the core members of the Internet protocol suite. UDP uses a simple connection-less transmission model with a minimum of protocol mechanisms. It has no handshaking dialogues, and thus exposes the user’s data to any unreliability of the underlying network protocol. Damaged packets of data are never received; however, some packets could go missing. If transmission reliability is desired, it must be implemented at a higher layer of abstraction.
VM, VPC, Virtual Machine
A virtual machine is an emulation of a computer system. A computer emulated within a host computer.
WAG, Wild Ass Guess
Engineering nomenclature for an intuitive supposition.
WAN, Wide Area Network
A wide area network generally covers a large geographic distance, the Public Internet is the largest of all WANs.
Hybrid VoD 