Headend: The control centre of a cable television system, where incoming signals are amplified, converted, processed and combined into a common cable for transmission to subscribers. The system usually includes antennas, preamplifiers, frequency converters, demodulators, modulators, processors and other related equipment.
HDTV: High Definition Television. The high definition format uses an increased number of lines and a greater amount of bandwidth when compared to standard definition television. It generally refers to a transmission with at least twice the vertical and horizontal picture resolution. This creates a sharper picture suitable display on the popular plasma and LCD screens that are now available.
720p: One of the two common HDTV formats formats that are used in Europe. 720p refers to a picture resolution of 1,280 horizontal pixels by 720 vertical pixels. The p stands for progressive scan. Progressive scanning offers a smoother picture then the interlaced images on standard definition PAL TVs.
1080i:One of the two HDTV formats that are commonly used in Europe. The resolution of the picture is 1,920 horizontal pixels by 1,080 vertical pixels and the i stands for interlaced scanning. Interlaced scanning is based on the principle that the screen shows odd lines at each scan of the screen.
HD Ready: The HD Ready specification for high definition display screens is set out by the TV manufacturers association EICTA. The equivalent badge for set-top boxes is simply HDTV.
HDCP (High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection): A copy protection scheme used for many HDTV transmissions to ensure that content cannot be copied orshared illegally. HDCP is typically used by premium TV channels.
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface: HDMI is a digital video standard using both a specific lead and socket that can transmit both uncompressed HD digital audio and video signals. Screens require a HDMI connector with HDCP, high bandwidth digital content protection. Some HDTVs are capable of displaying HD content through the lesser specified DVI.
HFC (Hybrid Fibre-Coax): A communications network, typically a cable-TV network, that uses a combination of optical fibres and coaxial cables. The fibre provides the high-speed backbone and the coaxial cables are used to connect end users over the last mile to the backbone.
Homes Passed: The number of homes in which a cable television service is or can be made available by adding a drop to an already existing feeder line.