Pt un inceput:lexicon


A/B Switch:
A switch that selects one of two inputs (A or B) for routing to a common output while providing adequate isolating between the two signals.

Access Control System - ACS:
Access Control System/s, comprising all conditional access components such as S/1, IDAC, ISAC, minicons, etc...

ACS number:
This is the version number of the cards software.
There are several different software versions: 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 en 3.82, 3.83.
Versions 1.4 and 1.6 are almost identical.

Adaptation Header:
A block of data that forms an extension to a transport packet header. It may be of fixed format and/or of general data

Adjacent Channel:
An adjacent channel is immediately next to another channel in frequency. For example, PAL channels 5 and 6 as well as 8 and 9 are adjacent.

Alignment:
The process of fine tuning a dish or an electronic circuit to maximize its sensitivity and signal receiving capability.

Alphacrypt:
The Irdeto successor, decodes both Irdeto and Betacrypt.

AM:
An abbreviation for amplitude modulation.

Analog:
A system in which signals vary continuously in contrast to a digital system in which signals vary in discrete steps.

Analogue-to-Digital Converter:
A circuit that converts analogue signals to an equivalent digital form. The varying analogue signal is sampled at a series of points in time. The voltage at each of these points is then represented by a series of numbers, the digital value of the sample. The higher this sampling frequency, the finer are the gradations and the more accurately is the signal represented

Antenna:
A device that collects and focuses electromagnetic energy, i.e., contributes an energy gain. Satellite dishes, broadband antenna and cut-to-channel antennas are some types of antennas encountered. In the case of satellite dishes, gain is proportional to the surface area of the microwave reflector.

Antenna Efficiency:
The percentage of incoming satellite signal actually captured by an antenna system.

Aperture:
The collection area of a parabolic dish.

Aperture Blocking:
An obstruction such as the feed assembly which causes a blocking of the incoming signal.

Asciiserial:
The number that identifies the card. It is also printed on the card in bar-code.
Although it is accessible by software, to my knowledge it is never really used.
It only serves identification purposes.

Aspect Ratio:
The ratio of television screen width to height. The standard aspect ratio is 4 to 3.

Aston Seca:
Although the real name for the coding system is Mediaguard, it is often referred to as Seca or Aston Seca. Mediaguard is developed by Seca, so the also used name Seca Mediaguard is more suitable. Aston is a company that builds the CAM's (among others) that are used to decode the Mediaguard system.
The Seca Mediaguard coding is used by the Canal + organization which is no wonder. Canal + is shareholder in the Seca organization and it also takes part in the development of the Mediaguard coding system. Because of the influence of Canal +, the Seca Mediaguard system is very popular in France.

Attenuation:
The decrease in signal power that occurs in a device or when a signal travels to reach a destination point (path loss).

Attenuator:
A passive device which reduces the power of a signal. Attenuators are rated according to the amount of signal attenuation.

ATR:
Answer To Reset, or ATR for short, is the string a smart card sends to the receiver upon every reset. The ATR of each smart card conforms to the ISO7816-3 specifications. The ATR contains information about the card, for instance information on how the receiver should communicate with the card: Voltage, Amp, Baudrate, Synchronous or Asynchronous communication etc.

Audio Subcarrier:
The carrier wave that transmits audio information within a video broadcast signal. Satellite transmissions can relay more than a single audio subcarrier in the frequency range between 5 and 8.5 MHz.

Auto Update:
The auto update (AU) technique makes sure the card is kept up to date in order to provide the correct keys to the CAM when requested. Providers will regularly change their operational keys and unless you have a valid set of management keys, you will soon be left with a black screen. For different coding systems, the actual keys that are used for decoding, have different names. For instance, in Irdeto they are called Plainkeys and for Seca they are called Operational Keys.

Automatic Brightness Control:
A television circuit used to automatically adjust picture tube brightness in response to changes in background or ambient light.

Automatic Fine Tuning:
A circuit that automatically maintains the correct tuner oscillator frequency and compensates for drift and for moderate amounts of inaccurate tuning. Similar to AFC.

Automatic Frequency Control - AFC:
A circuit that locks an electronic component to a chosen frequency, so that the the tuning will not drift from that chosen frequency.

Automatic Gain Control - AGC:
A circuit that uses feedback to maintain the output of an electronic component at a constant level. This is achieved by locking the gain onto a fixed value and thus compensating for varying input signal levels keeping the output constant.

Azimuth-Elevation (Az-El) Mount:
A dish mount that tracks satellites by moving in two directions: the azimuth in the horizontal plane and elevation up from the horizon.

Azimuth:
A compass bearing expressed in degrees of rotation clockwise from true north. It is one of the two coordinates, azimuth and elevation, used to align a satellite dish.

Band:
A range of frequencies.

Band Separator:
A device that splits a group of specified frequencies into two or more bands. Common types include UHF/VHF, Hi/Lo-band and FM separators. This device is essentially a set of filters.

Bandpass Filter:
A circuit or device that allows only a specified range of frequencies to pass from input to output.

Bandwidth:
The frequency range allocated to any communication circuit.

Baseband:
The raw audio and video signals prior to modulation and broadcasting. Most satellite headend equipment utilizes baseband inputs. More exactly, the composite unclamped, non-de-emphasized and unfiltered receiver output. This signal contains the complete set of FM modulated audio and data subcarriers

Beamwidth:
A measure used to describe the width of vision of a dish. Beamwidth is measured as degrees between the 3 dB half power points

Betacrypt:
A coding system very similar to Irdeto and used by the German provider Premiere World.

Bit Error Rate - BER:
The number of errors in a data stream usually expressed a ratio to the total number of bits in which an error occurs. For example, 1 in 10 7 or 10 -7

Bits per Second - BPS:
The number of bits transmitted each second

Blanking Pulse Level:
The reference level for video signals. The blanking pulses must be aligned at the input to the picture tube.

Blanking Signal:
Pulses used to extinguish the scan illumination during horizontal and vertical retrace periods.

Block Downconversion:
The process of lowering the entire band of frequencies in one step to some intermediate range to be processed inside a satellite receiver. Multiple block downconversion receivers are capable of independently selecting channels because each can process the entire block of signals.

Blocker:
Every now and then, some providers will send signals that will effect pirate cards only. The intention of these signals is to disable pirate cards. In order to make sure these unwanted signals don't reach and disable your original card, you can use a blocker. There are 2 ways to block signals: software- and hardware blockers.

Bootloader:
A bootloader is the first program, executed whenever you turn your receiver on. The bootloader will ensure that the receivers operating system is started. The operating system of a satellite receiver is usually called the firmware.

Bouquet:
A group of services offered. The operator may also market a bouquet as a product such as `The Basic Bouquet.'

Broadband:
A device that processes a signal(s) spanning a relatively broad range of input frequencies

C-Band:
The 3.625 to 4.2 GHz band of frequencies at which some broadcast satellites operate.

Card doubler:
A device that enables you to use 2 cards in 1 CAM simultaneously.

Card group:
A card group is just another name for provider group.

Carrier:
A pure-frequency signal that is modulated to carry information. In the process of modulation it is spread out over a wider band. The carrier frequency is the center frequency on any television channel.

Carrier-to-Noise Ratio - C/N:
The ratio of the received carrier power to the noise power in a given bandwidth, expressed in decibels. The C/N is an indicator of how well an receive system will perform in a particular location, and is calculated from satellite power levels, dish gain and the system noise temperature.

Cassegrain Feed System:
A dish feed design that includes a primary reflector, the dish, and a secondary reflector which redirects microwaves via a waveguide to a low noise amplifier.

CB20 selection:
A smart card can be addressed and modified in 3 ways:
1. By using the hex serial, individual cards can be addressed
2. Through the card group number, all 256 cards in that group can be addressed simultaneously
3. Within a card group a selection of individual cards can be addressed by means of a CB20 selection (max. 256 cards)

CCD:
Charge coupled device. In this device charge is stored on a capacitor which are etched onto a chip. A number of samples can be simultaneously stored. Used in MAC transmissions for temporarily storing video signals.

Channel:
A segment of bandwidth used for one complete communication link.

Channel ID:
Is used to select a channel.
The correct combination of key and channel ID will activate the key.

Characteristic Impedance:
The impedance in ohms of a device in the path of a communication signal such as a cable, a connector or the input of an amplifier.

Chrominance:
The hue and saturation of a color. The chrominance signal is modulated onto a 4.43 MHz carrier in the PAL television system and a 3.58 MHz carrier in the NTSC television system.

Chrominance Signal:
The color component of the composite baseband video signal assembled from the I and Q portions. Phase angle of the signal represents hue and amplitude represents color saturation.

Circular Polarity:
Electromagnetic waves whose electric field uniformly rotates along the signal path. Broadcasts used by Intelsat and other international satellites use circular, not horizontally or vertically polarized waves as are common in North American and European transmissions

Clamp Circuit:
A circuit that removes the dispersion waveform from the downlink signal.

Clamped Outputs:
Satellite receiver outputs that have the energy dispersal waveform removed. Unclamped outputs are often required as input to a decoder.

Clarke Belt:
The circular orbital belt at 35 786 kilometers above the equator, named after the writer Arthur C. Clarke, in which satellites travel at the same speed as the earth's rotation. Also called the geostationary orbit.

Coaxial Cable:
A cable for transmitting high frequency electrical signals with low loss. It is composed of an internal conducting wire surrounded by an insulating dielectric which is further protected by a metal shield. The impedance of coax is a product of the radius of the central conductor, the radius of the shield and the dielectric constant of the insulation. In most satellite and SMATV systems, coax impedance is 75 ohms.

Color Sync Burst:
A burst of 8 to 11 cycles in the 4.43361875 MHz (PAL) or 3.579545 MHz ( NTSC) color subcarrier frequency. This waveform is located on the back porch of each horizontal blanking pulse during color transmissions. It serves to synchronize the color subcarrier's oscillator with that of the transmitter in order to recreate the raw color signals.

Common Interface:
Common Interface (CI) is a PCMCIA slot in the satellite receiver in which CAM'scan be put. All multicryptreceivers use Common Interfaces.

Common Scrambling Algorithm :
This is the coding algorithm as specified by DVB. The CSA was designed to make transmitted signals safe from hackers. For the provider the real advantage is that CSA is universal to several types of CAM's. This means that a provider who for instance broadcasts in both Seca and Viaccess, can send EMM'sand ECM's with the transmission, but each CAM will only react to the commands which are meant for that CAM. All other commands are ignored.

Composite Baseband Signal:
The complete audio and video signal without a carrier wave. Satellite signals have audio baseband information ranging in frequency from zero to 3400 Hertz. NTSC video baseband is from zero to 4.2 MHz.
PALvideo basebandranges from 0 to 5.5 MHz.

Composite Video Signal:
The complete video signal consisting of the chrominance and luminance information as well as all sync and blanking pulses.

Companding:
A form of noise reduction using compression at the transmitting end and expansion at the receiver. A compressor is an amplifier that increases its gain for lower power signals. The effect is to boost these components into a form having a smaller dynamic range. A compressed signal has a higher average level, and therefore, less apparent loudness than an uncompressed signal, even though the peaks are no higher in level. An expander reverses the effect of the compressor to restore the original signal.

Compressor:
A unit that accepts uncompressed video, audio and data and then digitizes and compresses these signals

Compression System:
A collection of compressors, multiplexers and modulators that generate one multiplex signal

Conax:
A coding system which is used a lot in the Scandinavian countries.

Conditional Access:
Conditional Access (CA) is a technology, used for coding and authorizing in DVBsystems. The control mechanism is used to limit access by decoders to only the subscribed or free services on a multiplex.
A Conditional Access System (CAS) contains a few basic elements: SMSand SAS.

Conditional Access Module (CAM):
A Conditional Access Module (CAM) is the module into which the CA system is built in. CAM's can be found as separatemodules to put into the CIof your receiver, but they are also sometimes built fix into the receiver. In that case they are called embedded CAM.
The CAM contains all software, needed to decode a certain scrambling system and also the necessary software to enable it to communicate with your smart card.

Conditional Access Table (CAT):
Conditional Access Table. A table that relates entitlement management message ( EMM) data streams to the conditional access ( CA) vendor(s) managing the decoder base.

Control Word:
A Control Word (CW) is a data package containing the coded key for the coding algorithm of your smart card.

Countrycode (COCO):
A 3 digit code, used to inform the CAM/receiver which group of channels should be validated.

Crd's:
You can regard Crd files as a kind of macro files. They contain command strings, used to update your smart card.

Cross Modulation:
A form of interference caused by the modulation of one carrier affecting that of another signal. It can be caused by overloading an amplifier as well as by signal imbalances at the headend.

Cross Polarization:
Term to describe signals of the opposite polarity to another being transmitted and received. Cross-polarization discrimination refers to the ability of a feed to detect one polarity and reject the signals having the opposite sense of polarity

Crosstalk:
Interference between adjacent channels often caused by cross modulation. Leakage can occur between two wires, PCB tracks or parallel cables.

Cryptedkey (Key) & Plainkey:
These are respectively a coded and a uncoded form of the same key.
To make things even more complicated than they already are, the cryptedkey is often simply referred to as key.
The cryptedkey contains a combination of the date, that key was sent, the plainkey and the Plainmasterkey, all coded into 1 key. The cryptedkey is sent to the card on a regular basis. It validates the subscription of the user, therewith enabling the user to view certain channels. The cryptedkey ensures correct decoding of a validated channel. The plainkey is the uncoded version of the cryptedkey.

Crypto Works:
A relative newcomer among the coding systems is Crypto Works. This system is developed by the Dutch based Philips.

Customer Word Pointer:
The 4th byte in the PPUAstring is called the CWP (or Customer Word Pointer). It is used to address individual cards. The CWP is used only in MOSC cards.

Date:
The date on a card is used by the provider to activate or deactivate channels.

De-emphasis:
A reduction of the higher frequency portions of an FM signal used to neutralize the effects of pre-emphasis. When combined with the correct level of pre-emphasis, it reduces overall noise levels and therefore increases the output S/N ratio

Declination Offset Angle:
The adjustment angle of a polar mount between the polar axis and the plane of a satellite antenna used to aim at the geosynchronous arc. Declination increases from zero with latitude away from the equator.

Decoder:
A circuit that restores a signal to its original form after it has been scrambled.

Decoder Management:
A sub-system on the BS, managing all decoder/smartcard related information such as function testing, keysafing information, etc...

Decoding Time Stamp - TS:
A 90 kHz referenced time stamp indicating when the contents of a packetized elementary stream (PES) packet should be decoded

Demodulator:
A device which extracts the baseband signal from the transmitted carrier wave.

Digital:
Describes a system or device in which information is transferred by electrical [on-off], [high-low], or [1/0] pulses instead of continuously varying signals or states as in an analog message.

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS):
A term commonly used to describe Ku-band broadcasts via satellite directly to individual end-users. The DBS band ranges from 11.7 to 12.75 GHz.

Direct programming lines:
If the eeprom on a card is directly connected to the cards contacts, then the eeprom can be programmed independently from the processor. When this is the case, those direct connections are called the direct programming lines. You will find DPL on SMD or HMD cards only. Goldwafers don't utilize DPL and will therefor always need a loader file in the processor chip in order to program the eeprom on the card.

Downconverter:
A circuit that lowers the high frequency signal to a lower, intermediate range. There are three distinct types of downconversion used in satellite receivers: single downconversion; dual downconversion; and block downconversion.

Downlink Antenna:
The antenna on-board a satellite which relays signals back to earth.

DPSC:
DPSC is short for Digital Pirate SatelliteCard. These cards are sold with working keys. Prices can be up to several hundreds of Euros for multi provider cards. Usually these cards contain a sort of timing routine which ensures that the cards are disabled after a certain period of use. But these cards will also be closed by provider attacks through the use of ECM's.

Drifting:
An instability in a preset voltage, frequency or other electronic circuit parameter.

DTH:
Direct-To-Home satellite broadcasts.

Dual-Band Feed:
A feed which can simultaneously receive two different bands, typically the C and Ku-bands.

DVB:
DVB is short for Digital Video Broadcasting, or digital satellite TV.

DVB Bouquet:
The DVB SI tables includes a Bouquet Association Table (the BAT). The DVB definition for a "bouquet" is "a group of services logically grouped together". The intention of the DVB Bouquet is usually to group services that are managed by one entity together. "DVB" is added before the name to distinguish it from the "SMS" bouquet.