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F connector Terminates coaxial cable for insertion to appliance.

F coupler Enables two F connectors to be joined.

Fascia mount Used to mount an aerial to a soffit.

Flat panel display The general term that is used for LCD and plasma technologies.

FM Stereo analogue radio reception, alternative to DAB, but cannot receive all radio signals.

FM aerial Boosts FM radio reception.

Freesat A new non subscription digital satellite system from BBC & ITV, featuring over 80 digital channels and estimated 200 by 2009. Broadcast in HD with no subscription required. A service to distribute the Freeview TV package by satellite.

Freeview A service that provides digital television through an aerial. The service is 'free to air' which means that viewers do not need to subscribe to watch the broadcasts. Although most early viewers had to by a set top box to watch
Freeview, digital tuners are increasingly appearing in flat panel televisions.

Full HD Term used to describe a HD-ready TV that can accept 1080p signals, and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (this means it can show 1080i and 1080p pictures, without shrinking the picture).

Ghosting Repeat image(s) on analogue TV sets, caused by a reflected signal.

Grid aerial A TV aerial with 2 or more dipoles and a grid reflector.

Grouped aerial A TV aerial that will receive a segment of UHF (terrestrial TV) channels.

HDD Hard Disk Drive. Familiar to computer users, these devices are now appearing in PVRs and some DVD recorders as convenient and flexible way of recording TV programmes. The larger the hard-disk size the more recordings you can store so an 80Gb HDD will give you around 40 hours of recording time. Typically a PVR will give you 40 or 80 hours of recording time.

HD compatible HD-compatible TVs have a lower screen resolution than HD ready TVs but they do have the right sockets to connect to a HD source.

HD DVD A rival high definition DVD format developed by Toshiba. Although it has less capacity than the Sony Blu-Ray rival, HD-DVD players are generally cheaper.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) An uncompressed, all-digital connection for hooking up home cinema equipment. Similar to DVI but HDMI can carry video and audio.

HD ready 'HD ready' is a labelling scheme introduced by the TV manufacturers' organisation, the European Industry Association for Information Systems (EICTA). The label means the TV has the minimum screen resolution (at least 1280x720) and digital sockets (HDMI or DVI) to receive and display an HD picture.

High-definition television (HDTV) HDTV is a new system that transmits a TV signal with roughly twice the standard picture resolution as normal standard definition telly. Both Sky (satellite) and Virgin (cable) operate HDTV channels.
To watch you need a subscription to either one of these services and an 'HD ready' TV. However, not everything on the dedicated HD channels is actually recorded in HD. More programmes are being recorded in HD all the time but content can be a bit thin on the ground.

High-gain aerial Multi-element aerial that utilizes 32 elements, or more.

IDTV Integrated digital TVs have Freeview tuners built in so you can receive digital TV and radio channels free.

IRS Integrated Reception System: A system providing UHF, Sky and radio, wich also enables connection of individual Sky boxes.

LCD TV Type of flat panel where light shines on to liquid crystal cells on screen that let varying amounts of colour through to create a picture.

LNB - Quad This is a dish mounted device, which converts Sky signals to send the reception through to multiple (2 - 4) Sky boxes via the Coaxial (Aerial) cable.

LNB - Quattro This is a dish mounted device, which converts Sky signals to send the reception through to multiple switches.

LNB - Solo This is a dish mounted device, which converts Sky signals to send the reception through to a single Sky box via the Coaxial (Aerial) cable.

Loft mount Internal aerial mounting.

Magic eye Device which the Sky box can be controlled from another room.

MATV Master Aerial TV: a UHF (terrestrial TV) reception distribution system.

Multiplexer - MUX This is where groups of Freeview channels are broadcast on a single UHF channel. This is known as a multiplexer. A multiplex can also carry radio and interactive TV content.

Multi-region DVD players (or recorders) modified to play discs from around the world. Standard UK players are compatible with Region 2 (Europe) discs only.

Multi-switch One Sky dish receives the signal for multiple Sky boxes, usually used in apartment buildings & hotels.
Native resolution The number of pixels on a screen; width x height (see Aspect Ratio).

NICAM Digital stereo sound used for terrestrial TV broadcasts.

NTSC Analogue TV system used in the USA. UK video equipment and displays must be NTSC-compatible to use DVDs and video tapes from the US.

Outlet plate Mounted to the back box or Pattress, this plate is flush to the mount.

Optical output If you use surround sound, be careful. There are two types of connection, coaxial and optical. If you already have a surround sound system, make sure you buy a DVD recorder with the same connections.

PAL Analogue TV system used in Europe and parts of Asia.

Phono sockets Dedicated red and white sockets to allow you to connect your TV to a stereo amplifier - useful if its built-in speakers aren't that good.

Picture enhancement features Be wary of these digital effects, designed to make pictures sharper and movement smoother. Our tests show they sometimes degrade picture quality.

Picture in picture (PiP) Picture-in-picture displays a small image of another channel or DVD in the corner of the screen while you watch the main image.

Pixels Picture elements or tiny dots that make up the picture on a flat screen display.

Pixellating Caused by a defective signal which produces a mosaic or frozen image on the screen.

Plasma TV Type of flat panel where tiny gas cells emit ultraviolet light that strikes red, green and blue spots on screen to make a picture.

Polarity The UHF signal is transmitted on either horizontal or vertical polarities.

Pre-amplifier The signal booster is installed directly on the aerial, with a power supply unit which is required.

Progressive scan Offers smoother images by drawing a TV picture frame in one go. Interlaced scans draw frames twice as fast, but in two halves

PSU - Power Supply Unit This converts the mains voltage to 12v, and is used to energize the pre-amplifier via the downlead.

PVR  A Programmable Video Recorder is a digital television hard-disk recorder. You programme it using an on-screen display of TV listings which makes it much easier to use than a video recorder.