Appendix 1: Glossary

A-C

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A technology upgrade to a local telco exchange which converts a normal copper wire phone line to a broadband connection for domestic receivers. Asymmetric refers to there being a higher bandwidth available for incoming signals than outgoing.

Airport

Apple s wireless technology which allows multiple computers to be networked together over short distances using radio frequencies (RF).

Algorithm

A complex mathematical formula which defines a sequence of steps or computations. In this context, any formula which compresses digitized sound data.

AM

Amplitude Modulation: the first of the two technologies for transmitting analogue sound on radio waves.

Analogue

Applied to radio, as opposed to digital. Adjective describing the carriage of sound in the form of continuously varying electrical current and/or continuously varying electromagnetic signals.

Archive

In streaming terminology this is interchangeable with on demand . However, it should not be confused with archive in the sense of keeping a permanent audio record, e.g. on CD.

Archiving

Storing encoded audio on a server ready for streaming on demand.

ASF

Microsoft Windows proprietary streaming file format for Media Player, Active Streaming Format.

Audion

A software product developed by Panic for storing, sending or receiving MP3 streams on a Macintosh computer.

Bandwidth

The capacity of an Internet (i.e. phone) connection. Measured in bits per second, or the SI multiples: kilobits (thousands), megabits (millions) or gigabits (thousand millions).

Bit

The smallest unit of binary computer code: a one or a zero. In electronic terms, a command to switch...