Glossary
TV Industry Glossary
Definitions of the technical terms, acronyms and industry-specific language used across our website.
A
Android TV
Google's Smart TV operating system built on AOSP. OBS provides middleware integration, TV Input Service development and CTS/GTS certification support for Android TV and Google TV platforms.
AOSP
Android Open Source Project — the open-source foundation of Android TV and Google TV. OBS builds TV middleware and browser solutions on AOSP, including the first shared-source TV Input Service for Android.
ATSC
Advanced Television Systems Committee — the body responsible for broadcast TV standards in North America. ATSC 1.0 covers the established digital TV standard, while ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) enables IP-based delivery, interactive services and advanced emergency alerting.
ATSC 3.0 / NextGen TV
The next-generation broadcast standard for North America, enabling IP-based content delivery, DASH streaming, advanced emergency alerts, targeted advertising and interactive services over broadcast spectrum.
Axia
OBS's automated HbbTV test harness. Axia supports the full HbbTV Test Suite including OpApp and Freely, with 59% fully automated and 32% semi-automated test execution. It generates conformance reports and integrates into CI/CD pipelines.
C
CAM
Conditional Access Module — a removable hardware module (typically a PCMCIA or USB device) that decrypts pay-TV content. CI+ CAMs enable operators to deliver encrypted services without proprietary set-top boxes.
Chromium
Google's open-source browser engine. OBS extends Chromium for Smart TV use cases including HbbTV, DRM integration and in-frame broadcast video playback. It forms the basis of ORB browser deployments on Android and Linux.
CI+
Common Interface Plus — an industry standard for conditional access on digital TV devices. CI+ 1.4 adds Enhanced Content Protection (ECP) for UHD/4K, while CI+ 2.0 supports USB-based CAMs. OBS provides CI+ middleware deployed in millions of devices.
CI/CD
Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment — automated software development pipelines that build, test and deploy code. Axia integrates into CI/CD workflows for continuous HbbTV validation.
Closed Captions
On-screen text overlays for accessibility, typically embedded in the broadcast stream. OBS's DVB middleware stack provides full closed caption support alongside DVB Subtitles and Teletext.
D
DASH
Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP — an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol used in ATSC 3.0 and IP-based TV delivery. Content is segmented and clients select quality levels based on available bandwidth.
DRM
Digital Rights Management — technology that controls access to copyrighted content. OBS integrates DRM systems including PlayReady and Widevine into TV middleware and browser solutions.
DSM-CC
Digital Storage Media - Command and Control — a protocol for delivering interactive applications and data over the broadcast stream (object carousel). Required for HbbTV broadcast app delivery.
DTVKit
An industry group established by OBS in 2013, providing royalty-free, shared-source DVB, CI+, HbbTV and MHEG middleware. Over 30 member companies and millions of deployed devices use DTVKit software.
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting — the family of broadcast standards used across Europe and many global markets. Includes DVB-T/T2 (terrestrial), DVB-S/S2 (satellite) and DVB-C (cable). OBS provides a comprehensive DVB middleware stack.
DVB-C
DVB Cable — the DVB standard for digital television over cable networks. Part of OBS's DVB middleware stack.
DVB-I
DVB Internet — the DVB standard for IP-based service discovery and delivery. Enables hybrid broadcast-broadband TV experiences. OBS provides DVB-I middleware and the DVB-I Inspector tool.
DVB-S / DVB-S2
DVB Satellite — the DVB standard for digital television via satellite. DVB-S2 is the second generation with improved efficiency. Supported in OBS's DVB middleware stack.
DVB-T / DVB-T2
DVB Terrestrial — the DVB standard for digital television over terrestrial (antenna) broadcast. DVB-T2 is the second generation offering higher capacity. Supported in OBS's DVB middleware stack.
E
ECP
Enhanced Content Protection — a CI+ 1.4 feature that enables secure delivery of UHD/4K content through CI+ CAMs. OBS's CI+ middleware supports ECP for premium content protection.
EPG
Electronic Programme Guide — the on-screen TV schedule that allows viewers to browse and select programmes. Part of the middleware layer in OBS's stack architecture.
F
Freely
A UK free-to-view connected TV platform built on HbbTV and OpApp. OBS provides HbbTV browser and middleware support for Freely-compatible devices, and Axia includes Freely test materials.
G
Google TV
Google's branded Smart TV experience layer built on Android TV / AOSP. OBS provides integration and certification services for Google TV devices.
H
HbbTV
Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV — a European standard for interactive TV applications delivered via broadcast and broadband. OBS provides HbbTV 2.0.4 browsers, OpApp support, an approved HbbTV Test Centre and the Axia test harness.
HEVC / H.265
High Efficiency Video Coding — a video compression standard offering roughly double the efficiency of H.264/AVC. Widely used for UHD/4K broadcast and streaming delivery.
I
ISDB
Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting — the broadcast standard used in Japan and South America. ISDB-T covers terrestrial broadcasting, while ISDB-Tb is the Brazilian variant. OBS provides ISDB middleware.
L
Linux
An open-source operating system widely used in set-top boxes and Smart TVs. OBS provides middleware, browser and platform integration for Linux-based TV devices.
Live TV
Real-time broadcast television delivered over terrestrial, satellite, cable or IP networks. Live TV middleware is a core OBS capability, handling tuning, channel scanning, playback and interactive services.
M
MHEG
Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group — an interactive TV standard historically used in the UK (e.g. BBC Red Button). DTVKit includes MHEG middleware components available on a shared-source basis.
Middleware
Software that sits between the hardware/OS platform and consumer-facing applications, providing broadcast and connected TV capabilities. OBS's middleware stack covers DVB, CI+, HbbTV, ATSC, ISDB and more.
N
NorDig
A Nordic industry group that defines requirements for digital TV receivers in Scandinavian markets. OBS's DVB stack supports NorDig specifications alongside UK and EU regional profiles.
O
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer — a company that manufactures TV hardware or devices. OBS works with OEMs to integrate middleware, browsers and platform software into their products.
OpApp
Operator Application — an HbbTV feature that allows pay-TV operators to deliver their UI and services through a standardised app framework, replacing the need for a dedicated set-top box. OBS provides full OpApp support in its HbbTV browser.
ORB
Open Red Button — the only mass-deployed open-source HbbTV browser, launched by OBS in 2021. ORB supports HbbTV 2.0.4 and OpApp, with turnkey Chromium solutions for Android and Linux and WebKit for RDK.
OTA
Over-the-Air — refers to both broadcast signal delivery and software updates delivered wirelessly to devices. OBS supports OTA update mechanisms in its platform integration work.
P
PlayReady
Microsoft's DRM technology for protecting premium video content. OBS integrates PlayReady into Chromium-based browsers and middleware for HbbTV and ATSC 3.0 deployments.
R
RDK
Reference Design Kit — an open-source software platform for set-top boxes and Smart TVs, managed by RDK Management. OBS provides RDK-V (video) platform development, WPE browser integration and middleware porting.
ROUTE
Real-time Object Delivery over Unidirectional Transport — the primary content delivery protocol in ATSC 3.0, enabling IP-based broadcast of DASH segments and signalling data.
S
SI / PSI
Service Information / Programme Specific Information — metadata tables in DVB broadcast streams that describe available channels, programmes and services. OBS's DVB stack includes full SI/PSI parsing.
Smart TV
A television with built-in internet connectivity and applications, combining broadcast TV with streaming and interactive services. OBS provides the software stack that powers Smart TV experiences.
SoC
System on Chip — an integrated circuit that combines CPU, GPU, memory controller and other components on a single chip. TV SoC vendors include Amlogic, Broadcom, MediaTek, Novatek and Realtek. OBS optimises middleware for leading SoCs.
STB / Set-Top Box
A device that connects to a television to receive and decode broadcast or streaming content. OBS provides middleware and platform software for operator-branded STBs on RDK, Android TV and Linux.
T
Teletext
A text-based information service embedded in broadcast signals, displaying news, weather and subtitles. Still supported in European DVB markets. OBS's DVB middleware includes Teletext rendering.
TIF
TV Input Framework — Android's architecture for integrating broadcast TV tuners and middleware into the Android TV platform. OBS developed the first shared-source TV Input Service for Android.
U
UHD / 4K
Ultra High Definition — a display resolution of 3840×2160 pixels, offering four times the detail of Full HD. CI+ 1.4 ECP enables secure delivery of UHD/4K premium content via CAMs.
W
WebKit
An open-source browser engine used in Safari and many embedded browsers. OBS provides WebKit-based HbbTV browser solutions for RDK platforms via the WPE (WebPlatform for Embedded) port.
Widevine
Google's DRM technology for protecting streaming video content. Widely used in Android TV and web-based streaming platforms. OBS integrates Widevine into browser and middleware solutions.
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