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A

ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act.

AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers with artificial intelligence are designed for include: Speech recognition.

AIA
American Institute of Architects. It is the branch of computer sciences that emphasizes the development of intelligence machines, thinking and working like humans. For example, speech recognition, problem-solving, learning and planning.

APEX
Audiovisual Provider of Excellence; AVIXA program that honors member companies that achieve certain levels of employee certification and training.

AR
Augmented Reality. It is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

AV
Audio-Visual.

AVB
Audio Video Bridging.

AVIXA
Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, producer of InfoComm trade shows around the world, co-owner of Integrated Systems Europe and the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry.

AVoIP
Short for AV over IP, or the transfer of audio visual data over an client’s IP network.

B

BICSI
Building Industry Consulting Service International; deals with information technology and communication systems education.

BIM
Building Information Modeling.

BLC
Business and Leadership Conference; provides integration firm leaders with business insight, camaraderie, and innovation to help them improve sales and leadership skills.

BYOD
Bring your own device; a trend in corporate meeting spaces where customers are demanding the capability to join a meeting using only the tech they bring to it, such as a smartphone or laptop.

C

CCTV
Closed Circuit Television.

CEDIA
Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association.

Cloud
The cloud is a term referring to accessing computer, information technology (IT), and software applications through a network connection, often by accessing data centers using wide area networking (WAN) or Internet connectivity.

Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. The term is generally used to describe data centers available to many users over the Internet. Large clouds, predominant today, often have functions distributed over multiple locations from central servers. If the connection to the user is relatively close, it may be designated an edge server.

Clouds may be limited to a single organization (enterprise clouds), be available to many organizations (public cloud), or a combination of both (hybrid cloud).

Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale.

Cloud management system
A server-side software platform that provides the complete infrastructure for organizations that want to offer public or private cloud computing services to customers. It includes the operating system, which is typically a version of Linux, the virtual machine monitor (VMM) along with software for clustering, load balancing, establishing and migrating virtual machines (VMs), backing up virtual machines and other related functions. A cloud operating system also provides the necessary administrative interfaces that let users set up and manage their systems.

Cloud platform
(1) The hardware and operating environment of a server in an Internet-based datacenter. The system software components (OS, virtual machine monitor, etc.) are called the “cloud stack”.
(2) The software infrastructure for a cloud computing service, which includes applications that let users create and manage their own accounts.

CompTIA
Computing Technology Industry Association; association of over 8,000 companies providing IT certifications.

CTA
Consumer Tech Association; producers of CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

CTS, CTS-D, CTS-I
Certified Technology Specialist; AVIXA’s pro AV certification program (D for design; I for installation).

B

DSCE, DSDE, DSNE, DCME, DSSP
The certifications for the digital signage industry as adopted by the DSE, DSF, and ISA. They stand for:
• Digital Signage Certified Expert ( DSCE) the fundamentals course
• Digital Signage Display Expert (DSDE) on displays
• Digital Signage Network Expert (DSNE) on networks
• Digital Content and Media Ex[pert (DCME) on content and media
• Digital Signage Sales Professional (DSSP)

DSE
Digital Signage Expo; world’s largest trade show dedicated to showcasing digital display and interactive technology solutions.

DSF
Digital Signage Federation; not-for-profit trade group representing the digital signage industry and founders of the DSE.

E

ESPA
Electronics Systems Professional Alliance.

F

FCC
Federal Communication Commission.

H

HDBaseT
High-Definition video, audio, power, home networking, Ethernet, USB, & control over category cable.

HDCP
High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection; a form of copy protection (scrambling of signals) that prevents copying of audio & video content as it travels across cables or connections.

HDMI
High-Definition Multimedia Interface; an uncompressed digital connector providing an interface between 8-channel digital audio and HDTV standards.

I

IOTA
Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis; a series of pro AV reports by AVIXA that look at particular regions and the global AV market.

Installation Phase
Installer will physically connect or install all the electronic equipment, for instance hang the TV on the wall, run the wires and install the in-ceiling speakers. A lot of AV companies are fully capable doing this.

Integration Phase
After all the electronic components are being installed, the Integrator will make sure all the electronic components will communicate and function properly based on your needs. The Integrator will try to set up the AV Receiver, Monitor, etc. calibrate the system, adjusting all the setting, programming the control system and more. This is the most complex procedure and the most important phase that can’t be skipped. Not all AV companies understand and capable doing the Integration phase.

ISE
Integrated Systems Europe; the largest pro AV trade show in the world. Moving from Amsterdam to Barcelona in 2021 to accommodate growth.

L

LED
Light-Emitting Diode; a material that emits light when electricity passes through it.

M

MOAR
Market Opportunity Analysis Report; AVIXA reports focused on AV opportunities in particular vertical markets.

N

NSCA
National Systems Contractors Association; not-for-profit association representing the commercial electronic systems industry and founder of such programs as IGNITE, Pivot to Profit, etc. Its annual Business & Leadership Conference gathers integration professionals for strategic presentations and networking.

O

OFE
Owner-Furnished Equipment.

P

PSA
Physical Security Association.

PSIM
Physical Security Information Management.

PSNI
Professional Systems Network International; alliance of integrators, manufacturers, and distributors around the world and dedicated to creating industry standards.

R

RFP
Request for proposals.

RMR
Recurring monthly revenue.

ROI
Return on investments.

S

SaaS
Software as a Service.

SDVoE
Software-defined video over ethernet; this refers to an AVoIP protocol that utilizes off-the-shelf ethernet switches.

SIA
Security Industry Association; trade organization for security professionals.

U

Unified Communications (UC)
UC is the business and marketing concept of integrating enterprise communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, voice (including IP telephone), mobility features (including extension mobility and single number reach), audio, web & video conferencing, fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), desktop sharing, data sharing (including web connected electronic interactive whiteboards), call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax).

USAV Group
United States AV.

V

VAR
Value-Added Reseller.

VR
Virtual Reality. It is an interactive computer-generated experience taking place within a simulated environment.