Security Camera Terms and Definitions:

About This Glossary

What does this mean?  What does that stand for?  Every subject has a language of its own.  Its understandable, and this page is dedicated to learning.  Plain and simple.  Camerasecurityreviews.com has compiled this document containing terms, phrases, or words related to the topic of home security cameras and security systems overall.  We hope this Home Security System Glossary is useful to you.  This page is a active work in progress so it is updated regularly.

 

Technical Definitions:

A
B
C
d
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

A
ATSC – ATSC stands for Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc.  It is an international, non-profit organization developing format standards for digital television.
B
Blue Iris – Blue Iris is professional software that interfaces with your security systems for access, control of cameras, settings, graphics, and more.
C
CCTV – Stands for “Closed Circuit Television”. Describes the method of operation for a centralized security system. In other words, all the devices are contained in a single systems without connections to the internet or outside world.
D
E
F
G

H
HD – Stands for “High Definition”. Found as an identifier for 480i,720P,720i,1080P,1080N,1080i and other pixel resolutions.
I
IP – Stands for “Internet Protocol”. Used to describe the technique used by cameras that function as its own web server over the internet.
J
K
L
M
N
NTSC – Stands for “National Television System Committee”. Created standard for broadcast TV in North America.
O
ONVIF – Stands for “Open Network Video Interface Forum”. It is an open forum whose sole purpose is to develop and agree on the standards and interface of all IP based video products.
P
P2P- Stands for “Peer 2 Peer”. This is a network where the devices are in direct communication with each other without having to go through a centralized hub or server.

PTZ- Stands for “Pan-Tilt-Zoom”. Describes a cameras automated movements controllable by the user.
Q
R
S
T
U
UHD – This stands for “Ultra High Definition”. Used as an identifier for 2K, 4K and 8K picture resolutions.
V
W
X
Y
Z