So Many Acronyms, So Little Time

The tech world likes to speak in its own language. My theory is that it's filled with people who like to think that they are smarter than us, but deep down have an inferiority complex. So, they invent language to keep us common folk in the dark on things. A large part of tech-speak involves the use of acronyms. You know, those abbreviations which stand for words. I actually think that someone has invented an algorithm to simply invent new acronyms. Yet another job for ChatGPT.

One of the areas that is rife with acronyms is in the television and video world. The first TV acronym that I recall is CATV (Community Antenna Television). This oldie but goodie goes all the way back to 1948 when John Wilson from Mahanoy City PA stuck a big antenna on top of a local mountain and started feeding distant TV station signals to his neighbors. Of course, we've all grown up with network TV acronyms such as ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, but those stood for company names. An early video acronym that did not stand for a company was VCR (Video Cassette Recorder). You remember, the machines that flashed 12:00 at all hours of the day? VCR's begot LD (Laser Disc) which begot DVD (Digital Video Disc) which begot today's DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Those were the Dark Ages of video acronyms. As technology advanced and the "I know more than you" nerds had control, acronyms took a mighty leap forward. Today, there are so many acronyms in the Television, Cellular and Internet world, that it's hard to keep up with them. Here is just a sampling from each of the three categories. Most of them in this post come from television and streaming. I guess that's where most of the inferiority complexed people live. So, let's take a dive into the world of tech acronyms:

Television and Streaming - It seems like the video people REALLY like their acronyms:

• AVOD: Advertiser Video on Demand - An AVOD generally is a single channel that does not charge for its service and gets revenue from advertising. Examples of the literally hundreds of AVOD's are ABC News Now, The Johnny Carson Channel and The Cooking Channel. They are single free streaming channels where the viewer can watch either live or archived programming on that channel. While the lines are blurring between AVOD and FAST (see below), generally an AVOD is a single channel which the consumer controls.

• CTV: Connected Television - This stands for a television receiver that is either "smart", with built-in applications, or a TV which has a means of streaming video such as an Amazon Fire Stick, Chromecast or a Roku device.

• FAST: Free Advertising Supported TV Services - While FAST offers free channels as AVOD does, the difference is that a single FAST application delivers multiple programing options inside the FAST channel. Think of FAST like a cable or satellite provider which offers many free channels with a scrolling viewer guide. You don't pay for these channels since they are supported by advertising. Just some examples of the ever-growing FAST universe include Pluto, STIRR, freevee, and Roku Channel. In addition, many TV manufacturers have their own FAST services built into their newer models. Most FAST services offer over 100 "live" channels as well as on-demand programs. You won't necessarily get top-tier programming on a FAST service, but there are a lot of options and some of these services are starting to produce their own stuff.

• OTT: Over the Top - It's a means of delivering programming via the internet. The content provider is going "over the top" of the internet to your device.

• SVOD: Subscription Video on Demand - This is where the 900-pound guerillas live such as Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Max. You pay a monthly subscription fee and have access to a vast array of first-run and previously released movies and television shows. Most SVODs are now moving to a hybrid model where you can either pay and get no commercials, pay a bit less and get some commercials or in some cases, get it for free with even more commercials.

• TVOD: Transactional Video On Demand - These channels allow you to rent or own videos (remember Blockbuster?) over the internet. Examples of these channels are VUDU, Red Box and on-demand services offered by cable or satellite TV companies.

Had enough yet? Well, as the commercial says, "Wait, there's more." I won't dive too deeply into Cellular and Internet acronyms, but here are a few:

Cell Phone Acronyms - Some cellular acronyms that you might run across:

• MNO: Multiple Network Operator - MNOs are also called the "Big Three". They own their cell phone towers and other infrastructure. You know them as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. There used to be more MNOs. For example, The White Sox used to play at US Cellular Field. US Cellular is still an MNO in some areas of the country. In fact, you can find them as close as Rockford and Kenosha. They pulled out of the Chicago market several years ago and thus, Guaranteed Rate Field was born. Another former MNO was Sprint. When T-Mobile and Sprint merged, one of the of the requirements of their merger was that some Sprint assets needed to be sold and DISH (Digital Sky Highway) purchased them. DISH is now introducing the first new cellular network in the US in a long time, but it's not yet available in the Chicago area as I write this.

• MVNO: Mobile Virtual Network Operator - OK this is where it gets kind of complicated and totally ridiculous. MNOs are allowed to lease their infrastructure to any old company that they feel like leasing to. These companies negotiate a price and then go into business as a competitor to the very companies from whom they lease. There are currently over 100 MVNOs operating in the United States, but these companies come and go so often that it's hard to keep track of them. You've heard of many MVNOs like Mint Mobile (geared toward younger people and pitched by Ryan Reynolds) and Consumer Cellular (geared toward Boomers and pitched Ted Danson). In fact, some MVNOs are actually owned by an MNO. I told you it's ridiculous.

• SIM Subscriber Identity Module - You probably have heard of a SIM card. It's a small memory chip which contains unique information that identifies it to a specific mobile network. A SIM card allows you to use your mobile device to receive calls, send SMS (Short Message Service) text messages, or connect to mobile internet services.

By the way, I have written a separate blog post about the differences between MNOs and MVNOs, so I won't get into that here. It would take way too long. Suffice it to say, these acronyms are meant to confuse the consumers and they are doing a great job.

Internet Acronyms - I'll only give you a few examples of these and they are ones that you should know about since they address who provides your internet and how you measure your data and speed.

• ISP: Internet Service Provider - This one is pretty self-explanatory. It's the company that provides your internet service.

• MBps: Megabytes Per Second - Your device's speed is measured in Megabytes.

• GBps: Gigabytes Per Second - Your device's data use is measured in Gigabytes.

That's more than enough acronyms, but there's one more that I actually invented myself. Does that make me a techie with an inferiority complex? Probably only half of that is true.

• FOC: Fear of Change. - I have written a separate blog on FOC. It's a common affliction that affects people of a certain age who have a fear of technology changes. FOC can keep people from enjoying the good stuff that new technology has to offer. I've run into this affliction many times with my peers. The cure is to keep an open mind and to stay curious.