Technology / Television (TV) Glossary

Flow: Television's sequence of programs, commercials, news breaks, and so on. The overall flow of television is segmented into small parcels, which often bear little logical connection to one another.

Focal Length: The distance from the lens' optical center to its focal point, usually measured in millimeters. There are three conventional types of focal length: wide angle, normal, and telephoto.

Focal Plane: The plane within a film camera where the light strikes the film.

Focal Point: In a camera lens, that spot where the light rays, bent by the lens, converge before expanding again and striking the film or electronic pickup at the focal plane.

Focus: The adjustment of the camera lens so that the image is sharp and clear.

Focus Distance: The distance from the camera to the object being focused on.

Foley: A post-production process wherein sound effects are fabricated for a filmed/videotaped scene while the Foley artist watches a shot projected on a screen.

Footprint: An area of the earth that is able to receive a particular satellite’s signals. This depends on the satellite's beam.

Format: In film, refers to the film width itself and is measured in millimeters (e.g., super-8, 16mm and 35mm). In videotape, the combination of the width of the tape, measured in inches, (e.g., 1/2 . . . View Full Definition

Fragmentation (Audience): The increasing number of audience subdivisions which, together, constitute total TV usage. Television audiences are said to be fragmented, for example, across a broad spectrum of video sourc . . . View Full Definition

Frame (Of Video): A frame of video consists of two fields. Each second of NTSC video consists of 29.97 frames (usually rounded off to 30 frames a second). Each second of PAL video consists of 25 frames.

Framing: Determines what the viewer can and cannot see due to the manipulation of the camera frame (the edge of the image).

Frequency: The number of times per second that a signal fluctuates. The international unit for frequency is the hertz (Hz). One thousand hertz equals 1 khz (kilohertz). One million hertz equals 1 mhz ( . . . View Full Definition

Frequency Range: The high end and low limits of the frequencies that can be used with your monitor. Usually pertains to horizontal and vertical sync ranges.

Frequency Response: A range of sound frequencies from low to high. A measurement of the limits of microphones, recording and playback machines, and other audio equipment.

Full Power TV Station: Any analog television station operating on channels 2-69 that is not licensed as a Class A, Low Power TV, TV translator, or TV booster.

Full-Scan: The capability to increase the size of the image to the edge of the monitor bezel.

Function: In narrative study, a single action or character attribute. Based in Russian Formalism and the work of Vladimir Propp.

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