Glossary

ActionScript

A programming language for scripting Adobe Flash movies and applications. Brightcove supports ActionScript 2 and 3; Brightcove 3 (and later) players are written in ActionScript 3.

Ad request

A request (call) made from a Brightcove player to an ad server. The ad request is an HTTP call and includes key/value pairs that pass information that helps the ad server target an appropriate ad for the context. Not every ad request will return an ad.

API token

An alphanumeric string is appended to Media API calls to authenticate your application with the system and permit the transaction.

Affiliate

Web publishers who syndicate Brightcove players.

AS2 player

A Brightcove player created in the Brightcove Console, using one of the version 2.0 player templates and based on ActionScript 2.0.

AS3 player

A Brightcove player created in the Publishing module or using the Player API, using one of the version 3.0 player templates and based on ActionScript 3.0.

Background image

A graphic placed in players as part of the look and feel of the player.

Batch provisioning

A feature that automates file uploading and the creation of videos and playlists using an XML manifest and FTP. Also referred to as batch upload.

BEML (Brightcove Experience Markup Language)

Brightcove's system for creating custom player templates, defined in an XML template file that you can upload using the Publishing module. Custom player templates are available only to Brightcove Pro and Enterprise customers.

Blog

A web-based publication consisting of periodic contributions, often in reverse chronological order.

Boolean

A value that is either "true" or "false".

Brightcove Basic

The Brightcove edition designed for the needs of individuals or small companies who require the flexibility and reliability of the leading online video publishing platform at a price that is in line with their traffic, audience, or messaging goals. See Getting Started with Brightcove Basic. To learn more about the three editions of Brightcove, see Online Video Editions.

Brightcove Enterprise

The Brightcove edition designed for very large publishers that have complex needs, or own and operate multiple web properties. Brightcove Enterprise features the ability to create an association of related Brightcove accounts, making Enterprise the best fit for large conglomerates that want to centralize operations such as content rights management, legal, and billing across multiple web properties or business units, while granting their family of associated publishing companies creative autonomy and freedom to design players, develop programming, and distribute content. To learn more about the three editions of Brightcove, see Online Video Editions.

Brightcove Pro

The Brightcove edition designed for the larger, professional publishing team that owns and operates a single web property. Brightcove Pro features a number of capabilities that are important to publishers as they grow beyond entry-level operations and become more sophisticated with online video publishing. To learn more about the three editions of Brightcove, see Online Video Editions.

Brightcove player

A Flash application for viewing video and in some cases browsing a video library.

Brightcove Studio

A rich Internet application for accessing and controlling the Brightcove service. The Studio includes the Media module, Publishing module, and Advertising module.

Broadband video channel

A collection of related videos distributed through the Internet.

Bumper

A short video clip that can appear before a full-length video or when a player loads.

Click-through URL

Several image components in Brightcove players can optionally include a URL to which to send viewers who click on the image.

Codec

A program for encoding or decoding digital media.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A service offering networked servers that transparently deliver content (especially large media content) to end users. Two prominent CDNs are Akamai and Limelight.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets are a standard mechanism for controlling the design of an HTML page.

Cue points

Invisible markers inserted at specific points in a video that can be used to trigger external events, such as a mid-roll ad request or a closed caption. You can set cue points in either the Brightcove Advertising module or using the Media Write API or FTP Batch Provisioning.

DRM encoded

Digital Rights Management is a way to encrypt media files to control usage and prevent piracy.

Flash

A technology platform for creating and delivering web multimedia and rich Internet applications.

Flash-based application

An application created with Adobe Flash.

Flash full-length video

A Flash Video (FLV) file used in a Brightcove video.

FLV (Flash Video) format

A file format used to deliver video over the Internet to the Adobe Flash Player. FLV files typically have a .flv file extension. Flash Video content may also be embedded within SWF files. Flash Video is viewable on most operating systems, via the widely available Adobe Flash Player and web browser plugin, or one of several third-party programs.

Geo-filtering

Putting geographic restrictions on playback of videos, often for reasons of rights ownership.

H.264 format

A file format used to deliver video over the Internet. The H.264 format is suitable for high definition content. H.264 files typically have a .mp4 file extension.

Hexadecimal

A numerical notation used to specify colors on web pages. Twenty-four bit color is represented in the format #RRGGBB, where RR specifies the the Red component of the color, GG the Green component and BB the Blue component.

HTML

(HyperText Markup Language) A markup language designed for the creation of web pages with hypertext and other information to be displayed in a web browser.

JavaScript

A scripting programming language best known for its use in web sites, although it is also used to enable scripting access to objects embedded in other applications.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

A commonly used standard method of lossy compression used for digital images. JPEG is the standard image format used in the Brightcove service for thumbnails, video stills, and background images.

Key/Value pairs

When a player sends ad requests, it includes one or more key/value pairs (like category=sports) that give the ad server information about the context of the ad and improve ad targeting.

Logo

A proprietary graphic that symbolically represents a company's brand.

Logo overlay

A small transparent image that is displayed in the video playback window. Also sometimes called a digital on-screen graphic (DOG), bug, or watermark.

Loop/looping

When the videos in a playlist are completed and the playlist starts playing at the beginning.

Media API

The Brightcove Media API (Application Programming Interface) provides read and write access to your Brightcove Media Library, using a web service approach to make method calls over HTTP.

Media Library

The collection of videos, playlists, and other assets in your Brightcove account.

Metadata

Metadata refers to the descriptions, tags, genre, and other related information that you provide in the definition of a video.

MPAA film rating system

A system, instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America, to rate a movie based on its content. The MPAA rating system (G, PG, R, etc.) is the most recognized system for classifying potentially offensive content, but is usually restricted to use in the film industry because the MPAA has trademarks on each individual rating.

Playback

The playing of video media in a Brightcove player.

Player API

The Brightcove Player API (Application Programming Interface) allows developers to use JavaScript and ActionScript to create custom player experiences.

Player publishing code

The code "snippet" (JavaScript, ActionScript, or HTML) used to embed a Brightcove player in a web page, pop-up window, or Flash application.

Playlist

A collection of videos that are grouped together in a particular order for playback in a Brightcove player. (Previous versions of Brightcove used the term "Lineup" for this.)

PSD

The default file extension of the proprietary file format of Adobe System's Photoshop program.

Rendition

When you use dynamic delivery, you can create multiple versions of the same video, each with a different bit rate and dimensions. Each of these versions is referred to as a rendition. Brightcove dynamic delivery chooses the best rendition, based on the player's dimensions and the viewer's connection speed.

Reference ID

A unique ID assigned by a publisher to a video or playlist. The reference ID (ref id) is distinct from the video ID or playlist ID (lineupID), which are unique IDs generated by Brightcove. The reference ID enables coordination between Brightcove and other services, such as a publisher's content management system.

RSS feed

Really Simple Syndication is a popular technology for notifying users of updates to content in a web site, blog, or Internet TV channel.

Search engine

A program, such as Google, designed to help find information on the web.

Social network website

A web site, such as MySpace.com, which offers its viewer members the ability to share messages, media, and other information with each other.

Still image

A static image that displays in the playback area of a video player before or after video playback.

SWF (Small Web Format) file

SWF is a compressed and uneditable vector graphics format used in Flash applications.

Tags

Individual keywords or phrases for organizing content. Brightcove supports the use of tags to as a way for publishers to organize and classify videos.

Thumbnail

An small image associated with a video used in listings for the video in players, web sites, and video search engines.

TV Parental Guidelines

A content rating system established by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for classifying TV shows based on the age appropriateness of the content.

URL

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a way to identify a resource and its location on the Internet (for example http://www.brightcove.com).

Version 2.0 player

A Brightcove player created in the Brightcove Console, using one of the version 2.0 player templates and based on ActionScript 2.0.

Version 3.0 player

A Brightcove player created in the Media module or using the Player API, using one of the version 3.0 player templates and based on ActionScript 3.0.

Video

A single video title to play in a Brightcove player. A video is based on a video file, which can start out as one of many supported video file formats, but which is transcoded into an FLV file or H.264 file if it isn't already in one of those formats. In addition, a video can include:

  • name
  • short description
  • long description
  • tags
  • video still image
  • thumbnail image
  • bumper
  • logo overlay

 Video editing tools

A software application for editing video files on personal computer.

Video still

A static image that displays in the playback area of a video player before or after video playback.