Glossary
To find a term in the glossary, click the letter of the alphabet that is the first letter in the term you want to look up.
You can also read glossary terms within the text of Help by clicking the underlined glossary term links. After you click a glossary link, the glossary term and definition appear in a pop-up window. To close the window, click anywhere on the screen.
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
authentication
The process of verifying that an entity or object is who or what it claims to be. For example, a username and password may be used to authenticate a user.
See also: authorization
authorization
The process of granting access to protected resources.
See also: authentication
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B
bit rate
The number of bits transferred per unit of time, typically expressed in bits per second.
buffer
An area of computer memory reserved for temporarily holding data before that data is used on the receiving computer. Buffering protects against the interruption of data flow.
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C
challenge
A request for a license. A challenge contains information about the consumer's computer, a list of requested rights, and other information about the content, including the content header and key ID. This challenge can also contain a version 1 challenge in case a version 1 license is needed.
clear content
A Windows Media file that is not encrypted.
client
Any computer or program connecting to, or requesting the services of, another computer or program. Client can also refer to the software that enables the computer or program to establish the connection.
content
Audio, video, images, text, or any other information that is contained in a digital media file or stream.
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D
decrypt
To convert encrypted content back into its original form.
See also: encrypt
digital rights management (DRM)
A technology that provides a persistent level of protection to digital content by encrypting it with a cryptographic key. Authorized recipients (or end users) must acquire a license in order to unlock and consume the content.
DRM
See definition for: digital rights management (DRM)
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E
encrypt
To programmatically disguise content to hide its substance.
See also: decrypt
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K
key
A piece of data that is required to unlock a packaged Windows Media file. This key is included in a separate license.
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L
license
Data attached to protected content that describes how the content can be used.
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P
player
A client program or control that receives digital media content streamed from a server or played from local files. Windows Media Player is an example of a player.
plug-in
An auxiliary software component that extends or enhances the features of other software.
portable device
A mobile electronic device that can exchange files or other data with a computer or device. Examples of portable devices include Pocket PCs, portable digital music players, and Smartphones.
portable media identifier
A unique identifier for removable storage media such as CompactFlash cards. The identifier is hard coded into the storage media and is not changeable.
protect
To encrypt files with a key and add information such as the license acquisition URL.
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S
SDMI
See definition for: Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI)
Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI)
An organization that sets standards for secure digital music. One of the main goals of SDMI is to create a framework for the secure playing, storing, and distribution of digital music.
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W
Windows Media Encoder
A technology that compresses live or prerecorded audio and video into a Windows Media stream, which can either be distributed immediately or saved as a Windows Media file for later distribution.
Windows Media file
A file that contains audio, video, or script data. The content of the file is encoded with one of the Windows Media codecs.
Windows Media Format
The format of a digital media file or stream that was encoded with Windows Media codecs.
Windows Media Services
A service that is used to stream digital audio and video over the Internet or an intranet.
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