Glossary
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A
Active Shutter Glasses
These are used in conjunction with a compatible 3D TV, where each viewer of the television must wear special 3D "shutter" glasses. These battery powered glasses have a small liquid crystal lenses that will either brighten or darken hundreds of times per second. This blocks out of left or the right lens in co-ordination with the TV. To anyone not uses the glasses, the image will look blurry.
A-GPS
A-GPS means Assisted GPS. It means that the phones can get a fast fix on the location within 100 meters. This uses the mobile phone aerials in the area to help triangulate the position between three or more phone masts. Sometimes GPS can take 30 seconds to accurately narrow down your position, so A-GPS means a faster result.
Airstream Mattress
Fabric treated with Bug Guard eliminates Bed bugs, dust mites, Bacteria. Environmentally and user-friendly. Airstream® Intelligent Cool fibre – odourless. Excellent pressure relief. Breathable. Faster Cooling and low heat retention and Totally Hypo-Allergenic.
Allergen Filter
A special filter within the hoover designed to catch things such as ragweed, grass pollen and pet dander. Excellent for someone with airborne allergies.
Android
A phone operating system (OS) created by Google for use on smart phones.
Anti-Crease Programme
The drum of the washer/dryer will continue to turn after the finish of the programme, ensuring the clothes remain untangled and crease free.
Aperture
In photography and digital photography, aperture is the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the film or digital sensor.
APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
The term annual percentage rate of charge (APR) means the interest rate for a whole year (annualized), rather than just a monthly fee/rate, as applied on a loan, mortgage loan, credit card, etc. It is a finance charge expressed as an annual rate.
Artifacts
These are unwanted visible effects in the picture created by transmission issues or encoding. Examples include "dot crawl" or "hanging dots" in analogue pictures, or "pixelation" in digital.
Aspect Ratio
This is the ratio between the width and the height of the screen. Older televisions used the standard 4:3 ratio where as Modern HDTV's use the wider 16:9 ratio to better display widescreen content such as high-definition broadcasts and DVDs.
Auto Defrost
The fridge freezer will automatically defrost to eliminate the build up of ice on the inside of the appliance.
A/V
Abbreviation: Audio / Visual
B
Barrel Back
A chair or sofa with the arms and back forming a continuous curve.
BBC iPlayer
An online service offered by the BBC to watch television shows on demand over your internet connection via an Internet enabled TV, set-top box, tablet or console.
Blanket Chest
A low box-like chest used for storing blankets often having a hinged top with a drawer near the base.
Bow Back
A chair back formed by a bent piece of wood fitted with vertical spindles like a Windsor chair. The bow or hoop is continuous down to the arms or the seat.
Buffet
A small cupboard or sideboard used to store dining implements.
Built-In
The appliance will be built into the kitchen units, so it will be out of sight.
Burn in
This often happened in plasma and CRT televisions where the same image is kept on the screen constantly, ending up with a faint ghost impression. This can include things such as clocks, news tickers or black borders. In more modern plasma TV's, they have been improved to make it virtually impossible to have burn in.
Bunk Bed
Two beds that are joined together, usually stacked above each other. Normally used in childrens rooms.
Butler Table
An oval wooden tray on legs. The four sides are hinged, allowing it to fold down flat when set down.
Butterfly Table
A small drop leaf table, has swinging supports which resemble the butterfly wing on a rudder.
C
Carbon Filter
A hoover filter with activated carbon added to help reduce and remove odours. This can help with things such as pet odours.
CCA (Consumer Credit Association)
The CCA is the trade association for home credit industry in the UK and Republic of Ireland, promoting high standards of business and consumer relations.
Chaise Lounge
Often resembling an elongated chair, it is a type of sofa or day bed design for reclining and relaxation.
Chest on Chest
A piece with two stacked chest of drawers, where the upper chest is usually smaller than the lower.
Child lock
This is a safety feature to ensure that the appliance cannot be used by a child. For example with washing machines & dryers, it means the door will be locked whilst in use.
Coffee Table
These are usually placed in front of a sofa, for resting drinks on or magazines and books.
Condenser Tumble Dryer
This type of tumble dryer will extract the warm moist air from the clothes, and collect the condensed water in a removable tank.
Credit Check
A Credit Check is where a financial institution or business will check your credit rating/score on your Credit File. Your Credit File contains all your previous and current accounts such as bank accounts, mortgages, loans, bills, phone, etc to show how good a credit risk you are. Your score is calculated from the number of missed payments and failed loans.
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
A Cathode Ray Tube is a vacuum tube in an old style television.
D
db
See Noise Level
DVD (Digital Versatile Discs)
A disk the size of a CD, that can contain movies or other information, digitally encoded.
DVD Combi
This is a TV with an in-built DVD player, that can all be accessed from one single remote.
Dolby
This is technology that deals with noise reduction and audio compression / decompression. Originally created to help provide digital high quality sound in cinemas, newer applications include HDTV broadcast, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and game consoles.
Digital Inverter Compressor
Conventional compressors have only two patterns of start and stop, but a Digital Inverter Compressor has five different cycles for optimum humidity rates and usage patterns. This ensures temperature consistency, maintains compressor strength and keeps noise levels low. What's more, this efficient process will keep electricity bills down.
Double Glazed Window
The oven contains a reflective glass that helps keep the heat inside the oven and keeping energy costs down.
Drying Capacity (kg)
This refers to the maximum weight of laundry which can be dried in one cycle.
DTS (Dedicated To Sound)
DTS is a series of multichannel audio technologies owned by DTS, Inc. (formerly known as Digital Theater Systems, Inc.), an American company specializing in digital surround sound formats used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications.
Dual Fuel
A cooker that is able to cook using both electricity and gas. Gives greater control and options for cooking.
DVI (Digital Visual Interface)
This is a multi-pin computer style connection intended to carry high-resolution video to another device such as a screen. This is often used in computers, older style HD-capable satellite and cable boxes, and upscaling DVD Players. In most electronics, this connection has been replaced by the HDMI standard cable which carries both audio and visual signals. It is possible to use HDMI-to-DVI adapters to connect older HDTV.
E
EcoBubble
The efficient ecobubble™ technology mixes air, water and detergent to create bubbles that penetrate your clothes faster, helping you wash at cooler temperatures. Better for the environment and your bills.
Energy Rating
A rating awarded for the energy efficiency of the appliance. The lower the letter, the better the efficiency of the appliance, so an 'A' rated appliance has the best rating. The better the rating, the higher level of efficiency which is better for the environment and your energy bills.
Extended Warranty
An extended warranty is usually taken out to extend the manufacturers warranty. These are taken out with an insurer, who will repair or replace an item if it breaks after the manufacturers warranty has expired.
F
Fan Oven
A fan helps circulate the heat around the oven, ensuring a more even cooking temperature.
FCA (Financial Conduct Authority)
The FCA help regulate firms and financial advisers so that markets and financial systems remain sound, stable and resilient. They also encourage transparent pricing that’s easy for everyone to understand.
Flat Rate
This is the flat rate of interest applied to a loan over that period of time.
Four Poster
Any bed with four high posts at each corner. These where originally designed to help support fabric curtains around the bed.
Freestanding
These are appliances that stand alone in the kitchen and do not require to be installed in kitchen units.
Frost Free Freezer
The freezer will use a constant flow of cold air to help prevent the build up of ice and frost.
Front-loading
Clothes are loaded into the front of the appliance.
Futon
A futon is a type of sofa that folds down to become a bed. They often have a 'futon mat' that doubles as a seat cushion when folded up and mattress when folded down.
G
Gas Cooker
Easily controllable cooking, especially on hobs. Requires to be plumbed into the gas supply by a qualified Gas Fitter.
Gigahertz (GHz)
Equal to one thousand million hertz. In terms of computing power, this is in thousand of millions of calculations a second.
GPS (Global Positioning System)
This is a system using satellites to help assertain
Gradings
On refurbished products, there is a grading system to inform you of the condition it is in. For example, an A Graded item may be brand new but unboxed, and C grade may be a few scratches, dents etc.
Gauge
Thickness of the Mattress. (12" - Very Firm + Offer Plenty of Suppot) (13.5" - Softer + Offers More Support than 12")
H
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)
HDMI has become the defacto standard for connecting high definition devices in the home. It can carry full 1080p video and surround sound. It is the only connection that supports 3D video.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The term originates in photography, and refers to a technique that heightens a picture’s dynamic range – the contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks. The higher the dynamic range, the closer a photograph gets to real life. HDR for televisions is the same idea.
HDTV / High Definition TV
HDTV refers to the high resolution formats of Television format. Usually 720p, 720i, 1080i or 1080p are considered HD formats. The i stands for interlaced scan, and the p stands for progressive scan.
Heat Pump Technology
Heat Pump Tumble Dryers work in the same way as condenser tumble dryers by storing the moisture in a container. However, they have heat pump technology to reuse the hot air that is normally lost. This reuse of energy makes heat pump tumble dryers the most energy efficient on the market.
Hertz
Is a measure of frequency, where the value is how many cycles per second. i.e 24hz = 24 cycles in one second. For TVs, the hertz rate refers to the screen refresh rate, so 24hz would mean 24 frames per second.
Hutch
A low cupboard with doors usually surrounded by open shelves.
I
Ice Dispenser
Releasing Ice cubes from the fridge at the press of a button.
Intelligent Wool
This is a 100% natural fibre alternative to memory foam. It allows a more natural regulation of temperature when compared to memory foam.
Interest
This is the charge applied by a lender for the money lent to the customer. The interest can either be expressed as a Flat Rate or APR.
Inverter Motor
The motor is attached directly to the drum via magnets to make it more stable. It reduces vibration and means the belts which wear down over time aren't used, increasing durably and less wear and tear.
iOS
The operating system (OS) on the Apple iPhones.
Internet Ready TV
A TV labelled as "internet ready", this means you can connect it to your home network to access websites or watch TV shows/movies online such as on BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, etc.
If you wish to purchase an Internet Ready TV, you are best looking for a "Smart" TV, which often have an internet browser and can support apps.
iPlayer
See BBC iPlayer
Iron Dry
Clothes are left very slightly damp, to make ironing easier. In order for this to be effective, the clothes must be ironed right away.
J
K
L
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Most of modern televisions produced use Liquid Crystal technology. The light from the television is produced by a "backlight", where the crystals act as a shutter, turning on and off to change colours and move the pictures.
LED (Light Emiting Diode) TV
Instead of using the flourescent backlights used in LCD TVs, they use LEDs instead which consume less power, provides a greater contrast and wider range of colours. Often they have thinner cabinets compared to the LCD TVs.
Loft Bed
A Loft Bed is similar to a bunk bed, apart from there is usually one bed and the lower space is used for a desk and/or storage. Sometimes the supports have drawers, shelving or cabinets.
Love seat
A double chair or small sofa meant for couples.
M
Manufacturers Warranty
This is the warranty the manufacturer gives, where they will cover any faults with the product over this period and either repair or replace it.
Mattress Topper
A small mattress that goes on top of an existing mattress to help improve comfort.
Memory Foam Mattress
A Memory Foam Mattress differs from the standard mattress, rather than using 'inner-coil' it uses memory foam to make up the mattress. Memory foam was initially developed by NASA to help protect astronauts. Different types of memory foam mattresses have different thickness and densities in the layers that provide support.
Megahertz (MHz)
Equal to one million hertz. In terms of computing power, this is in millions of calculations a second.
Miter Joint
A joint in wood made by fastening two pieces of wood together (usually at 90 degrees).
Mortise
A slot, grove or hole in wood into which a tenon or tongue joint is secured to provide robust furniture.
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
This is the organisation in charge of developing and approving video and audio encoding standards. Most people will have came across MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 compression formats (or "codecs"). The formats are capable of compressing high quality video to ensure it is quicker and smaller to transmit or store.
Multifunctional Oven
This type of oven heats from both the top and the bottom of the cooker, along with a fan that circulates the heat.
N
Nest of Tables
Small occasional tables, which are graduated in size so they slide underneath each other.
Netflix
A paid for subscription service, where you can watch Television shows on-demand via an internet connection, via an Internet Enabled TV, set-top box, tablet or console.
Night Stand
A small low table or cabinet which stands by the bed.
Noise Level (db)
The noise level indicates how loud an appliance is when it is in use. The noise levels are measured in decibels (db). For televisions and Hi-Fis, this indicates the maximum volume of the appliance.
Non-Turn Memory Foam Mattress
No turn mattresses are designed in a way where only one side of the mattress should be slept on. They should never be flipped over as the non-sleeping side provides minimal support and comfort and will not do the job the mattress was designed to do. Non-turn mattresses are generally built with a comfort layer that is not prone to settlement. This is made possible by either the use of foam and rubber or by preparing and layering the fillings in a way that makes them more durable.
O
Open Coil Mattress
(Known as Miracoil, Continous Coil & Standard Coil) Most Common Mattress out there, Consists of inter connected spring systems. Springs Connected and work together.
Orthopaedic Mattress
Provides a firm support, distributing the body weight and relieving painful pressur. Maintains your proper posture.
OS (Operating System)
An operating system (OS) is the software on a computer, phone or tablet that runs the device. On mobile phones and tablets, it is not possible to switch the operating system to another provider.
Ottoman
An upholstered seat or couch usually without a back or an overstuffed footstool.
Overstuffed Furniture
Upholstered furniture in which the wooden frame is completely and deeply covered by the upholstery with little of the woodwork exposed.
P
Parquet Top
A table top made using geometric or other patterns using inlay such as coloured woods or tiles.
Picture-in-picture
A picture-in-picture facility incorporates displaying two channels side by side, either split screen or a smaller picture within the screen.
Pixel
Pixel is short for picture element, and is the smallest element of a picture on a screen. As more pixels are crammed into the same area, it increases the image resolution and quality.
Pixel Response Time
The amount of time it takes for a single pixel in the screen to change and is measured in milliseconds (ms). If a display response time is too slow, it might cause faint motion trails to appear on the screen for fast-moving objects.
Place Setting
Used to describe the capacity of a dishwasher, each 'place setting' consists of 10 items of crockery and cutlery: a dinner plate, soup plate, dessert plate, glass tumbler, tea cup and saucer, knife, fork, soup spoon, dessert spoon and teaspoon. The three different dishwasher sizes usually hold a set range of place settings:
Pocket Spring Mattress
Offer more support than an open coil mattress. The individual springs that make up the mattress are housed in their own little pocket bags and work individually. Higher the spring count in a pocket mattress the better. They have 3 times more springs than an open coil mattress.
Punch-out Back
These are primarily used by entertainment centre furniture, to allow the cables such as power, audio/visual, input/output, and aerials cables through the cabinet and connect with the other equipment. Often this is provided by fully or partially open backs. With some units, they have removable panels that can be "punched out".
PVR (Personal Video Recorder)
A Personal Video Recorder is a device connected to your TV (or in some instances built directly into the Television) that will either record Freesat or Freeview onto an internal hard disk. This will allow you to then play back the programs you have recorded at a later date, or allow you to re-wind the program you are watching.
Pyroltic
This burns off any baked on food or grease in the oven into ash. This makes it an easier and simple way of cleaning the oven.
Q
R
Recliner Chair
Is a chair that reclines when a person lowers the chair's back and raises it's front to become a foot stool. Some recliners have extra features such as cup holders, adjustable rests or even swivel on their base.
Recliner Sofa
Just like a reclining chair, the sofa's back can be lowered and it's front raised to provide a foot rest. The sofa can often be adjusted individually to meet your preferred setting.
Representative APR
A Representative APR is a financial service concept in which credit or loan interest rates quoted through advertising media are required to take into account all charges associated with a product, in addition to the interest rate.
Retra
Retra are a trade organisation for electrical retailers.
Reverse Drum
A drum that can turn in both directions.
Rule Joint
This is a knuckle joint between the table top and the drop leaf. It leaves no open space when the leaf is down.
S
SCART
SCART (from Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs – Radio and Television Receiver Manufacturers' Association) is a French-originated standard and associated 21-pin connector for connecting audio-visual (AV) equipment.
Scoop Seat
A chair that has been hollowed to better fit the body.
Self Storing Leaves
These will be stored within an extension of the table.
Serving Table
Long Narrow side table with drawers, often used in dining rooms.
Shield Back
A chair back that resembles a shield, the ouside is formed by a double curved top rail with a half elipse below.
Sleigh Bed
This has a high scrolled headboard and footboard resembling the front of a sleigh.
Sleep Timer
This is a feature on a TV, where at a certain time or period of time, the TV will go into Stand By mode / Shut Off.
Slip Seat
A loose seat insert, that is dropped into the frame of a dining chair. If necessary can be removed and reupholstered.
Smart Compatible
A device that can be connected to by other devices through the use of an aerial as opposed to Wi-Fi. (Products with Wi-Fi are considered smart products instead of smart compatible.) Aerial is required.
Spooning
A curved chair designed to fit the sitter's form.
Standing Order
This is a form used by companies to be submitted to your bank. It tells the bank to pay money from account to a company on a regular basis.
Static Fridge Freezer
The static fan refrigerator uses the same principle of static refrigerator, with the addition of a fan in the refrigerator compartment for the circulation of the cold air in a more uniform way: in this way it is ensured a better preservation of food. Both types of refrigerator, static and fan static need the freezer compartment to be manually defrosted. We recommend that this is carried out twice yearly.
Storage Bed
These beds usually have drawers or storage space underneath of the bed to help save space. When beds have storage space underneath, they have hydrolic lifts to help assist lifting the bed.
T
Tester Bed
A four poster bed that has a canopy supported by a frame.
Total No Frost
The Total No Frost technology means that unlike a standard frost free model, there is no evaporator in the fridge compartment. Instead there is an air duct that recycles the dry, cold air being forced around the freezer compartment; preventing any build-up of condensation in the fridge. This ensures that the food being stored is kept fresher for longer, and will also make the unit more energy efficient and in turn more cost effective to run.
Trifold Mirror
A tri-fold or tri-view mirror sits on or hangs above a dresser. It has a central mirror panel and 2 side panels that help view either side to help apply make-up.
Trundle Bed
A low or collapsible bed which is stored under another bed.
U
Ultra High Definition TV
See 4K.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
USB, short for Universal Serial Bus, is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication, and power supply between computers and electronic devices. It is currently developed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB IF).
USB was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals (including keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, disk drives and network adapters) to personal computers, both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles. USB has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such as parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices.
V
Variable Temperature
The washing machine / tumble dryer has a temperature setting, allowing the selection of your preferred temperature.
Veneer
This is a thin layer of wood used to decorate furniture. They are used to create inlays and banding effects.
Vented Dryer
A Vented Dryer will extract the moisture from the clothes and uses a hose to connect to an outside vent or be hung out of a window to ensure the moisture goes outside of your home.
VESA Mounting
The Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI), also known as VESA Mounting Interface Standard (MIS) or colloquially as VESA mount, is a family of standards defined by the Video Electronics Standards Association for mounting flat panel monitors, TVs, and other displays to stands or wall mounts.
Viewing Angle
This is used to measure the useable viewing angle from the center of the television. These are often given as horizontal viewing angle (side to side) and vertical viewing angle (up and down). These factors are often important for home cinema systems or if the TV is mounted to ensure it can be viewed properly.
Vinyl Wrap
This is wrapped around underlying wood to help provide a surface that resembles wood.
W
Water Dispenser
A handy feature of some fridges, that allows a cool refreshing drink to be dispensed.
Wi-Fi®
A wireless technology that allows devices to connect to a local area network. Most modern Internet ready have Wi-Fi capabilities built-in, those that don't may be able to use a USB adapter.
Woolen / Delicates programme
This means the washing machine/tumble dryer has a cool and gentle programme to protect the garments.
X
Y
Z
0
1080p
1080p is a high-definition video format of 1980 x 1080 pixels. The p stands for progressive scan, meaning the image is transmitted in a whole single sweep. The advantage of using a 1080p TV, is they can display all high definition formats without downconverting them and sacrificing quality. 1080p TV's usually display video at 60 frames a second, where as most Blu-ray disks are 24 frames a second.
16:9
See Aspect Ratio
2G
2G refers to the second generation of digital handsets, which replaced analogue.
2.5G
2.5G shows that a phone has more data features than a 2G phone whilst not being a third generation phone. A 2.5G phone usually support EDGE and/or GRPS.
3G
3G refers to the third generation of phones. The third generation of phones allows a higher data connection to support mobile internet and two-way video calling. Data connections can reach upto 7Mb/s download speed.
3-Way Calling
This is also known as conference calling and allows three or more people to be connected within a phone call, so they can all talk and listen at the same time.
4G
4G refers to the fourth generation of phone. This is the latest phone technology. This offers high speed data connections almost as fast as some broadband connections offering upto 60Mb/s allowing for ultra fast downloads.
4:3
See Aspect Ratio
4K
This refers to the next generation of high definition video format. This is currently used in movie theaters projectors to give crystal clear picture quality. At the time of writing, the only content for the 4K TV's is provided by Sky Q. They are refered to as Ultra High Definition TVs.
720p