C Band
This is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is used for satellite transmission. Uplink frequency is 6 GHz and downlink frequency is 3 GHz. C Band dishes typically are very large and costly. C Band is used for voice communications, videoconferencing, broadcast TV and broadcast radio.

Cabinet Color
The color of the cabinet that encases your HD display. This will usually be black, grey, charcoal or some other color that describes the case.

CATV
Cable TV. This is simply an abbreviation for cable television providers. It is not CAT-V, as in Ethernet or 4 twisted pairs, which is used in home networks. CATV and CAT-V are completely different things.

Closed Caption on Mute
Muting the television will bring up regular Closed Captioning so that you don't miss what is being said.

Coaxial Digital Audio Output
This is an output that uses a cable that looks similar to standard RCA cables for your audio output. However, standard RCA cables transmit 50-ohm and you should always use cables that have better signal transfer that are capable of 75-ohm or greater. This will give your audio the full amount of bandwidth it needs to have superior sound quality.

COFDM
The standard used by many European, South American and Asian broadcasters that is competing with 8VSB.

Comb Filter
A comb filter is used to get the most resolution possible out of digital TV sources such as DVDs and HD signals. You will only benefit from a comb filter if you are using low quality transports such as composite video between the devices in your home theater. It is highly recommended that you use component, DVI or another higher quality type of cable for connecting the equipment in your home theater as the resulting picture will be much better!

Commercial Skip
This feature allows you to channel surf during commercial breaks and will bring you back to the program you were watching when the commercial break is over.

Component Input
This is a video input you might want to consider using. It has three different signals that are passed along it. The first is the Luminance signal (represented as Y) that transmits the black and white information in a signal. The second is the PB, which transmits the blue part of the signal and the third is the PR which transmits the red part of the signal. Green is not needed because it can be calculated from the three Y-PB-PR signals.

Composite Video
This is a type of video signal where all information on the red, blue and green signals are mixed together. This signal type is commonly used by TVs in the United States. This is in contrast to most computer monitors which use RGB Video and has three seperate channels for red, green and blue.

Contrast Ratio
This is the difference between the white portion of a screen and the black portion. It is often used as a marketing device when selling monitors, and usually looks like 400:1 or 1500:1. The better a contrast ratio, the better detail will show up in dark pictures. The higher contrast ratios will always be found on more advanced, higher end, and more expensive devices. A typical computer monitor will display a contrast ratio of 400:1, but with HDTV screens some display upwards of 1500:1 and some even go as high as 3000:1.

CP
This is a Construction Permit and it is what the TV stations must apply for before broadcasting signals. Non-Commercial stations needed to apply for their CP for their companion DTV station by May 1, 2000.

Criterion
Criterion is a company that licenses films and releases DVDs with the title "Criterion Collection". Not all Special Editions are necessarily Criterion, nor are all Criterion DVDs Special Edition. However, most Criterion DVDs do have enough special features that they can be classified as "Special Edition". One of the largest Criterion lists on the Internet is at CriterionDVD.com.