cable television - technical definition

Formally known as community antenna television (CATV), cable TV is transmitted from a service provider's headend to the subscribers' premises via a cable system, as opposed to over-the-air broadcast via ultra high frequency (UHF) or very high frequency (VHF) radio, or direct broadcast satellite (DBS). See also cable, CATV, DBS, headend, UHF, and VHF.