MAC
Abbreviation for Multiplex Analogue Components. A system for analogue transmission in which the audio and video components are transmitted one after the other. The signal is split into brightness (luminance) colour (chrominance) audio and data information. Sound is transmitted digitally.

MCPC
Abbreviation for Multi Channel Per Carrier. Digital transmission of TV and radio programmes requires a significantly lesser data rate than that of the previous analogue technology. This means that a single satellite transponder can transmit up to 10 TV programmes and any number of radio channels. MCPC is used to transmit several programmes simultaneously via a single transponder.

MHz
Abbreviation for Megahertz. One Megahertz corresponds to one million completed oscillations per second.

Modulator
Electronic unit used to transmit audio and video signals onto a carrier frequency, thus a new signal is actually generated. The modulator is built into both the video player and the satellite receiver, in order to utilise the antenna cable for the connection to the TV set.

Mounting
AZ/RL mountings are required for fixed satellite dish installations, while POLARMOUNT or HORIZONTMOUNT mountings are required for motor-driven rotatable installations.

MPEG
Abbreviation for Motion Picture Expert Group. A standard for the digital compression of TV video information. The MPEG-1 system has been in used for some time with optical disks, its quality is comparable to that of an average video cassette. MPEG-2 has improved features, and is suitable for broadcast transmissions.

MPEG-2
Term to describe the ISO-IEC standard 13818 for coding. System coding is set out in Part 1, video coding in Part 2 and audio coding in Part 3.

Multifeed
Technology providing reception of signals from more than one satellite via a single fixed-mount parabolic antenna. The system is based on the installation of several LNBs in order to achieve defocusing of the parabolic relector.