In hotels POS software allows for transfer of meal charges from dining room to g

uest room with a button or two. It may also need to be integrated with property
management software.
Newer, more sophisticated, systems are getting away from the central database "f
ile server" type system and going to what is called a "cluster database". This e
liminates any crashing or system downtime that can be associated with the back o
ffice file server. This technology allows 100% of the information to not only be
stored, but also pulled from the local terminal, thus eliminating the need to r
ely on a separate server for the system to operate.
Tablet POS systems popular for retail solutions are now available for the restau
rant industry. Initially these systems were not sophisticated and many of the ea
rly systems did not support a remote printer in the kitchen. Tablet systems toda
y are being used in all types of restaurants including table service operations.
Most tablet systems upload all information to the Internet so managers and owne
rs can view reports from anywhere with a password and Internet connection. Smart
phone Internet access has made alerts and reports from the POS very accessible.
Tablets have helped create the Mobile POS system and Mobile POS applications als
o include payments, loyalty, online ordering, table side ordering by staff and t
able top ordering by customers. Mobile POS, AKA mPOS is growing quickly with new
developers entering the market almost on a daily basis. An updated list of deve
lopers is maintained and available for downloading at no charge.[10]
POS systems are often designed for a variety of clients, and can be programmed b
y the end users to suit their needs. Some large clients write their own specific
ations for vendors to implement. In some cases, POS systems are sold and support
ed by third-party distributors, while in other cases they are sold and supported
directly by the vendor.
The selection of a restaurant POS system is critical to the restaurant's daily o
peration and is a major investment that the restaurant's management and staff mu
st live with for many years. The restaurant POS system interfaces with all phase
s of the restaurant operation and with everyone that is involved with the restau
rant including guests, suppliers, employees, managers and owners. The selection
of a restaurant POS system is a complex process that should be undertaken by the
restaurant owner and not delegated to an employee. The purchase process can be
summarized into three steps: Design, Compare and Negotiate. The Design step requ
ires research to determine which restaurant POS features are needed for the rest
aurant operation. With this information the restaurant owner or manager can Comp
are various restaurant POS solutions to determine which POS systems meet their r
equirements. The final step is to Negotiate the price, payment terms, included t
raining, initial warranty and ongoing support costs.[11]
Broadcasting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Broadcast" redirects here. For other uses, see Broadcast (disambiguation).
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain uncle
ar because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this art
icle by introducing more precise citations. (November 2010)
Broadcasting antenna in Stuttgart
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video content to a dispersed au
dience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using th
e electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model.[1] The term "b
roadcasting," derived from the method of sowing seeds in a field by casting them
broadly about, was originated in the early days of radio to distinguish radio b
roadcasting from methods using wired transmission (as in telegraph and telephone
) or that were intended as person-to-person communication.[2] Broadcasting is us
ually associated with radio and television, though in practice radio and televis
ion transmissions take place using both wires and radio waves. The receiving par
ties may include the general public or a relatively small subset; the point is t
hat anyone with the appropriate receiving technology can receive the signal. The
field of broadcasting includes a wide range of practices, from relatively priva
te exchanges such as amateur (ham) radio and amateur television (ATV) and closed

-circuit TV, to more general uses such as public radio, community radio and comm
ercial radio, public television, and commercial television.
Transmission of radio and television programs from a radio or television station
to home receivers over the spectrum is referred to as OTA (over the air) or ter
restrial broadcasting and in most countries requires a broadcasting license. Tra
nsmissions using a combination of satellite and wired transmission, like cable t
elevision (which also retransmits OTA stations with their consent), are also con
sidered broadcasts, and do not require a license. Transmissions of television an
d radio via streaming digital technology have increasingly been referred to as b
roadcasting as well, though strictly speaking this is incorrect.
Contents
1 History
2 Methods of broadcasting
3 Economic models
4 Recorded broadcasts and live broadcasts
5 Social impact
6 See also
7 Notes and references
8 Bibliography
9 Further reading
10 External links
History