Acronym for
Integrated Receiver and Decoder, typically in reference to a set top box (STB) like a satellite receiver or cable box. "Decoder" sometimes is replaced with "Decryptor", but this is not
the original derivation of the acronym.
Usage: IRD and STB are used interchangeably by technical people in the Satellite and Cable TV industries to refer generically to boxes that take a signal (typically an encrypted digital signal) and convert it to
one or more audio/video outputs such as S-Video, Component, HDMI, VGA, NTSC, etc, etc.
