What term describes the amount of delay or the time it takes for video and audio to be delivered from the source to the destination?

The term that describes the amount of delay or the time it takes for video and audio to be delivered from the source to the destination is latency. Latency specifically refers to the time delay experienced in a system when transmitting data. In the context of audiovisual (AV) systems, it includes the time it takes for signals to travel from the source (like a camera or computer) to a display (like a monitor or projector), encompassing the entire path through which the data travels.

Understanding latency is crucial in AV applications, especially where synchronization of audio and video is important, such as in live events or video conferencing. If latency is too high, it can result in noticeable delays, causing audio to be out of sync with the video, which can negatively impact the viewer's experience.

The other terms—throughput, bandwidth, and jitter—refer to different aspects of data transmission. Throughput indicates the actual rate of data transfer achieved, bandwidth represents the maximum rate of data transfer in a network, and jitter describes the variability in packet arrival times. While these all relate to data transmission, they do not specifically address the time delay that latency does.