CH 9

S-Video port

A 15-pin video port used on a desktop or notebook computer to connect a projector.

DVI-I

A DVI mode that supports both analog and digital video signals. (3)

ECP (Extended Capabilities Port)

A bidirectional parallel port mode that uses a DMA channel to speed up data flow.

degauss button

A button on a CRT monitor that can be pressed to eliminate accumulated or stray magnetic fields around the monitor which can cause a CRT monitor to flicker or have wavy lines.

UART (universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter)

A chip that controls serial ports. It sets protocol and converts parallel data bits received from the system bus into serial bits.

dxdiag.exe

A command to display information about hardware and diagnose problems with DirectX.

FireWire

A common term for IEEE 1394.

chip creep

A condition in which chips loosen because of thermal changes.

isochronous data transfer

A data transfer method used by IEEE 1394 where data is transferred continuously without breaks.

flat panel monitor

A desktop monitor that uses an LCD panel

Biometric Device

A device that uses some unique characteristic of human biology to identify authorized users.

hard drive dock

A dock that will house and protect a hard drive outside the computer case

IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) line

A line on a parallel port. BIOS manages these request lines that are used by a device to hail the CPU asking for data to be processed, and you do not need to change this value.

isochronous data transfer

A method used by IEEE 1394 to transfer data continuously without breaks

Super VGA (SVGA)

A monitor using a minimum refresh rate standard of 70 Hz, or 70 complete vertical refreshes per second.

hub

A network device or box that provides a central location to connect cables.

LPT (Line Printer Terminal)

A parallel port in device Manager.

EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port)

A parallel port that allows data to flow in both directions (bidirectional port) and is faster than original parallel ports on PCs that allowed communication only in one direction.

CRT (cathode-ray tube)

A primary output device, which takes up a lot of desk space and costs less than a LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor.

RS-232c (Reference Standard 232 revision c or Recommended Standard 232 revision c)

A serial port interface standard.

IEEE 1284

A standard for parallel ports and cables developed by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and supported by many hardware manufacturers.

standard parallel port (SPP)

A standard port allows data to flow in only one direction and is the slowest of the three types of parallel ports. The standard parallel port is sometimes called a normal parallel port or a Centronics port, named after the 36-pin Centronics connection used by printers.

IEEE 1394.3

A standard, developed by the 1394 Trade Association, that is designed for peer-to-peer data transmission and allows imaging devices to send images and photos directly to printers without involving a computer.

KVM (Keyboard, Video, and Mouse) switch

A switch used to connect a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor to multiple computers.

LCD monitor

A thin, flat monitor based on a technology that manipulates liquid crystals.

noninterlaced

A type of display in which the electronic beam of a CRT monitor draws every line on the screen with each pass.

interlaced

A type of display in which the electronic beam of a monitor draws every other line with each pass, which lessens the overall effect of a lower refresh rate.

infrared (IR) transceiver

A wireless transceiver that uses infrared technology to support some wireless devices such as keyboards, mice, and printers. A motherboard might have an embedded infrared transceiver, or the transceiver might plug into a USB or serial port. The technology is defined by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA). Also called an IrDA transceiver or infrared port.

touch screen

An input device that uses a monitor or LCD panel as a backdrop for user options. Touch screens can be embedded in a monitor or LCD panel or installed as an add-on device.

I/O controller card

An older card that can contain serial, parallel, and game ports and floppy drive and IDE connectors.

COM1 (Communications port 1)

Another name for a serial port.

i.Link

Another term for IEEE 1394.

motherboard mouse

Another term for a PS/2 mouse.

IrDA (Infrared Data Association) transceiver

Another term for an infrared transceiver.

Energy Star

Energy Star systems and peripherals have the U.S. Green Star, indicating that they satisfy certain energy conserving standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sometimes called the Green Standards. Devices that can carry the Green Star include computers, monitors, printers, copiers, and fax machines.

IR transceiver

Provides an infrared port for wireless communication

IEEE 1394

Standards for an expansion bus that can also be configured to work as a local bus. It is expected to replace the SCSI bus, providing an easy method to install and configure fast I/O devices. Also called FireWire and i.Link.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

The latest digital audio and video interface standard. It is not widely available on video cards or motherboards, but is expected to ultimately replace DVI. HDMI is currently used on televisions and other home theater equipment. To connect a PC to this equipment that uses HDMI, you can purchase an HDMI to DVI cable.

resolution

The number of pixels on a monitor screen that are addressable by software (example: 1024 x 768 pixels)

native resolution

The one resolution for an LCD monitor, which is the actual (and fixed) number of pixels built into the monitor.

refresh rate

The process of periodically rewriting data, such as on dynamic RAM.

VGA (Video Graphics Adapter)

The standard analog video method of passing three separate signals for red, green, and blue (RGB), which older video cards and CRT monitors use.

RGB (red, green, and blue)

Used by older video cards and CRT monitors.