A-to-D converters: A shortened name for an analog-to-digital
converter that converts audio from analog sources such as tape players to
digital sources such as CD players.
A/B comparison: The process of comparing two products,
performance, or features against one another.
A/X: A video editing term."A" usually represents your primary
source deck, and "X" represents a live source.
A3D: See Aureal3D
AC-3: Also Dolby Digital 5.1. AC-3 is a method of encoding
sound to five discrete or separate channels. Mainly--front left and right,
front center, and rear left and right.
Accelerated Graphics Port: AGP is an expansion bus developed
by Intel specifically for the videocard subsystem. It operates independent
of the PCI bus and normally runs at 66MHz (i.e., 1x). When you see multipliers
attached to AGP, such as 2x or 4x, they refer to how much faster the bus will
run--2x means 66MHz x 2, or 133MHz.
accelerates: Instead of processing sound on the host CPU,
sound is processed locally on the soundcard, freeing up CPU cycles.
acoustic-suspension: Also called air suspension, acoustic-suspension
was patented in 1949 by Harry Olsen. In the 1950s, the design was elaborated
upon by Acoustic Research. Acoustic- suspension speakers are held inside a
sealed enclosure. The speaker's inward and outward movements control the air
inside the box, giving low sounds, such as from subwoofers.
active cooling: A processor cooling solution that uses
not only passive heat dissipation, but also a fan or similar cooling device
to remove heat from the CPU.
Active Server Pages: A specification for a dynamically
created web page that contains either Visual Basic or Javascript code. Active
server pages are similar to CGI scripts, but they enable Visual Basic programmers
to work with familiar tools.
ActiveX: A set of Microsoft technologies that combine two
other Microsoft technologies: Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and Component
Object Model (COM).
actuator: The mechanism within a disk drive that positions
the read/write head over the correct track on the disk.
actuator assembly: The heads detect magnetic transitions, or the data from
a disk. The assembly is the motion to move the heads across the disk.
ADC: Analog Digital Converter. See DAC.
address: A specific place where data is located.
ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A modem technology
that simultaneously delivers data, video, and voice over existing copper telephone
lines. It receives data at rates from 1.5Mbps to 9Mbps, and sends data upstream
from 16Kbps to 640Kbps. It requires a special ADSL modem.
AGP: Accelerated Graphics Port is an expansion bus developed
by Intel specifically for the videocard subsystem. It operates independent
of the PCI bus and normally runs at 66MHz (i.e., 1x). Whenever you see multipliers
attached to AGP, such as 2x or 4x, they are referring to how much faster the
bus will runÑ2x means 66MHz x 2, or 133MHz.
AGP 2x: see Accelerated Graphics Port
AGPset: Any core logic chipset that supports the AGP bus.
See core-logic chipset.
AI: see Artificial Intelligence
algorithmic procedure texturing: A formulaic method of
rendering imagery capable of generating potentially unlimited detail.
alpha-blend: The ability to give a pixel a value that will
render it solid, invisible, or partially transparent. The process is often
used in games to depict special effects, such as explosions and weapon discharge.
When mapped onto polygons, alpha-blending can simulate semi-transparent objects,
such as water and glass.
alt: Alternate. In web authoring, a tag in the code that
tells the browser what text to display in place of a graphic that does not
load or is turned off. In some browsers, this information is also displayed
when the pointer is positioned over the graphic.
Amiga: The first true multimedia computer. Anyone who is
cool either worked on an Amiga, owned an Amiga, or claims to have been on
the periphery of the Amiga's design.
anchor points: Points HTML links link to.
animated GIFs: A graphics interchange format and a bit-mapped
graphics file format containing multiple layers. When viewing these layers
in succession, the image can appear to be moving or animated.
Anime: A term used to describe a style of Japanese animation
(cartoon or otherwise) where people are drawn with big doe-eyes. There's also
usually at least one of the following large human-controlled anthropomorphic
robots; big space ships; ninja, samurai, or other martial arts; demonic entities
that spurt tentacles and do really lascivious things with them; people with
psychic abilities; cyborgs; or mysticism. The animation is highly stylized,
and visuals are often very sharp and glossy. If you're familiar with Akira,
Sailor Moon, Star Blazers, or Macross, then you know what we're talking about.
anisotropic filtering: Conventional texture filtering techniques
do not compensate for anisotropy--the elongation of the screen pixel when
it is mapped into texture space. This results in either blurring or aliasing,
depending on the choice of texture level-of-detail. To achieve sharp textures,
a card can use anisotropic filtering, a process that involves an elliptical
kernel whose shape and orientation depends on the projection of the destination
pixel onto the texture map.
anti-aliasing: A technique that smooths the edges of diagonal
lines on the screen. Without anti-aliasing, diagonal lines often have a "jaggy"
appearance caused by the stair-step effect of the pixels. Anti-aliasing blurs
the edges of the lines. In 3D graphics, bilinear and trilinear filtering provides
anti-aliasing for textures.
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier
aperture grille: A CRT technology that fosters a bright display (compared
to the competing shadow mask technology). The aperture grille itself is a
collection of fine metal strips that stretch vertically from the top of the
screen to the bottom. The monitor's electron beam is shot through the grille,
which positions the beam so that it correctly excites the red, green, and
blue phosphor dots that ultimately comprise the picture you see on the screen.
Because an aperture grille allows more electrons to pass through than a shadow
mask, it tends to foster a more brilliant image. Currently, Sony and Mitsubishi
manufacture all the aperture-grille CRTs used by the world's many monitor
companies.
API: Application Programming Interface. A collection of
subroutines--usually part of an operating system--that application programs
can call upon to perform common tasks. For example, a program might call an
API routine to display a window on the screen. APIs reduce the amount of code
programmers have to write.
API extension: An Application Program Interface (API) extension
refers to an enhancement or add-on to an existing API. Creative Labs' EAX
works with Microsoft's DirectSound and DirectSound3D API making it an open
standard.
applet: A small program. The term has a special meaning
in Java, referring to a program that runs inside a web browser under security
restrictions that severely limit what the program can do.
application: A program that serves some direct purpose
for users. A word processor or a game is an application, but an operating
system is considered to be system software. Programs that perform system-maintenance
functions (such as antivirus checkers or disk defraggers) are often called
utilities.
Application Program Interface: A collection of subroutines--usually
part of an operating system--that application programs can call upon to perform
common tasks. For example, a program might call an API routine to display
a window on the screen. APIs reduce the amount of code programmers have to
write.
Application Specific Integrated Circuit: A silicon chip
hard-coded to run a specific application.
areal density: The amount of data that can be packed onto
a storage medium. Areal densities are generally measured in gigabits per square
inch. Generally, the higher areal density, that is, the more data that can
be packed into a single square inch, the better.
Aureal3D: A proprietary API for handling 3D positional
sounds and Doppler effects. A3D simulates 3D positional sounds on two speakers.
A3D will support four or more speakers, but is optimized for two.
artifact: Graphical flaw caused by the shortcomings of
a compression technology. Often manifested as blotchiness in what should be
a solid color.
artificial intelligence: A way for game developers to simulate
thought processes of sentient life. Artificial intelligence can range from
simple movement and attack patterns to simulated lives, complete with eating,
movement, and action/reaction modes.
ASIC: pronounced "a-sick." A custom silicon chip designed
for a specific application.
ASP server: Active Server Pages. A Microsoft standard for
building web based applications. ASP files can combine HTML scripting--such
as JavaScript, VBScript, and components written in any language.
aspect ratio: The relation between a display area's width
and height. For example, in a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, the display is
defined by four horizontal-length units for every three vertical-length units.
In a 16:10 aspect ratio, the width is elongated for a much more pronounced
rectangle. It's important to note that typical monitor resolutions--640x480
through 1600x1200--all employ a 4:3 aspect ratio.
ASPI: Advanced SCSI Programmer's Interface. It defines
a set of software primitives (command) and data structures or an application
to use when communicating with SCSI host adapters to be SCSI host adapter-independent.
AT: A large motherboard formfactor; often used in multiprocessor
workstations.
ATA: Short for AT Attachment. A hard drive with an integrated
controller. There are multiple levels of ATA standards including the base-level
16-bit IDE, ATA-2 (Enhanced IDE) and Ultra ATA. Ultra ATA/66, a new spec doubling
the throughput of the controller to 66MB/sec, is expected to be integrated
into PCs in early 1999.
ATA-66: An enhanced version of the IDE I/O interface that
supports 66MB/sec.
ATA33/66: Enhanced versions of the IDE I/O interface that support 33MB/sec.
and 66MB/sec, respectively. This technology helps IDE hard drives achieve
SCSI-like speeds.
ATAPI: ATA Packet Interface. Defines a set of commands
supported through the ATA-2 interface for peripherals other than hard drives,
such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and tape drives.
A3D: see Aureal3D
ATX: A motherboard formfactor that's smaller than AT, it's
a standard configuration definition for most modern full-size desktop and
tower PCs. Subsets of this include NLX, LPX, and MicroATX. There are numerous
differences between the older Baby AT formfactor and ATX, including relocation
of the CPU to an area closer to the power supply fan and concentration of
I/O ports in one rectangular cluster. How do you know which one you have?
Generally, an ATX-type machine will turn itself off after selecting shut down
in Windows 95 or NT.
Aureal3D: A proprietary API for handling 3D positional
sounds and Doppler effects. Using algorithms developed for NASA, A3D is able
to simulate 3D positional sounds on two speakers. A3D will support four or
more speakers, but is optimized for two.
authorability: The ability to design, develop, or produce
software.
authoring pipeline: The steps that artist-generated data
takes from being created in a modeling tool to being stored in an appropriate
final format that's read at runtime by a game engine.
auto-detection: A cooperative mechanism of the CPU and
motherboard that identifies proper factory default settings. After auto-detecting
the CPU, the motherboard can set variables such as voltage, and shut down
systems that have been set beyond certain parameters.
auto texture compression: A videocard's ability to automatically compress texture data on-the-fly, without user intervention. This shrinks the data size down, thus allowing more and higher-resolution textures to pass through the data path at a given time.