glossary.htm 4.02 KB
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<HR><B>Hardware Level VGA and SVGA Video Programming Information Page</B></CENTER>

<CENTER>Video Programming Glossary&nbsp;
<HR></CENTER>
<B>Introduction</B>
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This page is a glossary
covering video programming related terms.&nbsp; It is extremely difficult
for me to determine which terms should be included in this page, thus if
you have come here looking for a particular term and are dismayed at not
finding it listed here, please send a note with the <A HREF="feedback.htm">Feedback
Form</A> including the term in the body of the message, and it will be
added here.
<CENTER><A NAME="C"></A><B>------ C ------</B></CENTER>


<P><B>CLUT</B> -- see <A HREF="#CLUT">Color Look-Up Table</A>

<P><A NAME="CLUT"></A><B>Color Look-Up Table</B> -- <A HREF="#PLUT">see
Palette Look-Up Table</A>
<BR>&nbsp;
<BR>&nbsp;
<CENTER><A NAME="D"></A><B>------ D ------</B></CENTER>


<P><A NAME="DAC"></A><B>DAC</B> -- acronym for Digital to Analog Converter,
which is a integrated circuit that converts intensity values to analog
signal values.&nbsp; This is used in video chipsets to produce the analog
signals that are sent to the monitor.&nbsp; Some DACs, known as RAMDACs
contain a palette look-up table.

<P><B>Digital to Analog Converter</B> -- see <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A>
<CENTER><A NAME="F"></A><B>------ F ------</B></CENTER>


<P><B>Frame Buffer</B> -- RAM that is part of the graphics hardware that
stores the pixel values that are converted into color intensity.
<CENTER><A NAME="P"></A><B>------ P ------</B></CENTER>


<P><A NAME="PLUT"></A><B>Palette Look-Up Table</B> -- a small table of
RAM that contains a set of <A HREF="#RGB">RGB</A> intensity values for
each index, of which there are 256 locations.&nbsp; The information in
this table is used by the <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A> to generate the analog
signal. Also known as a Color Look-Up Table or CLUT.
<CENTER><A NAME="R"></A><B>------ R ------</B></CENTER>


<P><B>RAMDAC</B> -- A <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A> that contains a built-in <A HREF="#PLUT">palette
look-up table</A>.

<P><A NAME="RGB"></A><B>RGB</B> -- acronym for Red, Blue &amp; Green, which
describes the three primary colors of light that a CRT generates to produce
the range of visible colors.
<CENTER><A NAME="S"></A><B>------ S ------</B></CENTER>


<P><B>Super VGA</B> -- see <A HREF="SVGA">SVGA</A>

<P><A NAME="SVGA"></A><B>SVGA </B>-- acronym for Super-<A HREF="#VGA">VGA</A>,
which is a term applied to chipsets and the advanced functionality of those
chipsets that are above and beyond the capabilities of the original IBM
<A HREF="#VGA">VGA</A> chipset.
<CENTER><A NAME="V"></A><B>------ V ------</B></CENTER>


<P><A NAME="VGA"></A><B>VGA</B> -- acronym for Video Graphics Array, which
is the term for IBM's successor to the EGA graphics chipset.&nbsp; This
term is also used when describing register compatible functions of other
chipsets such as SVGA chipsets.

<P><B>Video Graphics Array</B> -- see <A HREF="VGA">VGA</A>
<BR>&nbsp;
<BR>&nbsp;

<P>Notice: All trademarks used or referred to on this page are the property
of their respective owners.
<BR>All pages are Copyright &copy; 1997, 1998, J. D. Neal, except where
noted. Permission for utilization and distribution is subject to the terms
of the <A HREF="license.htm">FreeVGA Project Copyright License</A>.
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