Glossary of Terms for Computer Monitors
Aspect Ratio: Aspect ratio describes to the proportion of width to height of a projected image.
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Color Resolution: Color resolution refers to the bits of data used to store information about every pixel in an image. The higher the color resolution, the more color possibilities in an image and the larger the file.
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Connectors
Connectors are wires that facilitate file transfer between computer monitors and external devices, such as desktops and keyboards.
Types
S-Video: Separated Video, Super-Video, sometimes referred to as Y/C Video is a type of connection that transmits color signals separately from brightness signals.
USB: The Universal Serial Bus connector transfers data at a rate of 12 Mbps, without the addition of an adapter card.
DVI: The Digital Video Interface is a connector that maximizes the visual quality of digital display devices. DVI connectors are available in three types: DVI-A for analog monitors, DVD-D for digital monitors, and DVI-I for both analog and digital monitors.
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Diagonal Screen Size: Diagonal screen size is the measure from bottom corner to opposite top corner of the viewable screen of a device.
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Dot Pitch: Measured in pixels per millimeter (pixels/mm), dot pitch is the distance between pixels on the monitor. A shorter distance between pixels indicates shaper picture resolution.
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Maximum Resolution: Maximum resolution, measured in pixels, refers to the highest quality of image a device can display
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Monitor Type
CRT: Cathode Ray Tube technology uses three tubes to process red, green, and blue colors separately, and then mixes them together to create the full image.
Flat CRT: Flat Cathode Ray Tube screens display in the same manner as standard CRT screens, but are flat rather than round.
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display screens contain crystals that work like shutters, allowing light to pass through.
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Refresh Rate: Measured in hertz (Hz), it is the number of times a displayed image is regenerated per second.
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TFT: Thin Film Transistor monitors control each pixel of an image with one to four transistors.
Active Matrix: This type of TFT screen controls each pixel of an image individually.
Passive Matrix: This type of LCD screen controls pixels not individually, but as a whole.
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Video Resolution Standard: Video resolution standard describes the fixed array of pixels that a device can display.
Types
VGA: Video Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 720 x 400 pixels.
SVGA: Super Video Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 800 x 600 pixels.
XGA: Extended Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.
SXGA: Super Extended Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels.
UXGA: Ultra Extended Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels.
QXGA: Quantum Extended Graphics Array devices feature a native resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.
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The Video Standard describes the resolution and frame rate of a device.
Types
NTSC: The National Television System Committee Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 525 lines and a frame rate of 30 frames per second.
PAL: The Phase Alternation by Line Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 625 lines and a frame rate of 25 frames per second.
SECAM: The Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire Standard has a fixed vertical resolution of 625 lines and a frame rate of 25 frames per second.
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