specs/freevga/glossary.htm

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   5    <META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Pure VGA/SVGA hardware programming (registers, identification, and otherlow-level stuff.)">
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   7    <TITLE>FreeVGA - Video Programming Glossary</TITLE>
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  18 <HR><B>Hardware Level VGA and SVGA Video Programming Information Page</B></CENTER>
  19
  20 <CENTER>Video Programming Glossary&nbsp;
  21 <HR></CENTER>
  22 <B>Introduction</B>
  23 <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This page is a glossary
  24 covering video programming related terms.&nbsp; It is extremely difficult
  25 for me to determine which terms should be included in this page, thus if
  26 you have come here looking for a particular term and are dismayed at not
  27 finding it listed here, please send a note with the <A HREF="feedback.htm">Feedback
  28 Form</A> including the term in the body of the message, and it will be
  29 added here.
  30 <CENTER><A NAME="C"></A><B>------ C ------</B></CENTER>
  31
  32
  33 <P><B>CLUT</B> -- see <A HREF="#CLUT">Color Look-Up Table</A>
  34
  35 <P><A NAME="CLUT"></A><B>Color Look-Up Table</B> -- <A HREF="#PLUT">see
  36 Palette Look-Up Table</A>
  37 <BR>&nbsp;
  38 <BR>&nbsp;
  39 <CENTER><A NAME="D"></A><B>------ D ------</B></CENTER>
  40
  41
  42 <P><A NAME="DAC"></A><B>DAC</B> -- acronym for Digital to Analog Converter,
  43 which is a integrated circuit that converts intensity values to analog
  44 signal values.&nbsp; This is used in video chipsets to produce the analog
  45 signals that are sent to the monitor.&nbsp; Some DACs, known as RAMDACs
  46 contain a palette look-up table.
  47
  48 <P><B>Digital to Analog Converter</B> -- see <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A>
  49 <CENTER><A NAME="F"></A><B>------ F ------</B></CENTER>
  50
  51
  52 <P><B>Frame Buffer</B> -- RAM that is part of the graphics hardware that
  53 stores the pixel values that are converted into color intensity.
  54 <CENTER><A NAME="P"></A><B>------ P ------</B></CENTER>
  55
  56
  57 <P><A NAME="PLUT"></A><B>Palette Look-Up Table</B> -- a small table of
  58 RAM that contains a set of <A HREF="#RGB">RGB</A> intensity values for
  59 each index, of which there are 256 locations.&nbsp; The information in
  60 this table is used by the <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A> to generate the analog
  61 signal. Also known as a Color Look-Up Table or CLUT.
  62 <CENTER><A NAME="R"></A><B>------ R ------</B></CENTER>
  63
  64
  65 <P><B>RAMDAC</B> -- A <A HREF="#DAC">DAC</A> that contains a built-in <A HREF="#PLUT">palette
  66 look-up table</A>.
  67
  68 <P><A NAME="RGB"></A><B>RGB</B> -- acronym for Red, Blue &amp; Green, which
  69 describes the three primary colors of light that a CRT generates to produce
  70 the range of visible colors.
  71 <CENTER><A NAME="S"></A><B>------ S ------</B></CENTER>
  72
  73
  74 <P><B>Super VGA</B> -- see <A HREF="SVGA">SVGA</A>
  75
  76 <P><A NAME="SVGA"></A><B>SVGA </B>-- acronym for Super-<A HREF="#VGA">VGA</A>,
  77 which is a term applied to chipsets and the advanced functionality of those
  78 chipsets that are above and beyond the capabilities of the original IBM
  79 <A HREF="#VGA">VGA</A> chipset.
  80 <CENTER><A NAME="V"></A><B>------ V ------</B></CENTER>
  81
  82
  83 <P><A NAME="VGA"></A><B>VGA</B> -- acronym for Video Graphics Array, which
  84 is the term for IBM's successor to the EGA graphics chipset.&nbsp; This
  85 term is also used when describing register compatible functions of other
  86 chipsets such as SVGA chipsets.
  87
  88 <P><B>Video Graphics Array</B> -- see <A HREF="VGA">VGA</A>
  89 <BR>&nbsp;
  90 <BR>&nbsp;
  91
  92 <P>Notice: All trademarks used or referred to on this page are the property
  93 of their respective owners.
  94 <BR>All pages are Copyright &copy; 1997, 1998, J. D. Neal, except where
  95 noted. Permission for utilization and distribution is subject to the terms
  96 of the <A HREF="license.htm">FreeVGA Project Copyright License</A>.
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