Technosaurus
CNET.co.uk's guide to all the must-know terms and evolving technologies
- CCD (charged-coupled device)
- A chip used in digital cameras which has sensors that absorb and convert the intensity of light to electrical signals > More
- CD-R (compact disc, recordable)
- Disc that can be recorded on only once > More
- CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only memory)
- Compact disc used to store computer data instead of digital audio > More
- CD-RW (CD-rewritable)
- Rewritable optical storage disc > More
- CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
- Digital spread-spectrum modulation technique used mainly with personal communications devices > More
- CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)
- Low-power semiconductor technology commonly used in production of chips for personal computers > More
- CMYK
- The four colours used in traditional printing presses: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) > More
- CPU (central processing unit)
- Main microprocessor and most important component in a computer system > More
- CRT (cathode-ray tube)
- Bell of glass with electron guns at one end and a viewing screen at the other -- used in TVs and computer displays > More
- CompactFlash
- Small, removable device used to store images in digital cameras and to add memory to handheld devices > More
- calibration
- Process of adjusting a picture to comply with standards used in DVD and HDTV production > More
- chip
- See microprocessor, CPU > More
- chipset
- A group of integrated circuits (chips) > More
- chrominance
- Technical name for TV signal that carries colour information needed for a colour picture > More
- chrominance-to-luminance delay
- Video artefact caused by colour signal lagging brightness signal > More
- codec
- Algorithm for compressing and decompressing data, audio or video files > More
- colour balance
- Relative strength of the signal from each of the three electron guns used by a CRT monitor to excite the phosphors that make up the pixels in an image > More
- comb filter
- TV component that separates the chrominance and luminance from one another in composite-video connections > More
- component video
- The elements that make up a video signal > More
- composite video
- Video signal in which all the necessary video information is combined into one signal > More
- compression
- Generic term for any technology that enables data to take up less space > More
- contrast ratio
- Difference in light intensity between brightest white and darkest black a display device can produce > More
- convergence (information technology)
- Merging of personal computing, telecommunications and television into a single technology platform > More
- convergence (monitors)
- Colour CRTs rely on three electrical beams that combine to form a full-colour image > More
- cookie
- Small data file written to your hard drive by Web sites, logging every session under your name and making ogging in on subsequent visits unnecessary > More
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