Technosaurus
CNET.co.uk's guide to all the must-know terms and evolving technologies
- S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface)
- Standard format used for transferring data between two digital audio devices > More
- SD card (Secure Digital card)
- Flash-memory card that provides portable storage for electronic devices > More
- SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display)
- Display technology that uses phosphors activated by an electron emitter, just like CRT tube TVs > More
- SIM (subscriber identity module)
- Small smart card that is inserted into a GSM mobile phone > More
- SMS (Short Message Service)
- Wireless technology for sending text messages between mobiles, faxes and IP addresses > More
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
- TCP/IP protocol for exchanging email messages between servers > More
- SVGA (Supervideo graphics array)
- Display mode with a resolution of 800x600 pixels > More
- SXGA (Superextended graphics array)
- Display mode with a resolution of 1,280x1,024 pixels > More
- saturation
- Amount of colour in a picture > More
- selectable aspect ratios
- TV feature that allows the adjustment of screen proportions for the material being viewed > More
- selectable colour temperature
- Large-screen TV feature that allows colour temperature adjustment > More
- serial ATA
- Computer bus that can handle data transfer rates of 150MB per second between a CPU and a hard drive > More
- set-top box (STB)
- External receiver that converts broadcasts for display on a television > More
- skin
- Graphics file that changes the appearance of a program's interface > More
- solid state
- Any electronic circuit made of solid components, such as chips and transistors > More
- streaming
- Way of transferring data so that it can be processed as a steady stream > More
- stuck/dead pixel
- Pixel on an LCD that is permanently on or permanently off > More
- surround sound
- System for recording and reproducing sound that involves three or more channels and speakers > More
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