Users Guide

Glossary 209
video adapter
The logical circuitry that provides—in combination with the monitor—your
system's video capabilities. A video adapter may support more or fewer features
than a specific monitor offers. Typically, a video adapter comes with video drivers
for displaying popular application programs and operating systems in a variety of
video modes.
On some systems, a video adapter is integrated into the system board. Also
available are many video adapter cards that plug into an expansion-card
connector.
Video adapters often include memory separate from RAM on the system board.
The amount of video memory, along with the adapter's video drivers, may affect
the number of colors that can be simultaneously displayed. Video adapters can
also include their own coprocessor for faster graphics rendering.
video driver
A program that allows graphics-mode application programs and operating systems
to display at a chosen resolution with the desired number of colors. A software
package may include some "generic" video drivers. Any additional video drivers
may need to match the video adapter installed in the system.
video memory
Most VGA and SVGA video adapters include memory chips in addition to your
system's RAM. The amount of video memory installed primarily influences the
number of colors that a program can display (with the appropriate video drivers
and monitor capabilities).
video mode
Video adapters normally support multiple text and graphics display modes.
Character-based software displays in text modes that can be defined as
x columns
by
y rows of characters. Graphics-based software displays in graphics modes that
can be defined as
x horizontal by y vertical pixels by z colors.
video resolution
Video resolution—800 x 600, for example—is expressed as the number of pixels
across by the number of pixels up and down. To display a program at a specific
graphics resolution, you must install the appropriate video drivers and your
monitor must support the resolution.