Glossary
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National Instruments Corporation
G-3
PCI/PXI-1408 and NI-IMAQ for Win95/NT
B
b
bit—one binary digit, either 0 or 1
B
byte—eight related bits of data, an eight-bit binary number; also
used to denote the amount of memory required to store one byte
of data
back porch
the area of the video signal between the rising edge of the
horizontal sync signal and the active video information
black reference level
the level that represents the darkest an image can get
See also white reference level.
buffer
temporary storage for acquired data
bus
the group of conductors that interconnect individual circuitry in a
computer, such as the PCI bus; typically the expansion vehicle to
which I/O or other devices are connected
C
C
Celsius
cache
high-speed processor memory that buffers commonly used
instructions or data to increase processing throughput
CCIR
Comite Consultatif International des Radiocommunications—a
committee that developed standards for color video signals
chrominance
the color information in a video signal
CMOS
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
CompactPCI
refers to the core specification defined by the PCI Industrial
Computer Manufacturer’s Group (PICMG)
compiler
a software utility that converts a source program in a high-level
programming language, such as Basic, C or Pascal, into an object
or compiled program in machine language. Compiled programs
run 10 to 1,000 times faster than interpreted programs
See also Interpreter.