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Data Transfer Rate The speed that data is able to be transmitted between devices is called Data Transfer Rate. These devices include hard drives, modems, controllers, cables, printers, scanners and optical drives. Most computerized components will feature a data transfer rate. Another term for Data Transfer Rate is ‘throughput’. In modern computing and telecommunications advances in technology both hardware and software are increasing. Computer programs and files are becoming larger. Hardware components require higher data transfer rates. The advent of the World Wide Web (WWW) has increased the demand for faster and higher data transfer rates. Incorporating both hardware and software requirements to ensure that data transfer rates are compatible to ensure problem free computing is becoming a challenge. The selection of new components and upgrading of old components must include consideration of the data transfer rates and their compatibility. A combination of components such as multiple hard drives with differing data transfer rates will degrade the transfer of information. The computer system will adopt the lower data transfer rate to ensure that data is not lost during transfer. Choosing the same model and manufacturer when selecting a hard drive will ensure no loss of data. In networking, the data transfer rate can become a key administrative troubleshooting tool. The response time of a network will identify potential slowdowns or problems that exist within the network. The administrator is able to analyse the data transfer rates and use this information to make the network more efficient. Measurement of this data is expressed in kilobits (kbps) or megabits (mbps) per second. If larger amounts of data are transmitted, the measures will be in kilobytes (KB/sec), megabytes (MB/sec) or gigabytes (GB/sec) per second. Fibre optic loopbacks assist in measuring and performing data transfer tests. 1 kilobit (kb)                =                      1,024 bits 1 kilobyte (KB)            =                              8 kb 1 megabit (mb)             =                          128 kb 1 megabyte (MB)         =                             8 mb 1 gigabit (gb)                =                         128 mb 1 gigabyte (GB)            =                              8 gb 1 terabit (tb)                 =                          128 gb 1 terabyte (TB)             =                               8 tb In 2006, the highest data transfer rate of 14 terabits per second was recorded over a single optical fibre by Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone.   Database Driven Sites Where a database of information is used to control the content and functionality of the site.   Diagonal Size The diagonal size of a monitor refers to the distance between two opposite corners of the monitor screen. It’s common for this to be expressed in inches. Related Words CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Direct3D Like other APIs, Direct3D is also a part of DirectX API which is used for rendering three dimensional graphics in performance oriented application such as games. This is the API which allows applications to run in full mode instead of running in an embedded window. Related Words DirectDraw; DirectInput; DirectMusic; DirectPlay; DirectSound DirectDraw DirectDraw is an API which provides support for hardware-accelerated 2 dimensional graphics and allows direct access video display memory. In actual fact DirectDraw is a dedicated memory manager which allows allocation and manipulation of system and graphics memory.   DirectInput Like DirectDraw and DirectPlay, DirectInput is also an API for receiving input commands from users via input devices such as the keyboard, joystick, mouse and other input devices. Related Words DirectDraw; DirectPlay DirectMusic The functionality of this API in DirectX is somewhat similar to DirectSound as these APIs deals with audio. DirectMusic has capabilities beyond DirectSound which allow music and sound effects to be composed and played. The playback behavior can be flexibly controlled using this API. Related Words DirectDraw; DirectInput; DirectPlay; DirectSound DirectPlay DirectPlay is another API in Microsoft DirectX which is a network communication library used for game development. It also acts as an interface between applications and communication services to let games be connected over Internet or a local network. Related Words DirectDraw DirectSound DirectSound allows direct interaction between an application and the sound card drivers which in turn enable applications to generate sound and music. This API is also used by a number of professional audio applications. Related Words DirectDraw; DirectInput; DirectPlay DirectX Media As the name indicates, this component of DirectX enables developers to enhance multimedia performance to a great extent. Basically, DirectX Media is a set of DirectX APIs which are completely related to multimedia. They are: DirectAnimation:  For 2D web animation DirectShow: For high quality multimedia playback and streaming Direct3D Retained Mode: Allows developers to deal with high quality 3-D graphics Related Words Direct3D; DirectDraw; DirectInput; DirectMusic; DirectPlay; DirectSound Dot Pitch Dot pitch refers to the distance between two pixels. Dot pitch is usually given as a fraction of a millimeter, such as 0.28 mm or 0.35 mm. A crispier image is produced when the Dot Pitch is lower. In simple terms, the smaller the distance between two pixels, the sharper the image. Related Words Brightness; Contrast Ratio ; CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) DVI The term DVI stands for Digital Video Interface which is made up of up to 24-pins, which carries digital/analog/integrated video signals and delivers improved visual quality for display units such as LCD monitors and digital projectors. DVI comes in three different flavors: DVI-A, DVI-D and DVI-I.   DVI-A (Analog only): transmits only analog signals and is normally found with CRT monitors. (Very rare) DVI-D (Digital Only): As the name suggests, DVI-D transmit only digital signals without any analog signals. DVI-I (Integrated): The most commonly found connector which can transmit both, analog and digital signals and can be used with either analog or digital display units.