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This chapter provides an overview of different types of computer output, including monitors, printers, and storage devices. It covers various technologies and advantages of different devices.
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Output and Storage Chapter 3 of Computers: Understanding Technology Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Types of Output • Text • Graphics • Audio • Video Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Output Devices • Monitors • Screen projector • Printers • Plotters • Televisions • Speakers Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Monitors • Sizes are measured diagonally – 15, 17, 19, and 21 inches for desktop PCs • Cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors utilize the same technology used in television sets • Monitor screen consists of dots of phosphor material, with each dot containing a red, green, and blue phosphor Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
CRT Technology • Electron beam moves back and forth across the rear of the screen causing the dots on the front of the screen to glow • Graphics card (video adapter) inside computer converts digital signals in computer to analog signals and sends them to the monitor Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) • LCD monitors utilize digital signals • Liquid crystals are sandwiched between two sheets of material. Electric current causes these crystals to twist, which blocks some light waves. • Notebook computer LCDs use either passive matrix or active-matrix displays. The latter permit viewing from any angle. Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
LCD Advantages over CRT • Thinner (7” vs 17”) • Lighter (12 lbs. vs. 31-41 lbs) • Larger viewable screen size (17” vs. 16”) for same size • Consume less power • Generate less heat • Flicker-free *Comparing 2 17” monitors on May 28, 2007 on Best Buy website Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
CRT Advantages over LCD • Less expensive ($115 vs. $170-200)* • Precise color matching • Blur-free movement • Can adjust screen resolutions without affecting image sharpness whereas LCDs best at the native screen size** • Price comparison of 17” monitors – Best Buy website, May 28, 2007 ** Monitor Guide on Best Buy website Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Screen Resolution, Dot Pitch • 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, etc. screen resolution (in pixels) • Can be changed in Control Panel>Display • The higher the resolution, the smaller something will appear • Dot pitch: the distance between the centers of pixels on a display – lower values are better (values range from 0.25-0.31 mm) Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Refresh Rate • Refresh rate should be at least 72 hertz to avoid flicker Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Screen Projectors • Screen projectors display what is displayed on the computer monitor on a large screen • Used in classrooms and speakers making presentations at meetings, conventions, conferences, etc. Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Printers • Printers can usually print in both portrait and landscape format • Dot-matrix printers are impact printers; print head strikes an inked ribbon; impact printers are useful for making copies or Braille output • The number of dots per linear inch is a measure of print quality – draft quality (~300 dpi) and letter quality (~1200 dpi) • Line printers print an entire line at one time, utilizing a chain of rotating characters. These printers typically use 11 x 17 inch, tractor-fed, continuous-form paper. A fast printer can print 3000 lines per minute Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Printers (cont.) • Ink-jet printers are non-impact printers and provide greater resolution than dot-matrix printers – spray tiny droplets of electrically charged ink – typically use a cartridge for black and one or more for color printing • Laser printers are nonimpact printers that utilizes technology similar to photocopy machines Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Ink-Jet vs. Laser Printer Comparison • Ink jet advantages • Printers less expensive, particularly for color • Print cartridges less expensive • Laser printer advantages • Faster • Ink (toner) costs per page less than ink jet Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Other output devices • Thermal printers – used in some fax machines, thermal dye transfer printer can do very high quality • Plotters – maps, diagrams, charts • Fax/modem card • Speakers • Speaker headsets • Synthesized human speech Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Storage Devices and Media • Devices are the hardware component which houses the medium on which data is recorded (e.g. VCR is the device, VCR tape is the medium) • Speed of storage device measured by access time (to locate file) and data transfer rate • Magnetic storage devices – floppy disks, hard disks, zip disks, tape cartridges, USB flash drives Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Floppy Disks and Disk Drives • Track: numbered concentric circle • Sector: numbered section of disk, similar to slice of pie • Cluster: Group of sectors; the smallest unit of storage that is assigned a memory address • File Allocation Table (FAT) – name of each file, its size, and the sector in which it begins • Both floppy and hard disks spin, but floppy disk only spin when data is being accessed or stored Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Zip Disks • Zip disks initially had 100MB capacity, then 250 and later 750MB versions introduced • Introduced in 1994 by Iomega, the drive was $200 and each 100MB disk was $20; prices declined over time • Have completely been replaced by writable CDs and flash drives Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
USB Flash Drive • Also known as jump drive, thumb drive, and pen drive • Electronic with no moving parts (unless floppy or hard drive) Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Tape Cartridges and Tape Drives • Magnetic tape was one of the first types of secondary storage for computers • Tape storage is appropriate for storing large amounts of data that are no longer actively used but need to be saved for historical purposes • Tape cartridges are used with personal computers to back up the contents of a hard drive Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
Optical Storage Devices • Compact Discs (CDs) and Digital versatile (or video) discs (DVD’s) are both 4.75” in diameter and about 1/20” thick • Lasers are used to write and read discs; light is reflected from the nonburned areas (0) but not from burned areas (1’s) • Unlike floppy and hard disks, which store data in concentric circles, optical disk data is usually stored in a single track which spirals from the center of the disk to the outer edge • Some are rewritable and some are not – the designation of R means it can only be written to once, whereas RW means it is is rewritable Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009
CD, DVD Capabilities • Data transfer rates for CDs expressed as multiple of speed of first drive (150KB/second) • CD – 700MB capacity • DVD – from 4.7GB to 17GB (double sided, double layered) capacity Bill Pegram - September 15, 2009