Glossary 7

DVD
Digital versatile disc or digital video disc. A type of CD-ROM that holds a minimum of 4.7
GB, enough for a full-length movie. The DVD specification supports disks with capacities
of from 4.7 GB to 17 GB and access rates of 600 Kbps to 1.3 Mbps. One of the features of
DVD drives is that they are backward-compatible with CD-ROM disks. This means that
DVD players can play old CD-ROMs, CD-I disks, and video CDs, as well as new DVD-
ROMs. Newer DVD players can also read CD-R disks. DVD uses MPEG-2 to compress
video data. See MPEG.
E
ECC memory
Error Checking and Correcting memory. Advanced type of memory that can find and
correct certain types of single-bit memory errors, providing greater data integrity. Advanced
ECC can correct some double-bit errors.
ECP
Extended Capabilities Port. A parallel-port standard for PCs that supports bidirectional
communication between the PC and attached devices (such as a printer). ECP is about 10
times faster than the older Centronics standard. Another modern parallel port for PCs that
offers similar performance is the EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port).
EDO memory
Extended Data Out memory. A faster type of asynchronous computer memory that holds its
last-requested data in a cache after releasing it. EDO memory is designed for use with the
Intel Pentium processors.
EIDE
Extended Integrated Drive Electronics. The EIDE specification is an enhanced version of
IDE that allows for faster transfer rates and supports larger hard drive sizes
enhanced VGA
A video interface that offers more colors or higher resolution than VGA.
EPP
Enhanced Parallel Port, a parallel port standard for PCs that supports bidirectional
communication between the PC and attached device (such as a printer). EPP is about 10
times faster than the older Centronics standard. Another modern parallel port for PCs that
offers similar performance is the ECP (Extended Capabilities Port).
extended RAM
The area of RAM above the first megabyte of memory in the system available for
enhancing system performance.
F
FAT
File Allocation Table. A table near the beginning of a drive that identifies the location of
everything on the drive.
flash ROM
Method in which a computer’s BIOS ROM can be upgraded without replacing the ROM
BIOS chip.