pixel LastModified: Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Short for Picture Element, a pixel is a single point in a graphic image. Graphics monitors display pictures by dividing the display screen into thousands (or millions) of pixels, arranged in rows and columns. The pixels are so close together that they appear connected. The number of bits used to represent each pixel determines how many colors or shades of gray can be displayed. For example, in 8-bit color mode, the color monitor uses 8 bits for each pixel, making it possible to display 2 to the 8th power (256) different colors or shades of gray. On color monitors, each pixel is actually composed of three dots -- a red, a blue, and a green one. Ideally, the three dots should all converge at the same point, but all monitors have some convergence error that can make color pixels appear fuzzy. The quality of a display system largely depends on its resolution, how many pixels it can display, and how many bits are used to represent each pixel. VGA systems display 640 by 480, or about 300,000 pixels. In contrast, SVGA systems display 800 by 600, or 480,000 pixels. True Color systems use 24 bits per pixel, allowing them to display more than 16 million different colors.
Video Modes, Resolution and Color Describes the technical details of video modes and signals, as well as the major characteristics of the video image. This page is from "The PC Guide."	related categories: Graphics Measurement Monitors Windows related terms: alpha channel convergence dead pixel feathering graphics gray scaling megapixel monitor QXGA reflective resolution SXGA transflective transmissive true color UXGA voxel Shopping pixel Products Compare Products,Prices and Stores Shop by Category: Digital Cameras 1314 Model Matches Clothing 1286 Store Offers Monitors 176 Model Matches