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Quicktime
A system extension that makes it possible to view audio and video information on a computer. It was originally developed for the Macintosh but is now available for Windows machines as well, and has been adopted as the video standard by the ISO in their development of MPEG-4. The term also refers to the file format.

RAM
Random-Access Memory; a memory storage chip installed in a computer that holds information which can be accessed rapidly by the microprocessor..

Rasterize
To render vector data into a bitrmap image.

Read
In computer terminology, to transfer information from one storage medium or device. For example, data is read from disk to a computer screen.

Real Estate
The space available for data on storage media, or the physical space on the desktop.

Real Time
The time during which a data processing event occurs. In real time data is received and processed, and the results are returned so quickly that the process seems instantaneous to the user.

Relational Database
A collection of data files with at least one field in common, so that there is a means of relating any number of data units by using a common factor.

Render
To calculate attributes of an image that are based o geometric models and result in the production of a dimensional object

Repurpose
To use content in a preexisting program to perform a function other than the one or which it was originally intended.

Resolution
The number of pixels per unit of area on a monitor screen or dots per inch in a printed graphic. It also refers to the size of a window used to display video or images, such as 640x480 or 800x600.

RGB
Red-Green-Blue; describes a type of color model in which colors are represented as the combination of red, green, and blue light. RGB is the appropriate color model for screen graphics

ROM
Read-Only Memory; a computer storage medium that allows the user to recall and use information (read) but not to record or amend it (write).

Sample Rate
The frequency at which bits of data are recorded in digitizing a sound.

Saturated Colors
Bright colors, especially reds, that do not reproduce well on a video monitor because of their strong chroma component. They tend to saturate the screen with color of bleed around the edges, producing a blurred image.

Scan
To convert a document or graphic on pager to a digital image format.

Serif
In topography, a decorative flourish or thin line at the top or bottom of a letter that makes it easier to read. Fonts without serifs are referred to as "sans serif." Generally speaking, sans serif fonts work best for screen display..

Server
A host computer, or backend application, with a large hard disk drive that shares its resources and storage with other computers on network. Servers make files and services available to clients

SGML
Standard Generalized Markup Language; a universally recommended language for adding formatting information to text-only documents.

Shareware
User-supported software programs that are transferred or sold with the understanding that a fee will be paid to the program author if it meets the user's needs.

Sharpen
To enhance the distinction between darker and lighter pixels. Lines, edges, and other details in an image can be exaggerated through sharpening producing the effect of focusing the image.

Shockwave
Proprietary technology from Macromedia, Inc. for the Web delivery of multimedia content.

16-bit Audio
The use of a 16-bit sample rate to digitize and playback sound. The quality is vastly superior to 8-bit sound. The audio CD standard is 16-bit, with a 44.1 kHz sample rate

Source Code
The text in which a computer program is written. It is then compiled into machine code which a processor can execute.

SQL
Structured Query Language; a widely used programming language for defining, modifying, and accessing information in relational databases. It allows queries to be made from other programs.

Stand-alone
Describes a multimedia program that runs without the application that created it being present, requiring no other software support. It can also describe equipment, such as an interactive kiosk, that is independent of a larger network.

Storyboard
A sequence of graphic representations, often with dialog or captions, showing important scenes in a program. It is used to plan a production, to visualize, and to present program ideas. Storyboards are often an artist's sketches in a form similar to a comic strip.

Streaming
The ability of a media file to start playing back immediately without requiring the whole file to be downloaded first.

S-video
A type of video signal used in the Hi-8 and S-VHS videotape formats. It transmits luminance and color independently as separate components, avoiding the combination done in composite video and the resulting loss of picture quality.

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