Glossary » I

Integrated Drive Electronics - a standard interface for storage drives connected to a PC motherboard. Modern motherboards feature an updated version of IDE or Enhanced IDE (EIDE). IDE is also referred to as ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) and today there are two versions available, Parallel-ATA and S-ATA (Serial ATA) which is the latest standard sporting thinner cables and improved speeds.

The technique used in video whereby fields containing alternate lines of video are shown in quick succession, creating the illusion of a single frame.

Mathematical process of increasing apparent image resolution by averaging adjacent pixels and inserting new ones. It will never create new detail but can be useful to smooth edges on big enlargements.

A nickel-iron alloy that resists thermal expansion used in the construction of CRT shadow masks.

Infrared Data - a standard for transferring data over infrared signals between computers and peripherals. There are two different standards that are capable of 115200 bps (bits per second) or 4Mbps (Mega bits per second).

Integrated Services Digital Network. A service that allows digital communications over standard phone lines and offers two 64Kbit/sec bearer, or B-channels. Not suitable for home users as it is much more expensive and slower than ADSL.

Internet Service Provider - The company that provides your access to the Internet. For example, Zen, Tiscali, Plus.net.

Internet Telephony Service Providers - A company that provides connectivity between VoIP and traditional telephone systems.