Computer Science - Computer Fundamentals - Discussion

Refresh rate is the number of times in a second that a display hardware updates its buffer. The screen resolution signifies the number of dots (pixels) on the entire screen.

Color depth is sometimes referred to as bit depth because it is directly related to the number of bits used for each pixel. A 24-bit video adapter, for example, has a color depth of 2 to the 24th power (about 16.7 million) colors. One would say that its color depth is 24 bits.

Dot pitch: is a measurement that defines the sharpness of a display. It measures the distance between one dot and the other dot used to display the image on the screen. The smaller the dot pitch, the sharper the picture.

A pixel is the smallest programmable visual element and maps to the dot if the display is set to its highest resolution. When set to lower resolutions, a pixel encompasses multiple dots.

A monitor's dot pitch is the distance between the holes in the mask behind the screen. This helps determine how sharp the dots appear.