Bandwidth:
Maximum amount of data, expressed in MBs or GBs, which one same peripheral is able to treat in one second. The greater the bandwidth, the larger the amount of information processed.

 


Bilinear filtering:
This is a sophisticated technique that averages the four adjacent texels and interpolates, thus creating a new texel. Games require at least this level of texture filtering to avoid a deterioration of textures when approaching objects.

 

 

BitBLT (Bit Block Transfer):
The term BitBLT refers to block transfers of pixel data, providing hardware acceleration for many common operations. It involves transferring blocks of data from one memory location to another. The capacity to perform raster operations on the data using a pattern is also included.

 

 

Bitmap:
A 2D digital image. An exact representation, consisting of rows and columns of dots, of a graphics image in the computer's memory is known as a bitmap. In strict terms, a bitmap refers to images that are bi-level (i.e. each pixel in the image is either "off" or "on", as in black or white), but the term is commonly used in place of the correct term "pixmap" to describe digital color images. Examples of bitmaps include backgrounds and sprites. Storing bitmaps necessitates a lot of computer memory. A bitmap is an image defined by a collection of dots, as opposed to a vector image, which is defined by mathematical formulae.

 

 

Bit packing:
A no-loss (perfect) compression method for graphics with few colors or simple sounds. For example, if an image only has 16 colors (15+ transparency), each pixel can be described by 4 bits (16) instead of a higher number.

 

 

Boot (boot up):
To start a computer system. The term was originally IPL (Initial Program Load), from which the extremely logical evolution! During the boot up, the PC checks set disk locations to be informed of the location of that particular system's operating system.

 

 

Bump mapping:
A technique used to simulate rough or bumpy textures with irregularities in their shading.

 

 

Bus:
The pathway between devices (usually chips) on a printed circuit board (PCB).

 

 

Byte:
The standard "size" measure used in computer memory. It is comprised of 8 bits.