Input & Output Devices

Learn how to use headphones in place of microphones for sound recording. If you are making a game or an animation at home, or if you just want to play around with your computer, it may be helpful...

The key components in all forms of machinery are those that interact directly with the people operating them. Without these input devices, machines would not receive real-time instructions for...

The availability of television shows and movies on our computers has increased greatly over the recent years. However, watching these programs on a computer screen can decrease quality and strain...

PCs do all of the work, but the monitor is responsible for displaying it. It is the piece of computer hardware that receives the most attention as we could not use our computers without it. ...

The Compaq Presario 2100 laptop computer comes in two different versions. One has a normal 56kbps modem and the other uses a wireless card for accessing the Internet without any additional cables....

Photo retouchers, graphic designers, artists, architects, and many others use Wacom pen tablets. Choosing the right size for your needs can be tricky, however. The most important things to take...

The RCA connector, named after the Radio Corporation of America, was introduced in the 1940s as a way to quickly and easily connect RCA equipment to each other. It quickly became an industry...

Having the proper video card drivers installed is essential for a computer to have the maximum performance and highest level of stability possible. Checking for and installing updated video card...

Pinnacle Systems offers video capture cards that use both FireWire and USB, the two main connectors that are used with computer peripherals. USB (universal serial bus) was created jointly by...

The brain is a very complicated organism that is part of a central nervous system and consists of a very large neural network. A neural network is a connected circuit of biological neurons (an...

XM Satellite Radio is one of the most popular satellite-based radio stations available to subscribers through both home and car receivers. They offer both direct satellite and PC-specific...

Whether you managed to install your new sound card into your computer or reinstalled Windows, your sound will not work without your sound card's drivers. A driver is a piece of software that tells...

Using a TV tuner card with your computer allows you to use your PC as not just a computer, but as a total theater. You can record and pause live broadcasts and have your entire music and movie...

While many newer computers contain S-video outputs, perfect for connecting televisions and other video devices, older computers offer only a simple VGA connection. VGA is the standard driver for...

A multimedia card (also called an MMC, flash card, media card, compact flash card, memory stick and memory card), is a memory device used to store pictures, songs and other data. Multimedia cards...

Media card readers, also called memory card readers and flash card readers, are devices that read media cards. Media cards, also called multi-media cards or flash cards, are used in cameras,...

A computer is a computer regardless of size. In other words, all computers are capable of performing the same tasks if given enough storage ability and time. Your cell phone is as much a...

Data transfers can be a complicated process. With the advent of new software and better data transferring abilities built into today's computers, the process need not be painful. Knowing a few...

Visioneer is a California computer hardware designer and manufacturer specializing in imaging hardware. The company is well known for its use of the proprietary PaperPort document scanning...

With capacities growing exponentially and prices dropping, flash drives are a popular way of storing computer files and transferring them among machines. They can literally hold gigabytes of data...

Computer users can listen to their favorite music and play video games on their machines. There may be times when you cannot listen to the audio on your computer at full blast through the speakers...

USB drives based on Universal Serial Bus technology are miniature data storage devices. In the past few years, they have quickly supplanted old-generation floppy drives as more effective data...

Burning DVDs on your personal computer is a great way to share home movies, slide shows and multimedia with your family and friends or back up important data. To properly burn a DVD, you will need...

Every computer user experiences system problems on occasion. Luckily, PCs have a built-in diagnostics tool that can help. Use the Device Manager to quickly check if you are having any hardware...

Listening to music or watching videos on your laptop can be enhanced through the addition of an amplifier. The stereo sound accomplished by this hook-up allows you to share your selections with...

Streaming radio shows and online programs have risen in popularity since their conception in the early 1990s. Online radio offers greater control and convenience for the listener, but only if...

The output devices used in computers have the task of displaying or communicating the information processed by the machines. Signals or information are inputs, which are sent to or read by various...

A personal recording is the key to starting a serious hobby or career in music. With a personal recording studio, you will be able to produce your own music. This article will outline the tools...

Even if a computer does not have speakers attached, it still may have a sound card installed. Instead of purchasing a sound card and speakers, you may only need to buy speakers. Finding the sound...

Computer speakers can be surprisingly difficult to properly install, and that's because there are several hardware and software issues that you might need to address, including incorrect cable...

Problems with computer peripherals such as keyboards or monitors are some of the more difficult to diagnose. Problems with your input and output devices for your PC can be frustrating, and the...

The advent of cheaper audio interface cards, combined with less-expensive audio editing programs like SONAR and Pro Tools LE, has revolutionized the home recording market. Musicians working in...

FireWire is common port used to transfer data between your computer and other devices using a FireWire cable. It is commonly used by many different devices and is very reliable for data transfer....

Communication devices have been around in one form or another since early in humanity's existence. Even in primitive times before history, people were using methods to communicate with each other....

There are several reasons to hook a VCR up to your computer. Maybe you want to record your old VHS tapes to your laptop so you can watch them on the go, or perhaps you want to update your...

The Logitech diNovo keyboard is a wireless device that lets you use your keyboard without being located directly in front of your computer. The keyboard is designed to be used with a computer that...

A computer interface is what allows the computer to send and retrieve information to internal and external devices. Most common interfaces are dealing with internal storage devices, but input to...

A touch screen digitizer is the part of a personal digital assistant (PDA), phone or monitor that allows you to touch the screen with a stylus or your finger and input data directly. You can touch...

With the ever-increasing number of computer-compatible devices manufactured every year, it is important for electronics designers to agree on common formats for connectivity. USB was created to...

A computer can look like a box with a lot of confusing wires connected to it. But often connections are color coded, as is the case for audio input and output on the back of many computers. Some...

The everlasting battle between SCSI and IDE was jolted severely when SATA was introduced. However, the question still stands of whether SCSI and IDE will continue to stand the test of time or not....

According to iSuppli Corporation, a technology value chain analysis group, Xilinx holds a worldwide 51 percent market share in programmable logic solutions, making it the international leader of...

Electronic data capture (EDC) methods were developed to streamline ways to gather data. These methods are often used for research and analysis, mainly for clinical trials in the medical field. EDC...

If you are an avid gamer, you may find yourself wanting to connect a video game controller to your computer. With so many game console emulators available online, it is only natural to want to use...

An output device is a part of the computer that receives the processing from the computer. An output device comes in several forms, including sound, visual effects like the display and print jobs....

The Internet has become so widely integrated into the fabric of people's lives it's a wonder that things ever got done in life before its invention. However, in the early days of the net, there...

The difference between DVD burners and CD burners is how they write data and what types of data they write. Both are considered data storage systems; they take data from a computer and write it to...

Connecting your computer to your TV allows you to view the contents of the computer screen on the TV screen, which can be especially useful for viewing movies or pictures on a larger screen. In...

Connecting your laptop or personal computer to your television opens up a wide range of benefits. By connecting your laptop or PC to your TV, you can show your friends and family your collections...

Sophie talks about the Blu-Ray format; the hot new storage solution, will it replace DVD? Is it becoming more affordable, will the movie and gaming industry embrace it?