HUD (computing)
Encyclopedia
In computing
, the HUD (heads-up display) is the method by which information is visually relayed to the user as part of a program or OS' user interface
. It takes its name from the head-up display
s used in modern aircraft
.
-based screens may cause permanent damage in the form of burning
into the inner coating of the television sets, which is impossible to repair. Also players who pause their games for long hours without turning off their television or putting it on standby risk harming their TV sets. Plasma TV screens are also at risk, although the effects are usually not as permanent.
Burn-in can still happen on LCD monitors, but only when the same image is displayed for weeks.
applications, heads-up displays (or HUDs) usually take the form of miniature, darkly-colored, transparent windows which are revealed outside the window of the currently-running application. Their purposes vary, from simply displaying information concerning a currently-running task, to displaying the tools for carrying out the task. HUDs often overlap with palettes, a similarly-functioning GUI element that usually fits the general interface of the main parent application (see Dashboard (interface)
).
HUDs can also figure in larger settings, such as the display modes for the Exposé
and Dashboard applications.
, which shows the user a transparent, rounded, and rectangular control bar that floats within the bottom of a video but does not touch the very bottom of the application window; this is usually the main means of control of the video playback when in full-screen mode.
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, the HUD (heads-up display) is the method by which information is visually relayed to the user as part of a program or OS' user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
. It takes its name from the head-up display
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
s used in modern aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
HUDs and burn-in
Prolonged display of HUD elements on certain CRTCathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
-based screens may cause permanent damage in the form of burning
Phosphor burn-in
Screen burn-in, image burn-in or ghost image, colloquially known as screen burn or screen afterimage, is a permanent discoloration of areas on an electronic display such as a cathode ray tube display or computer display monitor or Television set caused by cumulative non-uniform usage of the...
into the inner coating of the television sets, which is impossible to repair. Also players who pause their games for long hours without turning off their television or putting it on standby risk harming their TV sets. Plasma TV screens are also at risk, although the effects are usually not as permanent.
Burn-in can still happen on LCD monitors, but only when the same image is displayed for weeks.
Mac OS X
In Mac OS XMac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
applications, heads-up displays (or HUDs) usually take the form of miniature, darkly-colored, transparent windows which are revealed outside the window of the currently-running application. Their purposes vary, from simply displaying information concerning a currently-running task, to displaying the tools for carrying out the task. HUDs often overlap with palettes, a similarly-functioning GUI element that usually fits the general interface of the main parent application (see Dashboard (interface)
Dashboard (interface)
In computer user interfaces, a dashboard is a floating window that provides contextual access to commonly used tools in a software program. The interface is used to greatest effect in full-screen editing modes. Dashboard user interfaces are also used to display management information in an easy to...
).
HUDs can also figure in larger settings, such as the display modes for the Exposé
Exposé (Mac OS X)
Exposé is a feature of the Mac OS X operating system. First previewed on 23 June 2003 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a feature of the then forthcoming Mac OS X v10.3, Exposé allows a user to quickly locate an open window, or to hide all windows and show the desktop without the need...
and Dashboard applications.
Transparent floating HUDs
In recent years, Mac applications have started to utilize HUDs as displays for buttons and controls, such as in QuickTimeQuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
, which shows the user a transparent, rounded, and rectangular control bar that floats within the bottom of a video but does not touch the very bottom of the application window; this is usually the main means of control of the video playback when in full-screen mode.
Applications which use the HUD element
- ApertureAperture (photography software)Aperture is a photo editing and management software program that was developed by Apple for the Mac OS X operating system, first released in 2005 for $499 , dropped to $199, and now released on their App Store for $79...
- iPhotoIPhotoiPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
- Naked lightNaked lightNaked light is a non-destructive image editor for Mac OS X, featuring node-based compositing, infinite resolution, and live filters.Naked light is currently in public beta.- Features :* Non-destructive workflow* Node-based compositing* Infinite resolution...
- PixelmatorPixelmatorPixelmator is a graphic editor developed for Mac OS X, by Pixelmator Team Ltd built upon a combination of open source and Mac OS X technologies...
- ShiiraShiiraShiira is an open source web browser for the Mac OS X operating system. According to its website, the goal of Shiira was "to create a browser that is better and more useful than Safari". Shiira uses WebKit for rendering and scripting.Shiira Project was led by Makoto Kinoshita. The latest release...
- Desktop HUD