media conversion
[′mē·dē·ə kən‚vər·zhən] (computer science)
The transfer of data from one storage type (such as punched cards) to another storage type (such as magnetic tape).
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
conversion
(1) See conversion filter, image filter and conversion rate.(2) "Data conversion" changes data from one file or database format to another (see export and import). When dealing with mainframes, data conversion may also require code conversion (see ASCII and EBCDIC). See data conversion.
(3) "Graphics conversion" changes the data from one graphics file format to another. It may also require a change in architecture from vector to bitmap and vice versa. See graphics conversion.
(4) "Media conversion" changes the storage media such as from a hard disk to an optical disc. Media conversion may also refer to converting from analog to digital media (see digital converter).
(5) "Program conversion" changes the source code from one programming language to another or from one operating system platform to another.
(6) "Computer system conversion" changes the computer model and peripheral devices.
(7) "Information system conversion" requires data conversion and either program conversion or the installation of newly purchased or created application programs.
data conversion
Data conversion means changing the data in one file format to another format. Known as "exporting," applications may be able to save their data to more than one file format and thus do the data conversion automatically. However, there are many stand-alone data conversion programs that support a wide variety of formats.A Neutral Format
If an application cannot export to the desired format the user needs, it may be able to export to a neutral format such as regular text (export to ASCII text) or text fields separated by commas (see CSV). However, in these cases, page formats and macros are lost in the conversion.
If there is no export function or stand-alone conversion program available, the only recourse is to have a custom conversion program written from scratch. If the format is rare, there may be no written documentation available, and custom conversion may be tedious and expensive. See ASCII file, CloudConvert and conversion.
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| Save As Formats |
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| Microsoft Word can save documents in various formats as in this example. Notice the Plain Text option. |
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| A Conversion Program |
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| This earlier DataViz conversion program supported many file formats. This example converted a Word Perfect document (.wpd) to Word (.doc) by highlighting source and destination formats and clicking Convert. Conversion programs carry forward all layout settings as long as the target format supports the same feature. |
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Custom Programs Are Often the Only Way
This encyclopedia is written in XyWrite III Plus, a 1990s DOS word processor. Years ago, author Alan Freedman wrote two console programs in C to convert the XyWrite files first to a base XML format and then to the target format for the website and licensees. The two C programs total more than 3,000 lines of custom code. See console app and C.
media converter
(1) Software that converts one type of file format into another. See data conversion.(2) Hardware that connects different cable types.
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| Ethernet Media Converters |
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| These Omnitron converters connect different Ethernets. Left: coax and twisted pair. Middle: fiber and twisted pair. Right: fiber and coax. (Image courtesy of Omnitron Systems Technology, Inc., www.omnitron-systems.com) See 10Base-T, 10Base2 and 10Base-F. |
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