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Definition: monitor


(1) For human monitors, see moderator.

(2) A display screen for a computer, cable box, camera or other video-generating device. The predominant monitor technologies are LCD and OLED and their variations (see LCD, QLED, OLED and QD-OLED). A computer monitor often has built-in speakers. However, a TV monitor, designed as a home theater component, has no speakers. See display standards.

(3) Software that observes the activities within a computer system. See computer monitoring.

(4) Hardware that gathers performance statistics via direct attachment to a CPU's circuit boards. See network analyzer.

(5) Firmware in a hardware device that provides control functions such as setting communications parameters. The monitor resides in a ROM or flash memory chip.