Device independent pixel
Encyclopedia
A Device independent pixel (also: density-independent pixel) is a point in a co-ordinate system held by a computer and represents an abstraction of a pixel
for use by an application that an underlying system then converts to physical pixels.
A typical use is to allow mobile device software to scale the display of information and user interaction to different screen sizes. The abstraction allows an application to work in pixels as a measurement, while the underlying graphics system converts the abstract pixel measurements of the application into real pixel measurements appropriate to the particular device.
For example, on the Android operating system a device-independent pixel is equivalent to one physical pixel on a 160 dpi
screen, while the Windows Presentation Foundation
specifies one device independent pixel as equivalent to 1/96th of an inch.
While traditional pixels only refer to the display of information, Device independent pixels may also be used to measure user input such as input on a touch screen device.
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
for use by an application that an underlying system then converts to physical pixels.
A typical use is to allow mobile device software to scale the display of information and user interaction to different screen sizes. The abstraction allows an application to work in pixels as a measurement, while the underlying graphics system converts the abstract pixel measurements of the application into real pixel measurements appropriate to the particular device.
For example, on the Android operating system a device-independent pixel is equivalent to one physical pixel on a 160 dpi
Dots per inch
Dots per inch is a measure of spatial printing or video dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of 1 inch . The DPI value tends to correlate with image resolution, but is related only indirectly.- DPI measurement in monitor...
screen, while the Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Presentation Foundation
Developed by Microsoft, the Windows Presentation Foundation is a computer-software graphical subsystem for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications. WPF, previously known as "Avalon", was initially released as part of .NET Framework 3.0. Rather than relying on the older GDI...
specifies one device independent pixel as equivalent to 1/96th of an inch.
While traditional pixels only refer to the display of information, Device independent pixels may also be used to measure user input such as input on a touch screen device.