Scanlinie

Scanlinie is a term that can refer to several related concepts, primarily within the fields of digital imaging and data representation. In its most basic form, a scanline is a single horizontal line of pixels within a raster image. When an image is scanned or displayed, it is typically processed row by row, with each row representing a scanline. This fundamental unit is crucial for how digital images are stored, transmitted, and rendered on screens.

The concept of scanlines is also relevant in the context of computer graphics and video. In older display technologies, particularly cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors, the electron beam would physically sweep across the screen in a series of scanlines to illuminate the pixels and form the image. This process, known as raster scanning, was the standard for many years. Even with modern display technologies like LCD and OLED, the underlying principles of how an image is constructed from discrete lines and pixels remain, though the physical implementation is different.

Furthermore, scanline rendering is a specific algorithm used in computer graphics to generate an image. This technique processes the image line by line, calculating the color of each pixel on a given scanline based on the geometry and textures of the scene. It's an efficient method for rendering 2D and 3D graphics, particularly in real-time applications like video games. The term can also appear in discussions of image compression and data formats where scanline order or structure is a significant factor.