Release date | 1982 |
---|---|
Cards | |
Entry-level | Plantronics Colorplus |
High-end | ATI Graphics Solution, Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480 |
History | |
Predecessor | CGA |
Successor | EGA |
The Plantronics Colorplus is a graphics card for IBM PC computers, first sold in 1982. It is a superset of the then-current CGA standard, using the same monitor standard and providing the same pixel resolutions. It was produced by Frederick Electronics, of Frederick, Maryland.
The Colorplus has twice the memory of a standard CGA board (32k, compared to 16k). The additional memory can be used in graphics modes to double the color depth, giving two additional graphics modes—16 colors at 320×200 resolution, or 4 colors at 640×200 resolution.
It uses the same Motorola MC6845 display controller as the previous MDA and CGA adapters.
The original card also includes a parallel printer port.
CGA compatible modes:
In addition to the CGA modes, it offers:
Few programs made use of these modes, for which there was no BIOS support. A 1984 advertisement listed as compatible software Color-It, UCSD P-system, Peachtree Graphics Language, Business Graphics System,Graph Power, The Draftsman, Videogram, Stock View and GSX. In addition, Canyon State Systems CompuShow supports the 320×200 mode.
Some third-party CGA and EGA clones, such as the ATI Graphics Solution and the Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480, could emulate the extra modes (usually describing them simply as 'Plantronics mode').