Plantronics Colorplus
Template:Short description Template:Infobox GPUTemplate:Sister project The Plantronics Colorplus is a graphics card for IBM PC computers, first sold in 1982. It implements a superset of the then-current CGA standard, using the same monitor standard (4-bit digital TTL RGBI monitor) and providing the same pixel resolutions.[1] It was produced by Frederick Electronics (of Frederick, Maryland), a subsidiary of Plantronics since 1968, and sold by Plantronics' Enhanced Graphics Products division.[2][3]
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 Template:Resx resolution, or 4 colors at Template:Resx resolution.[4]
It uses the same Motorola MC6845 display controller as the previous MDA and CGA adapters.[1]
The original card also includes a parallel printer port.
Output capabilities
CGA compatible modes:
- Template:Resx 16 color mode (actual a text mode using
▌,▐and█) - Template:Resx in 4 colors from a 16 color hardware palette. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:1.2.
- Template:Resx in 2 colors. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:2.4
- Template:Resx with Template:Resx pixel font text mode (effective resolution of Template:Resx)
- Template:Resx with Template:Resx pixel font text mode (effective resolution of Template:Resx)
In addition to the CGA modes, it offers:[4]
- Template:Resx with 16 colors
- Template:Resx with 4 colors
- "New high-resolution" text font, selectable by hardware jumper
The "new" font was actually the unused "thin" font already present in the IBM CGA ROMs, with 1-pixel wide vertical strokes. This offered greater clarity on RGB monitors, versus the default "thick" / 2-pixel font more suitable for output to composite monitors and over RF to televisions but, contrary to Plantronics' advertising claims, was drawn at the same Template:Resx pixel resolution.
Software support
Few software made use of the enhanced Plantronics modes, for which there was no BIOS support.
A 1984 advertisement[2] listed the following software as compatible:
- Color-It
- UCSD P-system
- Peachtree Graphics Language
- Business Graphics System[5]
- Graph Power
- The Draftsman
- Videogram
- Stock View
- GSX
- CompuShow (Template:Resx mode)[6]
Some contemporary software has added support for Plantronics modes:
- Planet X3, released by American YouTuber David "The 8-Bit Guy" Murray in 2019, was the first video game known to have Colorplus support (Template:Resx with 16 colors). This support was added by Planet X3 enthusiast Benedikt Freisen.[7]
- Attack of the Petscii Robots by American YouTuber David "The 8-Bit Guy" in 2020, ported to MS-DOS computers with a graphics mode providing support for Plantronics Plus.
- Benedikt Freisen produced updated drivers in 2021 that add Colorplus support to Sierra's adventure games that ran on Sierra's Creative Interpreter.[8]
- FastDoom, a port of Doom (1993 video game) developed by Victor Nieto, added support for ColorPlus Template:Resx with 16 colors mode in 2021.[9]
Hardware clones
Some third-party CGA and EGA clones, such as the ATI Graphics Solution and the Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480,[10] could emulate the extra modes (usually describing them simply as 'Plantronics mode').
The Thomson TO16 (a PC-XT compatible)[11] and the Olivetti M19 supported Plantronics modes,[12] along with CGA.
See also
- Tandy Graphics Adapter, a graphics hardware system with similar capabilities.
- Quadram Quadcolor
- Orchid Graphics Adapter
- Hercules Graphics Card
- Olivetti M19
- Thomson TO16
References
External links
- "+COLORPLUS Shatters The Mold.", an original advertisement.
- A USENET posting describing the Plantronics Colorplus
- The technical documentation for the Paradise EGA chipset in the Amstrad PC-1640 describes its Plantronics compatibility mode.
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