Plantronics Colorplus
{{Short description|Graphics card for IBM PC computers}}
{{Infobox GPU
| name = Plantronics Colorplus
| image = Image:Plantronics Colorplus.jpg
| codename =
| created = {{Start date and age|1982}}
| designfirm = Frederick Electronics
| manufacturer = Plantronics Enhanced Graphics Products
| transistors =
| entry = Plantronics Colorplus
| midrange =
| highend = ATI Graphics Solution, Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480
| enthusiast =
| openglversion =
| d3dversion =
| predecessor = CGA
| successor = EGA
|architecture=Motorola MC6845}}{{Commons category|Plantronics Colorplus}}
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.{{Cite news |last=Machrone |first=Bill |date=July 1983 |title=Three Alternative Graphics Boards |pages=435–438 |work=PC Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V2588uIxmAQC&dq=%22Orchid+Graphics+Adapter%22+-wiki&pg=PA435}} It was produced by Frederick Electronics (of Frederick, Maryland), a subsidiary of Plantronics since 1968, and sold by Plantronics' Enhanced Graphics Products division.{{Cite book |last= |url=http://archive.org/details/1984-colorplus-plantronics |title=Colorplus High Resolution Color Graphics Adapter from Plantronics |date=1984 |publisher=Frederick Electronics |language=English}}{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=July 1, 1975 | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-modern-industries-heart-of-area/128178246/ | title=Modern industries heart of area economy | work=The News | location=Frederick, Maryland | pages=4, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-modern-industries-heart-of-area/128178324/ 8] | via=Newspapers.com}}
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 {{resx|320×200}} resolution, or 4 colors at {{resx|640×200}} resolution.{{Cite web |last=Elliott |first=John |date=March 28, 2015 |title=Plantronics ColorPlus Notes |url=https://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/plantronics.html |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=John Elliott's homepage}}
It uses the same Motorola MC6845 display controller as the previous MDA and CGA adapters.
The original card also includes a parallel printer port.
Output capabilities
File:Plantronics 640x400 corrected.png
CGA compatible modes:
- {{resx|160×100}} 16 color mode (actual a text mode using
▌,▐and█) - {{resx|320×200}} in 4 colors from a 16 color hardware palette. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:1.2.
- {{resx|640×200}} in 2 colors. Pixel aspect ratio of 1:2.4
- {{resx|40x25}} with {{resx|8x8}} pixel font text mode (effective resolution of {{resx|320×200}})
- {{resx|80x25}} with {{resx|8x8}} pixel font text mode (effective resolution of {{resx|640×200}})
In addition to the CGA modes, it offers:
- {{resx|320×200}} with 16 colors
- {{resx|640×200}} 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 {{resx|8x8}} pixel resolution.
Software support
Few software made use of the enhanced Plantronics modes, for which there was no BIOS support.
A 1984 advertisement listed the following software as compatible:
- Color-It
- UCSD P-system
- Peachtree Graphics Language
- Business Graphics System{{Cite news |date=June 11, 1985 |title=Business Graphics System |volume=4 |pages=203 |work=PC Magazine |issue=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFw924nLBSoC&pg=PA203}}
- Graph Power
- The Draftsman
- Videogram
- Stock View
- GSX
- CompuShow ({{resx|320×200}} mode){{cite web |last1=Berry |first1=Bob |date=1993 |title=CompuShow v8.60 Documentation |url=http://cd.textfiles.com/clipart1996/UTILS/CSHOW860/ABOUT860.TXT |website=cd.textfiles.com |publisher=Canyon State Systems}}
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 ({{resx|320×200}} with 16 colors). This support was added by Planet X3 enthusiast Benedikt Freisen.{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=David |title=Planet X3 is Here! And with new video modes! |url=http://www.the8bitguy.com/4032/where-is-planet-x3/ |website=The 8-Bit Guy |date=19 February 2019 |accessdate=6 September 2019}}
- 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.{{Citation |last=Freisen |first=Benedikt |title=FOSS SCI Drivers |date=2022-12-13 |url=https://github.com/roybaer/foss_sci_drivers |access-date=2023-01-24}}
- FastDoom, a port of Doom (1993 video game) developed by Victor Nieto, added support for ColorPlus {{resx|320×200}} with 16 colors mode in 2021.{{cite web |last1=Nieto |first1=Victor |date=Aug 16, 2021 |title=FastDoom 0.8.7 release notes |url=https://github.com/viti95/FastDoom/releases/tag/0.8.7 |accessdate=18 November 2022 |website=FastDoom at GitHub.com}}
Hardware clones
Some third-party CGA and EGA clones, such as the ATI Graphics Solution and the Paradise AutoSwitch EGA 480,{{Cite news |last=Hart |first=Glenn |date=December 22, 1987 |title=EGA Plus Cards: VGA res for EGA monitors |pages=218 |work=PC Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gC-DsOtl2MgC&pg=PA218}} could emulate the extra modes (usually describing them simply as 'Plantronics mode').
The Thomson TO16 (a PC-XT compatible){{Cite web |date=2007 |title=Ordinateur : Le Thomson TO16 XP HD |url=http://mo5.com/musee-machines-thomsonto16xphd.html |website=Association MO5.COM |language=fr}} and the Olivetti M19 supported Plantronics modes,{{Cite book |url=https://www.sba.unipi.it/sites/default/files/10.pdf |title=Caratteristiche techniche Personal Computer M19 |date=March 1986 |publisher=Olivetti |language=Italian}} 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
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.textfiles.com/digitize/items/1984-colorplus-plantronics/ "+COLORPLUS Shatters The Mold."], an original advertisement.
- A [http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video/msg/6c3931b757348904 USENET posting] describing the Plantronics Colorplus
- The [http://www.seasip.info/AmstradXT/1640tech/section1.html#1.11.3.3 technical documentation] for the Paradise EGA chipset in the Amstrad PC-1640 describes its Plantronics compatibility mode.
{{Computer display standard}}