Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!topaz.rutgers.edu!dhsieh From: dhsieh@topaz.rutgers.edu (David Shea) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Re: Apple 8-24 GC Card Summary: 8-bit color vs. 24-bit color Keywords: Color Message-ID: Date: 4 May 90 20:45:58 GMT References: <2864@rodan.acs.syr.edu> <6830002@hp-ptp.HP.COM> Reply-To: dhsieh@topaz.rutgers.edu Organization: Rutgers University, College of Engineering. Lines: 30 In article <6830002@hp-ptp.HP.COM> davew@hp-ptp.HP.COM (Dave_Waller) writes: >Is the 8-24 GC the same thing as the "8-bit color video" card? I just >bought a IIcx with and 8-bit card and a 13" monitor. It is clearly >capable of 24-bit color (you know, 8 bits of red, 8 green, and 8 blue), >and also clearly seem to be using 8 bits per pixel to index a color map >where the translation to 24 -bits is made (I say all this just by doing >some observations with GIF files and a program called Image). If your card displays 256 colors, it's a 8-bit card. If it's capable of 24-bit color, it should be able to display as many colors as you have pixels on your 13" monitor (307200 colors). >Now, am I totally insane about what I think my conclusions are about my >video card, or is it 24-bit color? You know, the standard marketing BS: >"A pallette of 16.7 million colors, with 256 of them available >simultaneously on the screen at a time!" (translation: colormap is 24 >bits deep, with 256 entries; a pixel byte indexes into this table to get >the pixel color). No, your card, or any other card which displays 256 colors out of a pallete of 16.7 million colors, is called a 8-bit card. The "standard marketing BS" is not BS at all. You can choose a pallete of 256 colors from any of those 16.7 million colors. The impressive array of colors you see on you Image pallete, believe it or not, is only 256 colors. >Is this the 8-24 card, or is it something different? It's something different. The 8-24 card is part of a new line of Apple products which even my local Apple dealer can't get a hold of. David Shea.