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From: bob@tty3b.UUCP ("Bob Bolotin"320 97320)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Observations and Questions about video boards
Message-ID: <584@tty3b.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 19:39:45 EST
Article-I.D.: tty3b.584
Posted: Mon Jan 21 19:39:45 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 04:43:55 EST
Organization: Teletype Corp., Skokie, Ill
Lines: 73

[ no clever saying in this line ] (was that clever?)

I am shopping for an IBM PC and after much investigation I am still
very confused about what to do for a video display card. The
difficulty in obtaining information is frustrating.

The thing I am having trouble with is the old monochrome/color board
decision. I expect that most of my applications will be character
based, but would like to have some graphics capability so I have at
least some capability to run programs that need it.

The following are the options as I can see it:

+) Get the standard IBM monochrome board. Advantage is good resolution
   for characters. Disadvantage is inability to run graphical software
   that requires the color card.

+) Get the standard IBM color card. Advantage is that you can run ALL
   software without compatibility worries. Disadvantages are that
   resolution for characters is (in my opinion) not acceptable, and
   that this costs more because the board has no printer port and
   a color monitor is more expensive than a monochrome monitor.

+) Whats wrong with monochrome graphics? It is what the designers of
   the AT&T PC and Compact chose. Isn't this a good cost compromise?
   Well, whats wrong is possible compatibility problems. Both hardware
   compatibility problems (ie programs not working) or software
   compatibility where applications depend upon there being color
   (ie say menus in color).

   There seems to be two approaches to monochrome graphics. The first
   approach is to design an incompatible board and hope software
   vendors will design software for it. This is what Hercules
   did (with a surprising amount of success). But the Hercules board
   does not fulfill my criteria - it is great if all you want is
   Lotus 123, but will not run all off the shelf software.

   The other approach is to attempt to design a monochrome graphics
   board that is compatible with the IBM color/graphics board but
   simply displays graphics in monochrome. Not a bad compromise to
   my way of thinking. This is what the AT&T PC and Compact have.
   The Paradise Modular Graphics board has done this according to
   their ads. They simulate colors with grey textures.

   So here starts the questions. Does anyone have any experience with
   the paradise board? Does it run all off the shelf color/graphics
   software as they advertise? Is the quality in character mode as
   good as with the standard IBM monochrome board?

   More questions. What do the AT&T PC and Compact have inside them.
   Is it a paradise type board? This is important because enough
   of these computers are sold to insure some software base.

+) Possibility number four. Get both a standard IBM monochrome board
   AND a standard IBM color/graphics board. This is what a salesman
   recommended to me. He says he has heard of compatibility problems
   with the paradise board and has to say buyer beware. He says it is
   possible to plug in both boards and switch back and forth with a
   DOS command. At retail prices, the combination of both boards is
   almost exactly the same price as the paradise board. The difference
   is the cost of a second monitor. He says if I really wanted to go a
   low cost route, I could get a quite inexpensive black and white
   composite monitor to attach to the color board. He says it is not
   possible to have one monitor which can be used with both the
   monochrome and color board because the monochrome board uses weird
   signals.

   Comments? Has anyone plugged in both a monochrome and color board?

+) Other possibilities?

ihnp4!tty3b!bob