What Happened to IBM CGA Graphics? Why IBM CGA Graphics Disappeared

IBM gave the 1981 PC a $300 color card built around an ordinary television set, and filed patents on it the day the PC launched. That design choice explains why the Color Graphics Adapter faded from offices and then from new PCs. The card ran at the 15,750 Hz television line rate, drew four colors at 320 by 200, and shared one 14.31818 MHz crystal with the processor so it could produce a TV color signal. Offices wanted sharp text instead. In 1987 Dataquest counted 3.3 million Hercules-type monochrome graphics units worldwide against 1.2 million CGA units, and forecast zero CGA units for 1993. You will learn: Why did IBM build its first color card around a television? What caused the snow on early 80-column color screens? Why did every step beyond 200 lines require a new monitor? How did a $300 IBM board become a $50 clone and then a chip? Where do the card's addresses and frequencies still sit inside Linux and ACPI? If you remember switching a BASIC screen to cyan, magenta and white, tell us what you drew or played. Subscribe for careful histories of the hardware plugged into the office PC. Which program first showed you color on an IBM PC? Sources: IBM Personal Computer Technical Reference 6025008 - IBM, 1981: https://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/pc/6... US Patent 4,442,428, Composite video color signal generation from digital color signals - IBM, 1984: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4... PC Graphics Chip Sets - Forecast - Dataquest, 1989: https://archive.org/details/bitsavers... IBM Personal Computer Questions and Answers - Dick Dievendorff, IBM, 1981: https://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/pc/I... #IBMCGA #ColorGraphicsAdapter #CGAGraphics #IBMPC #IBM5150 #RetroComputing #PCHistory #DOSGaming #1980sComputers #VintageComputing Disclaimer: The voiceover used in this video was generated using AI.