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CGA Graphics - Not as bad as you thought!

The 8-Bit Guy · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Demoscene & retrocomputingComputer architecture & CPUs

What it is

The 8-Bit Guy covers IBM's 1981 CGA graphics system, including how composite output and artifacting produced extra colors beyond the nominal palette. He argues CGA looked better in period than it does on RGB monitors.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it for showing how old developers exploited the smeary nature of composite signals and what CGA really looked like on period hardware.

  • 6 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2024

What HN commenters said

  1. “the 8-bit guy does a GREAT video on this”

    Shows artifacting that produces extra colours

    djsumdog, 2017-03 · Strong recommendation · in “Secret colours of the Commodore 64”

  2. “this video has some more information on the phenomenon”

    Explains CGA composite color artifacting

    qwertyuiop924, 2016-09 · Recommendation · in “A Pixel Artist Renounces Pixel Art (2015)”

  3. “has a great overview of what was possible”

    Overview of what CGA could do on composite

    gecko, 2020-01 · Recommendation · in “The Polygons of Another World: IBM PC”

  4. “The 8-Bit guy did a great piece on CGA that goes into detail about how old developers abused the fuzzy smeary nature of composite signals”

    How developers exploited composite signals for better graphics

    jandrese, 2020-03 · Recommendation · in “Why do color TVs make black and white snow?”

  5. “The following YouTube video does a good job describing what CGA was really like back in the day”

    What CGA really looked like on period hardware

    laumars, 2021-03 · Recommendation · in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade EGA/VGA Comparison”

  6. “I'm leaving some random links to great channels that produce this kind of content”

    CGA video among recommended retro computing content

    nzach, 2021-11 · Recommendation · in “Trackers: The Sound of 16-Bit [video]”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: cga, composite video, artifacting, retro computing, ibm pc

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