What is VGA?

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What is VGA?
VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. It is a standard color display hardware in computer monitors. This standard uses a 32-color palette and is capable of displaying a resolution of 640 x 280.

It was first introduced in IBM computers back in 1987. Though it is still being used by various manufacturers as the standard display, it has now been replaced by various upgrades in terms of image resolution. But aside from computer monitors, the VGA hardware is also being widely used in the mobile phone industry.

But before VGA became the standard in color monitors, much of the computers of the past have monochromatic displays or bi-color displays only. By 1981, IBM launched CGA or Color Graphics Adapter which had a 640 x 280 resolution using a palette of 8 colors. Back in those times, this color display hardware was standard in all of IBM’s personal computers. 3 years later, IBM launched another update in the name of EGA or Enhanced Graphics Adapter. This time, the color palette is doubled to 16 colors and the resolution is improved to 640 x 350 by the updated video card for display. Another 3 years later (in 1987), IBM introduced VGA with great support from various computer manufacturers.

Later in the early 1990s, VGA was replaced with XGA or eXtended Graphics Array. This coincided with the release of super VGA by various clone manufacturers. XGA had improved capabilities in terms of color and resolution. Using 65,356 colors, XGA can display a resolution of 800 x 600. And at 1024 x 768 resolution, 256 colors are used.

Standards in display continue to evolve through time. Many of today’s versions retain the name VGA or Super VGA, to signify that VGA remains the global standard in display hardware, even with new upgrades and updates on this technology.

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