Super VGA

2025-10-22T03:05:55Z

203.173.7.151: /* Specifications */Corrected the number of available colours in the standardized modes

{{short description|Graphics display resolution}}
{{Infobox GPU
| name = Super VGA
| image = File:Vlb svga.jpg
| codename =
| created = {{Start date and age|1987|08|31}}
| transistors =
| architecture = [[Chips and Technologies]] 82c441, ET3000
| entry =
| midrange =
| highend =
| enthusiast =
| openglversion =
| d3dversion =
| predecessor = [[Video Graphics Array]]
| successor = [[XGA]]
| caption = Typical [[VESA Local Bus|VLB]] SVGA card}}
'''Super VGA''' ('''SVGA''') or '''Extended VGA''' is a broad term that covers a wide range of [[computer display standard]]s that extended IBM's [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] specification.<ref>
{{cite book
| last = Ferraro
| first = Richard F.
| title = Programmer's Guide to the EGA and VGA Cards
| publisher = [[Addison-Wesley]]
| edition = 2nd
| date = 1990
| pages = 596
| language = English
| isbn = 0-201-57025-4
| quote="Nearly all VGA cards manufactured today exceed the VGA standard [...] in some significant way. These new and improved VGAs have been labeled Super VGAs, Extended VGAs or Advanced VGAs."}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Graphics Cards|url=https://dosdays.co.uk/topics/graphics.php|publisher=DOS Days|access-date=2025-02-16|quote="VGA was the last IBM graphics standard to which the majority of PC clone manufacturers conformed, [...] It was officially followed by IBM's Extended Graphics Array (XGA) standard, but was effectively superseded by numerous slightly different extensions to VGA made by clone manufacturers, collectively known as Super VGA."}}</ref>

When used as shorthand for a resolution, as VGA and [[XGA]] often are, SVGA refers to a resolution of 800 × 600.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Projector Guide - Resolution {{!}} Epson US|url=https://epson.com/projector-guide-how-to-buy-a-projector-resolution|access-date=2020-08-17|website=epson.com}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Vector_Video_Standards2.svg|thumb|Comparison between common display resolutions, including several resolutions defined for Super VGA by [[VESA BIOS Extensions]]]]
In the late 1980s, after the release of [[IBM]]'s VGA, third-party manufacturers began making graphics cards based on its specifications with extended capabilities. As these cards grew in popularity, they began to be referred to as "Super VGA".

This term was not an official standard, but a shorthand for enhanced VGA cards which had become common by 1988.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Richter |first=Jake |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KjwEAAAAMBAJ&q=super%20VGA&pg=PA55 |title=High-Resolution Video Boards |journal=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=12 | number=29 |date=1990-07-16 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |page=55 |issn=0199-6649}}</ref> The first cards that explicitly used the term were [[Genoa Systems]]'s SuperVGA and SuperVGA HiRes in 1987.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Gabel | first=David | date=December 1, 1987 | url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A6108894/GPS?sid=wikipedia | title=Plug-compatible vendors take aim at VGA card | journal=PC Week | publisher=Ziff-Davis | volume=4 | issue=48 | page=148 | via=Gale}}</ref>

In November 1988, [[NEC|NEC Home Electronics]] announced its creation of the [[Video Electronics Standards Association]] (VESA) to develop and promote a Super VGA [[computer display standard]] as a successor to IBM's [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] VGA display standard. Super VGA enabled [[Graphics display resolution|graphics display resolutions]] up to 800×600 [[Pixel|pixels]], compared to VGA's maximum resolution of 640×480 pixels—a 56% increase.<ref name="InfoWorld 1988-11-14">{{cite news |last=Brownstein |first=Mark |date=November 14, 1988 |title=NEC Forms Video Standards Group |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wTsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT2 |access-date=May 27, 2016 |work=[[InfoWorld]] |page=3 |volume=10 |issue=46 |issn=0199-6649}}</ref>

Super VGA cards broke compatibility with the IBM VGA standard, requiring software developers to provide specific [[Display driver|display drivers]] and implementations for each card their software could operate on. Initially, the heavy restrictions this placed on software developers slowed the uptake of Super VGA cards, which motivated [[Video Electronics Standards Association|VESA]] to produce a unifying standard, the [[VESA BIOS Extensions]] (VBE), first introduced in 1989,<ref name="asdfghjkl">{{Cite web |date=2013-12-11 |title=SUPER VGA BIOS EXTENSION Standard # VS891001 › Gemixtes |url=http://www.gemixtes.de/super-vga-bios-extension-standard-vs891001/ |access-date=2022-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211151957/http://www.gemixtes.de/super-vga-bios-extension-standard-vs891001/ |archive-date=2013-12-11 }}</ref> to provide a common software interface to all cards implementing the VBE specification.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://cs.nyu.edu/~mwalfish/classes/14fa/ref/hardware/vbe3.pdf |title=VESA BIOS Extension (VBE) Core Functions Standard 3.0 |publisher=[[Video Electronics Standards Association]] |location=Milpitas, CA |date=16 September 1998 |pages=3}}</ref>

Eventually, Super VGA graphics adapters supported innumerable modes.

== Specifications ==
[[File:640x400x256 ar corrected.png|thumb|Simulated SVGA 640 × 400 image (corrected for aspect ratio)]]
[[File:640x480x256 scaled.png|thumb|Simulated SVGA 640 × 480 image]]
The Super VGA standardized the following resolutions:<ref name="asdfghjkl" />
* ''' 640 × 400''' or ''' 640 × 480''' with 256 colors
* '''800 × 600''' with 256 colors
* '''1024 × 768''' with 256 colors
* '''1280 × 1024''' with 256 colors

SVGA uses the same DE-15 [[VGA connector]] as the original standard, and otherwise operates over the same cabling and interfaces as VGA.

== Early manufacturers ==
Some early Super VGA manufacturers and some of their models, where available:
* Ahead Technologies (''Not related to [[Nero AG]], formerly Ahead Software)''
* [[Amdek]]: VGA ADAPTER/132 (Tseng Labs chipset)<ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Robbin |last1=Juris |first2=Catherine |last2=Miller |first3=Salvatore |last3=Ricciardi |first4=Priscilla |last4=Tate-Austin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFs-_3jT-5kC&dq=Amdek+VGA+ADAPTER%2F132&pg=PA98 |title=Small-Footprint 386 PCs |journal=[[PC Mag]] |date=1988-11-15 |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |page=98 |volume=7 |number=2 |issn=0888-8507}}</ref>
* [[AST Research|AST Research, Inc.]]: VGA Plus<ref>{{Cite web |last=stason.org |first=Stas Bekman: stas (at) |title=AST VGA PLUS (202262-001, 002, 003) video card Settings and Configuration |url=https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/A-B/AST-RESEARCH-INC-VGA-AST-VGA-PLUS-202262-001-002-0.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=stason.org}}</ref> (rebranded [[Paradise Systems|Paradise]])
* [[ATI Technologies]]: VIP (82C451),<ref name="GG1">{{citation|publisher=Google Groups|title=Unknown ATI 8-bit videocard |url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video/browse_thread/thread/9ce1f240ef936bed/d0cdd054a555025a?hl=en&q=ati+vip+vga+1987#d0cdd054a555025a
}}</ref> VGA Wonder
* [[Chips and Technologies]]: 82C451<ref name="GG1"/>
* [[Cirrus Logic]]: CL-GD410/420<ref name="GG2">{{citation|publisher=Google Groups|title=Need info on old Video Seven VGA card|url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video/browse_thread/thread/ef80530a2413f6c2/d90301f6ebd1cc5a?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=cl-gd420#d90301f6ebd1cc5a
}}</ref>
* [[Compaq]]: VGC Board (Paradise chipset)
* [[Everex]]
* [[Genoa Systems]]: Genoa VGA 5100-5400<ref>{{Cite web |last=stason.org |first=Stas Bekman: stas (at) |title=SUPERVGA HIRES-10 5200-10, SUPERVGA 5100 video card Settings and Configuration |url=https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/E-H/GENOA-SYSTEMS-CORPORATION-Monochrome-CGA-EGA-VGA-X-63.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=stason.org}}</ref> (ET3000)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motherboards/Laptops built-in graphics |url=https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2008/readings/hardware/vgadoc/ADAPTERS.TXT}}</ref>
* [[Orchid Technology]]: Designer VGA<ref>{{Cite web |last=stason.org |first=Stas Bekman: stas (at) |title=DESIGNER VGA video card Settings and Configuration |url=https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/M-O/ORCHID-TECHNOLOGY-Monochrome-CGA-EGA-VGA-DESIGNER.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=stason.org}}</ref> (ET3000), Pro Designer Plus
* [[Western Digital]]'s Paradise Inc.: VGA Plus<ref>{{Cite web |last=stason.org |first=Stas Bekman: stas (at) |title=PARADISE VGA PLUS 16 video card Settings and Configuration |url=https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/graphics-cards/U-Z/WESTERN-DIGITAL-CORPORATION-VGA-PARADISE-VGA-PLUS.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=stason.org}}</ref> (PVGA1), VGA Plus 16, VGA Pro
* [[Sigma Designs]]: SigmaVGA (ET3000)
* [[STB Systems]]: VGA Extra/EM (ET3000),<ref name="GG">{{citation|publisher=Google Groups|title=VGA, or what to do with my tax return! |url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc/browse_thread/thread/24af0c8ca383895d/6c4674e7630406aa?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&o}}</ref><ref>{{citation|publisher=Google Groups|title=VGA monitor and adapter choices|url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc/browse_thread/thread/7119a47881f1514f/387d6dd0d0b54b13?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=video+7+fastwrite+vga+-agp#387d6dd0d0b54b13
}}</ref>
* [[Video Seven]]: V-RAM VGA<ref>{{citation|publisher=Google Groups|title=IBM's EGA and VGA|url=http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.classic/browse_thread/thread/3bea22bda75361c9/78d878af189f3f89?hl=en&q=V-RAM+VGA+1988#78d878af189f3f89
}}</ref>
* [[Willow Peripherals]]: VGA-TV/Publisher's, VGA-TV + Genlock<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Poor |first=Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbsaONN5y1IC&dq=Willow%3A+VGA-TV%2FPublisher%27s+-wiki&pg=PP160 |title=VGA and NTSC: Putting your Program on TV |journal=[[PC Mag]] |date=July 1989 |volume=8 |number=13 |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |pages=158 |issn=0888-8507}}</ref>
* [[Trident Microsystems]]: TVGA8800, TVGA8900, and TVGA9000 series

== Gallery ==
<Gallery>
File:ALiCat MV3147V.JPG|ALiCat M3147V SVGA video card
File:Cirrus Logic GD5429 VLB.jpg|[[Cirrus Logic]] GD5429 VLB SVGA video card
File:Igs1682.jpg|Early 1996 IGS IGA1682_A PCI SVGA video card
File:S3 805 VLB.jpg|[[S3 Graphics|S3]] 805 VLB SVGA video card
File:WDC Video ISA.jpg|[[Western Digital|WDC]] ISA SVGA video card
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Commons category|SVGA}}
{{Computer display standard}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Super Video Graphics Array}}
[[Category:Computer display standards]]
[[Category:VESA]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Super VGA