WHO INVENTED THE GRAPHICS CARD?

Graphics were used with computer hardware before the first graphic card
was invented. The first computer graphic to be used on a computer was in
the 1940s, when the Whirlwind I was developed for the U.S. Navy at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Whirlwind was a flight
simulator that could locate objects

Dr. Ivan Sutherland, an MIT graduate, wrote Sketchpad in 1963. Sketchpad

was a software program used on a TX-2 computer with a monitor and light
pen. Sketchpad drew images on a computer
 Graphic Types

Raster and vector graphics are used on a computer to

display images. Raster graphics uses pixels, small dots that
attach to a bitmap grid. Each pixel is placed on a specific
location based on the drawing. If the graphic is a line, it
will appear smooth. But once the graphic is enlarged, it
appears distorted or fuzzy. Vector graphics uses a point-to-
point math scale. Using a math scale, vector graphics have
a defined path for points, lines and curves. The images are
much clearer, even when enlarged.
Graphic Card
In the past, cathode ray tubes were used to display graphics and looked like
a TV set. In the 1980s, IBM was the first company to develop the graphics
card. The monochrome display adapter and the color graphics adapter were
plug-in devices that attached to the CRT. The MDA card had 4 kilobytes of
memory that could handle 720 by 350 pixels and could display 25 rows of 80
characters. The CGA had 16 kilobytes of memory and 160 by 200 pixels. The
CGS had two types of resolution for text and three types for graphics. IBM
would later develop the Enhanced Graphics Adapter, the Video Graphics
Array, Extended Graphics Array, Ultra Extended Graphics Array and the
Super Video Graphics Array.
 How Does a Graphics Card Work?

Purpose

A graphics card is a part of a computer that translates the binary data

from the CPU and turns them into pictures that you can see on your
computer monitor. It uses the pixels on the screen to create the image
and sends the information to the monitor through a cable.
Components Needed
Four main components make it possible for a graphics card to perform its
function. One is the motherboard where the graphics card gets its power and
takes data from. Then there is a processor, which decides what to do with
each pixel on the screen. There is also the memory to hold the information
about each pixel; it is where the graphics card stores completed pictures
temporarily. The final piece is the monitor, which enables a viewer to see the
results produced.

Connections
A graphics card uses a motherboard to connect to a computer, which is its
source of power and data. The graphics card uses one of the three interfaces
-- PCI (peripheral component interconnect), AGP (advanced graphics port) or
PCIe (PCI express). The PCIe provides the fastest transfer rates between the
graphics card and motherboard. It also can support two graphics cards
instead of just one. Some newer graphics card models that require more
power may need to connect directly to the power supply unit of the
computer.
GRAPHIC CARD
 IBM Monochrome Display Adapter
The Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA, also MDA card, Monochrome Display and
Printer Adapter, MDPA) introduced in 1981 was IBM's standard video display card
and computer display standard for the P C . The MDA did not have any graphics
mode of any kind; it only featured a single monochrome text mode (PC video mode
7), which could display 80 columns by 25 lines of high resolution text characters.
The standard IBM MDA card was equipped with 4 kilobytes of video memory . The
MDA's high character resolution (sharpness) was a feature meant to facilitate
business and wordprocessing use: Each character was rendered in a box of 9×14
pixels, of which 7×11 made out the character itself (the other pixels being used for
space between character columns and lines). Some characters, such as the lowercase
"m", were rendered 8 pixels across.
The MDA featured the following character display attributes: invisible,
underline, normal, bright (bold), reverse video, and blinking; some of these
attributes could be combined, so that e.g., bright, underlined text could be
produced.
The theoretical total screen resolution of the MDA was 720×350 pixels. This
number is arrived at through calculating character width (9 pixels) by columns of
text (80) and character height (14 pixels) by rows of text (25). However, the MDA
again could not address individual pixels; it could only work in text mode,
limiting its choice of display patterns to 256 characters. Its character set is
known as code page 437. The character patterns were stored in ROM on the
card, and so could not be changed by software. The only way to simulate
"graphical" screen content was through ANSI art .
IBM's original MDA included a parallel printer port (hence its original name of
"Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter"), thus avoiding the need for a
separate parallel interface on computers fitted with an MDA
 Types of AGP Cards
The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is used to install video cards in
most of the computers manufactured from the late 1990s to the mid-
2000s. Although Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express, a
more recent standard, has become more popular, many AGP cards are
still in production and are viable to use for upgrading an older
computer
Slot Location:

On most motherboards, the AGP port is the expansion port

closest to the processor (CPU). While the other expansion ports
are generally red, the AGP port will usually be brown or maroon.
Additionally, the port may have a plastic clip on one side, used to
anchor the video card in place.

Identifying Card Types:

AGP cards are identified by the power supply that they require
from the motherboard, either 1.5 or 3.3 volts. Hold an AGP card
up so that all of the ports are on the left side and look at the
metal connectors on the bottom to determine an AGP card's
type. The connectors will be notched in either one or two places.
If the notch is on the left, the card requires 3.3 volts. If it is on
the right, the card requires 1.5 volts. If there are two notches, it
can support either standard.
Slot Types:

AGP slots are keyed in the same manner as AGP cards to prevent the incorrect
type of card from being inserted. AGP cards have slots in the metal connectors,
and AGP slots have corresponding tabs. A tab on the left side indicates a 3.3 volt
slot, and a tab on the right side indicates a 1.5 volt slot. No tab indicates that the
slot can be used with either type of card.

AGP Pro:

Some motherboards have AGP Pro slots, which are slightly longer than standard
AGP slots. AGP Pro slots are able to supply more power to demanding high-end
workstation graphics cards. Video cards requiring an AGP Pro slot are not
common, but there is no need to worry if you have an AGP Pro slot in your
motherboard; it will accept standard AGP cards. As with standard AGP slots, look
for a tab on the left or right side to know the voltage the slot can deliver.
 VGA2PCI Connection Diagram

VGA2PCIe is fully compatible with DirectShow in Windows, QuickTime

in Mac OS X, and Video4Linux in Linux, meaning that it can be used in
conjunction with any third party software that allows the use of an
external camera as a video input. Alternatively, the VGA2PCIe software,
available as a free download, supports not only the viewing and saving
of the VGA signal as an image or video, but also allows the user to:

•Setup an automated or periodical "save" command

•Send the VGA output to an attached paper printer
•Broadcast and share the VGA signal to the Internet
•Archive the VGA output in a variety of formats, including JPEG, PNG,
BMP, AVI, and MP4