ASK THE READERS

The Editors and Readers of COMPUTE!

High Vs. Low Resolution

Could you explain the difference between hi-res and low-res graphics?

Mike Porter

The essential difference is that when a computer does not have the high resolution option, you are limited to a set of built-in graphics characters. These characters, like the letters of the alphabet, will be crisp and clear, but you cannot create your own special characters.

A great deal can be accomplished, however, by combining the different symbols of a built-in set. Cubes, stairs, and many other pictures can be created. It's like having perhaps 128 different shapes of paper. You can put them together in thousands of ways, but you can't customize them individually by cutting them with scissors.

High resolution, on the other hand, permits you to control the individual pixels (dots) anywhere on the TV screen. This means that you can create detailed figures of your own design – perhaps the Greek alphabet or an image of a starship – and that curved lines will look more like true curves. High resolution generally adds to the price of a computer, but does provide more flexible graphics, more visual possibilities. Alternatively, it is usually possible to add an optional high resolution capability to computers which do not offer it as a standard feature.