Toshiba T2150CD user manual Text Mode, Graphics Mode

Selecting video mode section later in this chapter.

Text Mode

In text mode, each pel is called a character cell, as illustrated below. The display for each cell is limited to a predefined character. Appendix B, ASCII Character codes shows the available character set. Also refer to your software’s documentation.

Figure 8-2 Character cell

The character cells are arranged in rows and columns. The computer’s display supports two text modes:

80 columns by 25 rows, with each pel containing 64 pixels (8 x 8)

40 columns by 25 rows, with each pel containing 128 pixels (16 x 8)

Figure 8-3 Text modes

Graphics Mode

The text mode in MS-DOS is 80 x 25. You can use the MODE command to specify 40-column mode while in MS-DOS (refer to your MS-DOS documentation), but most applications reset the screen mode when they load.

In graphics mode, a pel is not limited to a set of characters. Instead, your software can turn any pel on or off freely. An image produced this way can be a variation of a text character,