page_title: ZX Spectrum graphic modes
section_title: Hardware implementation
hierarchical_section_title: ZX Spectrum graphic modes / Hicolour (8x1 attributes) / Hardware implementation
caption_attribution_description: A rendering of Image:Parrot.red.macaw.1.arp.750pix.jpg on the ZX Spectrum "Hicolour", 32×192 attributes display.
context_page_description: The ZX Spectrum is generally considered to have limited graphical capabilities in comparison to some other home computers of the same era such as the Commodore 64, largely due to its lack of a dedicated graphics chip. Nevertheless, throughout its commercial life and later activity on the demoscene, various techniques have been developed to provide improvements to the Spectrum's graphical output.
context_section_description: Several third-party Spectrum clones, including the Timex Sinclair machines and the Pentagon, support a screen mode in which attribute blocks are 8×1 pixels in size rather than the usual 8×8. A screen in this mode takes 12 KB RAM. In the case of the Timex, this mode is activated through the command OUT 255,2. In addition, this screen mode can be generated through the use of the MB03+ Ultimate interface, the MB-02 disk system's DMA hardware (where the technique is known as Multitech), and is also available as Mode 2 on the SAM Coupé.
  Details:
  Pixels: 256 × 192
  Attributes: 32 × 192
  colours: 15
caption: Hicolour ZX Spectrum screen
exif: {}