Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!sco!brianm
From: brianm@sco.COM (Brian Moffet)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: DeskTOp Video Idea for Amiga
Keywords: More colors, Same resolution
Message-ID: <3128@scolex.sco.COM>
Date: 3 Aug 89 17:41:35 GMT
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Lines: 37


Disclaimer, I know just enough about hardware to be dangerous. :-)

I was thinking a while about my amiga 1000 last night, and considering
what kind of machine would replace it at some point in time.
I came to the conclusion that one major feature I would look for
is the ability to use more bitplanes (more colors).

I was thinking that the resolution in the 640x400 interlace mode is not
all that bad, and with anti-aliasing, it is quite reasonable.  However,
anti-aliasing uses colors to do it's work.  What would be the problem
with an Amiga Computer which went all out in the Desktop Video market
by providing the same resolution the ami now does, but is able to
use 12 to 24 bitplanes for color.  The interlace is still there for
television, only now you can put up enough colors to make the picture
look damn near television quality.

Problems?  Well, in order to do this we would need to be able to 
access all bitplanes in a refresh cycle of 30 Hz for interlace, 60
for non-interlace.  That is a large chunk of memory to access.  
The bus between the video hardware and the memory would probably
have to be bumped in speed.  The memory might have to also.   However,
we would still be able to use the analog monitors that are common out
there in the amiga market, and there would be a significant improvement
in the quality/usefulness of the Amiga Desktop Video arena.  the Really
Obese Agnus would be required of course :-}

What do people think?  I believe this would help the Amiga further
entrench itself into the Desktop video market, and give people like
me who want to do just normal graphics more colors to play with.

brian moffet
-- 
Brian Moffet			{uunet,decvax!microsoft,ucscc}!sco!brianm
 -or-				...sco!alar!brian
"I was everything you wanted me to be.  You were afraid, I was frightening."
My fish and company have policies.  I have opinions.