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From: Radagast@cup.portal.com (sullivan - segall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Better Amiga Graphics
Message-ID: <31849@cup.portal.com>
Date: 18 Jul 90 05:10:14 GMT
References: <24825@snow-white.udel.EDU>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 50

>   The HAM mode, as it is now, has one main disadvantage: the color
>'fringing'that results from the HAM mode's inability to make sharp
>color transitions.  This can be allevaited substantially by increasing
>the number of registers and the horizontal resolution.  A 10-bitplane
>HAM mode would have 256 registers, enough to alleviate the color
>fringing substantially.  Increasing the horizontal resolution of the
>HAM mode would also cause the fringing to be far less noticeable.

Sorry to nitpick, but 10-bitplanes using the current system would result
in 64 palette registers.  Use 12-bitplanes for 256.  All things being 
equal though, it would be kind of nice to see a hacked Denise that 
was capable of clocking in signals from two agnuses.  I see it now:
"AmigaMOS 4.0 / The first commercially available Multi-Tasking machine."
(2 680x0's each running at 7.14MHz, and a doubleclocked memory bus 
plus a couple of singleclocked card slots for those slower cards.)


Let's see, the current memory is 120ns, plus about 30ns propagation delay
(or so) for a rough 150ns cycle time.  Halve that and you get 75ns (less
30 ns for propagation delay) and you'd only need 45ns RAMS to make it work.
Eeeek!

> 
>   Having a 10-bitplane HAM mode would prove to be an enourmous
>tactical advantage for the Amiga.  Apple and IBM could match it
>in color capability, but the could never beat it in animation.  For
>them to match its color capability would require 24-bitplanes on 
>those systems, requiring almost three times the memory per frame
>and more than three times the processor power to do animation.
> 
I think there will be acceptable solutions available shortly.  Both 
the BlackBox, and the DCTV card (not to be confused with CDTV) use
acceptable amounts of storage for an image. (The DCTV does an impressive
job even with 2bit-planes of high-res data.)  

To borrow a phrase: If you don't like the hardware, wait a month.  It will
change.


                           -Sullivan Segall (a.k.a. Radagast)
_________________________________________________________________
 
/V\  Sullivan  was the first to learn how to jump  without moving.
 '   Is it not proper that the student should surpass the teacher?
To Quote the immortal Socrates: "I drank what?"
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