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From: ekrimen@csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Purchase decision, to STe or not?
Message-ID: <1990Sep25.182510.6246@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 25 Sep 90 18:25:10 GMT
References: <4619@crash.cts.com> <1990Sep24.054555.624@ecst.csuchico.edu> <1990Sep25.021056.1425@nmt.edu>
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Reply-To: ekrimen@cscihp.UUCP (Ed Krimen)
Organization: California State University, Chico
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jcksnsr@nmt.edu (Jeffrey C. King) writes:

- Actually, if I remember right, the important thing about the STe is 
- that it is using 8-bit PCM stereo.  If this is true then the STe may
- well have the best sound of any machine around.  (PCM is one on the 
- D to A techiniques used by CD players (though CD's are more often 16
- bit)  ALso I think the STe is supposed to be tri-aural as opposed to
- just simply stereo (I know the Tweety board is.)
 
The STe stills has the same sound chip as the older STs to stay 
compatible as well as the new chip for the PCM sound.  The Tweety 
Board isn't necessarily stereo; it just separates the three ST voices 
into different channels.  Some of the digitized sound players for the 
STe allow you to incorporate the old sound chip (forget its name) as 
well as the new one.
 
(RE: Graphics)
- Thats wrong!
 
Ooops!  :^)
 
- The STe incorporates an extra bit plane in several new graphics 
- modes.  The extra bit plane is what allows 32 colors without 
- resorting to a seperate color map (ALA Spectrum, GIF's and I belive
- VGA).  As I recall, the graphics modes on the STe are 320x200x16,
- 640x200x4, 640x400x1 (to remain compatible with the ST) as well as
- 320x200x32, 640x200x16 and 640x400x4 plus I believe there is also a
- new Hi-Rez mode somethink like 1280x800x1  (One spec I saw listed in
- Current Notes stated that the STe and TT were to have remarkably
- similar graphics..)
 
Hmm, this is the first I'm hearing about the new modes for the STe, 
and, here, I have one!  I know that the TT had these modes, but 
didn't know that the STe had them.  I thought it was kinda weird that 
the JRI 4096 color utilities (which work on the STe) included a 
program to convert 32-color IFF pics to 32 gray-scale NEO pics.  Is
that a result of the 320x200x32 mode?
 
Now all we need is software to use these modes!