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From: asd@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Kareth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: color NeXTstation (and Weight of Monitor!)
Keywords: color NeXTstation 16 bit
Message-ID: <5582@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 21 Sep 90 17:06:36 GMT
References: <34@brazos.cs.utexas.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Purdue University
Lines: 37
Cc:

In <34@brazos.cs.utexas.edu> garnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) writes:

>I've heard that the color system for the color NeXTstation is
>16-bit color.  Would anyone care to expound upon this?  Is the
>16-bit color divided into 4 Red bits, 4 Green bits, and 4 Blue
>bits (and 4 bits for ?) or does the 16-bits refer to the size of
>the lookup table (i.e. 2^16 colors selectable from a palette of ?)?

Well, let's pull out the ole NeXT brochure, and see what it says!

"16-bits-per-pixel color:

 The NeXTstation Color computer
 can display 4096 colors simultaneously,
 letting you create images of near-
 photographic quality."

Now let's check out the exact specs on it:

Display Memory:
o 16 bits/pixel color
o Includes 4 bits/pixel alpha channel
o 4096 simultaneously displayable colors

There is nothing in the brochure that mentions if it's from a lookup
table or not.  As I understand it (forgive me for being stupid), there
are 3 4-bit RGB fields, and one 4-bit for opacity (see-througable-ness),
Which makes 2^12 colors or 4096.  Likewise the NeXTDimesion uses 3 8-bit
fields, for 24 bit color (16.7 mil), and 8 bits for opacity.  The
'alpha' channel is the opacity factor I gather.

BTW, has anybody noticed the weight for the color monitors (from my spec
sheet) weighs in at a hefty *** 70 LBS! *** Are color monitors normally
that heavy?  That's twice the weight of the monochrome one!  Heck, the
Cube only weighs in at max of 37lbs (from spec sheet).

-k