Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!cbmvax!cbmehq!cbmger!peterk
From: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CD sound
Message-ID: <547@cbmger.UUCP>
Date: 31 Oct 90 14:47:21 GMT
References: <1990Oct25.003358.24989@dg-rtp.dg.com> <112348.26565@timbuk.cray.com> <7521@eos.arc.nasa.gov> <6741@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Reply-To: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Organization: Commodore Bueromaschinen GmbH, West Germany
Lines: 28

In article <7521@eos.arc.nasa.gov> phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Phil Stone) writes:
>If it were possible to increase the Amiga's dynamic range capability
>to 16 bits, perhaps switchable to 8 bits for downward compatability,
>I would be a very happy person.

Seems this is another item that should go into proposals for future
custom chip revisions, here Paula. The data are there, we have four
channels of 8 bits each and in the ECS at a considerable scan rate.
I think without increasing (much) the DMA bandwidth of Paula, it 
should be possible to draw 16-bit samples from memory. The "only"
thing that would have to be added to Paula are two 16-bit D/A converters,
BESIDES the existing 8-bit ones (you need them still for compatibility
reasons). Now, a 16-bit D/A is not sooo trivial, but also not too
difficult these days. Perhaps the chip designers should consider this
one, too.

The other side, sampling with 16 bits a time, is not a design issue
for the Amiga itself, it should be left to the 3rd party developers
as today (or shouldn't it? Make an out-of-the-box Multimedia Machine
out of the Amiga, with built-in audio and video digitizer? Oh well,
just a dream, and probably an expensive one.) This way, they probably
can be taught to leave alone the poor parallel port that should stay
usable for other, more normal purposes. It should become a regular
plug-in (or plug-besides) card or device.

-- 
Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel  // E-Mail to  \\  Only my personal opinions... 
Commodore Frankfurt, Germany  \X/ {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk