Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!faatcrl!jimb
From: jimb@faatcrl.UUCP (Jim Burwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CD sound
Message-ID: <482@faatcrl.UUCP>
Date: 2 Nov 90 06:56:30 GMT
References: <1990Oct25.003358.24989@dg-rtp.dg.com> <112348.26565@timbuk.cray.com> <7521@eos.arc.nasa.gov> <6741@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <547@cbmger.UUCP>
Organization: FAA Technical Center, Atlantic City NJ
Lines: 40

peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY) writes:

>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.

[stuff deleted]

>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.

I think the Amiga should have at least built in audio-sampling capability.
Some Unix workstations I've worked with, namely, Sun Sparcstations, 
SGI Irises (PI), and NeXTs have jacks where you can plug in a microphone
or other line-in source.  Wouldn't it be nice if the Amiga were the first
Personal Computer to have this capability built in ?  Is it practical when
costs are considered ?  Perhaps adding 16 bit sound to the custom chipset
is the wrong approach.  Maybe a DSP on the motherboard would be a better
idea, perhaps appearing as an autoconfig device.  Or perhaps that would be
better as a "second-step".  I imagine CBM or third parties will be selling
Multi-media packages consisting of A3000s with various cards and other 
goodies, including a DSP card.  Once one is standardized, perhaps that could
move from a card to the motherboard.  

Owell.. enough 3AM rambling :-).
C'ya,
Jim

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