Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!prism!gt4662b
From: gt4662b@prism.gatech.EDU (BRANHAM,JOSEPH FRANKLIN)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Subject: Re: Colorburst board?
Summary: My $.02
Message-ID: <21934@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 13 Feb 91 16:22:34 GMT
References: <27b88952.18f@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> <1991Feb13.151733.1416@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 35


I saw a spec sheet on colorburst, and based on my memory of it have some idea
about what they are doing.

What I can remember:
1) The device has 1 Meg of memory on board.
2) It is a TRUE 24-bit framebuffer that only plugs into the RGB port and spits
out NTSC RGB.
3) It can animate 24-bit frames at up to 20 frames/second, and 256-color anims
at 60 frames/second.
4) It has also a command set for letting you control your own 24-bit sprites
and has its own sprite chip.

#3 makes me ponder a bit. Here's my reasoning-help me see what may be wrong
with it.

Assume that we can get 60 frames/sec output from a very fast Amiga. As DCTV and
HAM-E have shown, it is possible to decode this data in such a way as to
get 60 frames/sec animation through the device.

Now, if we point out that a 24-bit image has 3x the amount of data as the
256-color image (minus any palette information), and we noticethat the 24-bit
frame rate is 1/3 that of the 256-color mode, we may think that.

The colorburst buffers three frames from the amiga and uses the data from them
to construct a single 24-bit frame. I don't remember anywhere in the spec
sheet a claim that 24-bit mode would work with current show programs, so this
may actually be the case.

Of course, this is speculation. Comments? Flames?
-- 
<------------------------------------------------------------------------------>
<  FRANK BRANHAM                      | "I exist; therefore I am."             >
<  Georgia Institute of Technology    |  	Stunning thoughts from the pen >
<  Internet: gt4662b@prism.gatech.edu | 	of August Derleth.             >