Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!netcom!barry From: barry@netcom.COM (Kenn Barry) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics Subject: Re: DCTV Message-ID: <27263@netcom.COM> Date: 7 Mar 91 18:01:45 GMT References: <27019@netcom.COM> <13749@life.ai.mit.edu> Organization: QQQCLC Lines: 38 In article <13749@life.ai.mit.edu> ceej@mole.ai.mit.edu (Chris Hillery) writes: >First and foremost, this box uses the Amiga's CHIP mem for picture storage, >correct? So can you really use the full features and so forth with only >512K of chip mem? Well, I have only 512K of chip mem, and haven't yet found it a limitation. The display format of a DCTV picture is similar in concept to the HAM-E format. It encodes additional information along the top and left edges of the picture to provide full-color output, but the picture appears to the standard Amiga hardware as a 4-plane, hires picture, and requires no more chip mem than you'd expect such a picture to require. You can actually view DCTV pics in RGB, though of course they look like junk that way. Extra fast memory is desirable, however. DCTV will work on a one-meg Amiga, but with some limitations. I have experienced no limitations on my own machine, which has 3 meg of fast mem. >Secondly, how exactly does this equipment? I assume you plug it into the >parallel port, and then what do you do to show a picture? I'm really trying >to decide between going for this or a ColorBurst and could really use any >info on either... DCTV has two completely separate connections to your Amiga. The parallel port connection is only for input to the digitizer, and need not even be connected when you're not digitizing. The display connection is an interceptor on the RGB output port, similar to HAM-E - it plugs into the RGB out, and your RGB monitor plugs into the DCTV plug. There are also two other connectors for DCTV, on the DCTV box, itself (a 1"x4"x4" external box). One is a composite-in, RCA plug which receives a composite signal (e.g., camcorder, VCR) for digitizing; the other is a composite-out which goes to the composite monitor you are using to view DCTV. - From the Crow's Nest - Kenn Barry ---------------------------------------------------------------- ELECTRIC AVENUE: barry@netcom.com OR apple!netcom!barry