Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!slxsys!bae-st!goddard From: goddard@ste.dyn.bae.co.uk (Steve Goddard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Why? Message-ID: <1991Mar7.135528.10099@ste.dyn.bae.co.uk> Date: 7 Mar 91 13:55:28 GMT References: Reply-To: goddard@ste.dyn.bae.co.uk (Steve Goddard) Organization: British Aerospace (Dynamics), Stevenage Lines: 28 In message , patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) writes: >The reason is VIDEO compatibility and international television standards. >North America chose to go with 60hz and a shorter screen, Europe chose 50hz >and a longer screen. They get a taller screen, but have you ever seen a PAL >screen? Even non-interlace screens have a flicker of sorts. 60hz is fast >enough that a non-interlace screen is refreshing faster than the eye can see, >50hz is just below that threshold and is quite visible. You DON'T WANT PAL! IMHO, I would be inclined to disagree that 50Hz flicker is "quite visible". While I have never seen a 60Hz video screen, and suspect that if an NTSC and PAL screen were placed next to each other you would be able to see a difference, I doubt very much it would be significant. Logically, not even a _european_ :-) would design a TV system that had noticable flicker, and if they did, europe would never get anything done, as most of the population would be off sick with migraines after watching TV the previous evening. In europe (well, my part at least) NTSC is a byword for how things shouldn`t be done, as I am sure PAL is in the US. This is a religious issue, and the truth lies somewhere between the two. Getting back to the Amiga, it is a little disturbing to see the NTSC black bar at the bottom of the screen, as you get a feeling that the machine is not being used to its fullest extent. Good software checks for the machine type, and adjusts accordingly, but this is not always possible with pre- drawn screens, etc. J. Toebes wrote a good article in Transactor some time ago about international aspects of Amiga programs. It`s worth checking out. Steve the G. (Steve Goddard) "You can lead a hacker to a terminal, but you can't *make* him code"