Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!taco!hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu!kdarling From: kdarling@hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: CDTV and CD-I (last) Message-ID: <1991Apr13.063349.6774@ncsu.edu> Date: 13 Apr 91 06:33:49 GMT Sender: news@ncsu.edu (USENET News System) Organization: North Carolina State University Lines: 70 In kudla@rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes: > On the other hand, CD-I has at least as impressive hardware specs as > CDTV, and will cost about the same. At least? In case you missed it, I'll repeat. Please read closely. (Note: a "plane" is equivalent to a multiplane "playfield" in Amiga parlance) CD-I has two main image planes, each with a full video chip and 512K RAM. Either one _alone_ has modes superior to current Amiga gfx... but they can also be swapped in priority; each can be of almost any mode (see below); and the planes can be color-keyed, dissolved, or overlaid, all in hardware. There is also a cursor plane, and an optional backdrop (external video) plane. Of course, modes can be changed on a line/line basis, just as in the Amiga. The main modes have 4/7/8 bits/pixel from at least 4 million colors. There are also 3/7 bit color RLE modes: the data consists of common color RLE line data (perfect for animation), which the chip decodes/displays on the fly instead of having to have the cpu expand the RLE to normal full data first. Note to experienced graphics programmers: it occurs to me that CAD walkthrus would be a piece of cake using RLE. Think about it: NO polygon color filling needs to be done to slow memory! And the possibilities for a flight sim...?! DUAL chips, too (chorus of "holy sh*t!" heard from knowledgable crowd :) Then there is the Delta-YUV (DYUV) mode, which is superior to HAM [ I've been told the Amiga was originally supposed to have DYUV ] because it allows luminance changes on a per-pixel basis while the color changes slower. As the eye is more sensitive to luminance, the pic looks better. Finally, both planes may be combined to form a 15-bits/pixel direct RGB mode. As one example of neat gfx, you could have a 255-color animation overlaid in hardware on top of a 100,000 color photograph. Impressed yet? I am. The base cpu effectively runs 70% faster than a base A500, and video DMA blocking is minimal, or nil on double-buffering if you it turn off a plane. > Commodore has a chance to win this one if they put some serious effort > and money into marketing this summer, but I also think they should probably > cut the list price before Christmas time so they'll have a strong user > base, product recognition *and* a price advantage. Short term wins, at best. CD-I will be at CES (note to CBM employees asking me questions in email: sorry, I didn't know until today). Just think about what magazines like Consumer Reports are going to say in comparisons . All our arguments here on the net won't affect the common buyer. As for price, I really don't know how deep CBM could cut. We'll see. I _haven't_ even mentioned the coming ISDN, virtual reality, remote services, and other star players in the CD-I home interactive arena. Gentlemen, I fear that CBM hasn't a clue what a swift and wide river they stepped into. > Hey, look at me! I've turned into a regular armchair market researcher.... Welcome to the crowd . Ain't it fun? And I'd like to add... My friends, I'd be more than happy to help discuss areas where CDTV would be beneficial, or ways to improve interactive TV applications on it. I'm chagrined that some have forced me into being against something, when I only wanted to be _for_ something. Political postures are not my bag. But anytime someone promotes CDTV solely because it's from Commodore, I'm gonna jump in. Anytime someone wishes inferior technology on the world simply because it's happened before, I'm gonna jump in. And anytime someone thinks CBM is the last word in graphics chips, _everyone_ should jump in ;-). BTW, you can throw a sack of salt at my marketing opinions, but use much less on any tech specs. regards to all - kev (I'm outa here for a while. You've got the info you need to know now)