Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sample.eng.ohio-state.edu!purdue!haven.umd.edu!udel!sbcs!eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu!dtiberio From: dtiberio@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: Amiga Color Capabilities Message-ID: <1991May3.184107.7607@sbcs.sunysb.edu> Date: 3 May 91 18:41:07 GMT References: Sender: usenet@sbcs.sunysb.edu (Usenet poster) Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook Lines: 62 In article alec_vondjidis@icecave.wimsey.bc.ca (Alec Vondjidis) writes: >Hi: >A friend of mine owns an Amiga and claims that it gives him 4096 simultaneous >colors. i then read messages that imply that the Amiga is only capable of >showing 32 of these colors when outputing to a VCR. Then I am told that >Workbench can only show 4 colors at a time. Then someone says text looks >"lousy" on an Amiga because it is 320X200 non interlaced or 320X400 >interlaced, and then someone says the Amiga is a wonderful DTP machine >because it is capable of resolutions of 2,000X2,000 (on what monitor BTW?) >Could someone from Commodore, or some of you Amiga advocated, PLEASE post a >message explaining resolutions and colors that the Amiga is capable of, under >both Workbenches. Since I have had little time on an Amiga 3000, I will limit this to the Amiga 1.3 modes. The oldest Amiga, 6 years old, is capable of the following, with no special add on boards, although some have no 64 color half-brite chip. 320 x 200 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 colors 320 x 200 4094 colors HAM 320 x 400 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 colors, interlaced 320 x 400 4096 colors HAM, interlaced 640 x 200 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 colors 640 x 200 4096 colors Dynamic Hi Res 640 x 400 4096 colors Dynamic Hi Res, interlaced 368 x 241 overscan mode 368 x 482 overscan mode 738 x 241 overscan mode 738 x 482 overscan mode Workbench1.3 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 colors Normally the Workbench uses 4 colors with 640 x 200, but more colors and 640 x 400 can be used with preference programs. There are some programs use dithering to get as much as 100,000 colors. Hardware boards have increased the colors to 24 bit, along with 1024 x 1024 or more. Text does look terrible in 320 x 200 mode. Solution: don't use 320 x 200 mode for text (I have yet to see anybody use that except for in their games). All graphics modes can output to a VCR, but interlaced modes are preferred. I once recorded output from an Atari 2600 to a VCR, which is really no big deal. And as for the Workbench 4 color usage, it really is no big deal. The Workbench is only used to access the programs off the disks, with a few utilities written for the Workbench. 4 colors is better than 4 shades of grey! Some of the higher res modes may not have the same color capabilities depending on the Agnus chip. Otherwise, all this on a $500 computer. >Thank you. > > ___ ___ > /\ | | | GEnie: P.VONDJIDIS1 > /__\ | |-- | Usenet: alec_vondjidis@icecave.wimsey.bc.ca > / \ |___ |___ |___ -- David Tiberio SUNY Stony Brook 2-3481 AMIGA DDD-MEN "If you think that we're here for the money, we could live without it. But the world isn't too good here, and it wasn't always like that." Un ragazzo di Casalbordino, Italia.