Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!ames!ptolemy-ri!stanford.edu!leland.Stanford.EDU!jessica.stanford.edu!bard From: bard@jessica.stanford.edu (David Hopper) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: (Video) Hardware Idiots ? Message-ID: <1991Jun9.060440.29078@leland.Stanford.EDU> Date: 9 Jun 91 06:04:40 GMT References: <1991Jun3.202114.4029@newserve.cc.binghamton.edu> <1991Jun3.225024.13052@marlin.jcu.edu.au> <1991Jun4.210724.1246@newserve.cc.binghamton.edu> <1991Jun7.091455.10355@rulway.LeidenUniv.nl> <1991Jun8.085839.3556@news.iastate.edu> <1991Jun8.191231 <1991Jun9.0 Sender: news@leland.Stanford.EDU (Mr News) Organization: Academic Information Resources, the Good Ship Hindenburg Lines: 118 In article <1991Jun9.012550.19228@news.iastate.edu> taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >> >>In article <1991Jun8.085839.3556@news.iastate.edu> taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu writes: >> >>Question: [can I use 24-bit graphics modes for the workbench under 2.0] >>> >>> Unfortunately, you will have to wait a while (probably a very LONG while) >>>for that. This is NOT supported in AmigaDOS 2.0, and will not be supported >>>on the Amiga for several years. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > ...and his own reply: > Who has told you that DIG will NOT take several years? The fact is, >nobody knows how long DIG will take. ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I am vindicated (insert: glorious Kzinti war cry over a fallen victim here...) > There are a hell of a lot more than 20 resolution modes on the Amiga. >With the ECS, I think the total number of possible resolution modes is >now in the hundreds. However, all of these are limited in resolution, >color capability, or both. Let's post the list again, shall we? Mode NTSC PAL ECS Hfreq Colors Palette -------------------- -------- -------- --- ----- ------ ------- Lores 320x200 320x256 no 15KHz 32 4096 Lores-ExtraHalfBrite 320x200 320x256 no* 15KHz 64 4096 (restricted) Lores-HAM 320x200 320x256 no 15KHz 4096 4096 (restricted) Hires 640x200 640x256 no 15KHz 16 4096 Super-Hires 1280x200 1280x256 yes 15KHz 4 64 (35 ns) Lores-Interlaced 320x400 320x512 no 15KHz 32 4096 Lores-EHB-Interlaced 320x400 320x512 no* 15KHz 64 4096 (restricted) Lores-HAM-Interlaced 320x400 320x512 no 15KHz 4096 4096 (restricted) Hires-Interlaced 640x400 640x512 no 15KHz 16 4096 Super-Hires-Interlaced 1280x400 1280x512 yes 15KHz 4 64 (32 ns) VGA-ExtraLores 160x480 same yes 31KHz 32 4096 VGA-Lores 320x480 same yes 31KHz 16 4096 Productivity 640x480 same yes 31KHz 4 64 VGA-ExtraLores-Interlaced 160x960 same yes 31KHz 32 4096 VGA-Lores-Interlaced 320x960 same yes 31KHz 16 4096 Productivity-Interlaced 640x960 same yes 31KHz 4 64 A2024-10Hz 1008x800 1008x1024 no special 4 16 grayshades A2024-15Hz 1008x800 1008x1024 no special 4 16 grayshades > The fact is, it is right now impossible to have a Workbench with more >than 16 colors and a non-interlaced resolution higher than 640x480. This >is inadequate compared to the very nice 256-color display you can get on >the MAC LC, for instance. I have 4096 colors on my Workbench. It's clear that resolutions of 1008x1024 can be had with the 2024. This is a higher resolution than even the NeXT. Virtual screens are limited only by chip memory, which can be huge and quite a few at 2 megs. > I would like to take a poll sometime. I am willing to bet that a >very sharp display with lots of colors at a high resolution is a lot >more usable to most people than being able to 'download to a coprocessor >straight out of the box'. You go right ahead, Marc. Take your poll. I'll wait for you to post your invented statistics. > A good example of how inadequate the current chipset has become is >the absurd number of bizarre hacks that have become available from third- >party companies enhance the chipset. Such hacks include the A2024 >monitor, all display-enhancer and flicker-fixer devices, the HAM-E, >colorburst, DCTV, etc. If the chipset was more adequate for video tasks, >such hacks would not be needed. These are all hacks in what sense, Marc? By your reckoning, then, the Apple video card is a hack. The 2024 a hack? That's a giggler. > One final thought: *clunk* ---thud--- Heh, heh. >if the current chipset is so adequate, why are >so many people bypassing parts of it entirely? I am talking about programs >like CPUBlit, which basically throws the slow blitter out of the window >and lets the faster CPU do its work. If the blitter was adequate, CPUBlit >would not be needed or wanted. Sure. Every Amiga owner puts this in their startup-sequence because of the inadequacy of the blitter. Give me a break. The blitter is there, and eases the load off the CPU (_ANY_ Amiga CPU!) by handling graphics. It's speed is comparable to the '030; some time ago I heard that it was capable of handling roughly 7 MIPS (Oh, dear God, I'm quoting MIPS. I thought I'd never stoop so low...). The fact that it's optional is a *plus* in the Amiga's favor, Marc. It's a fast chip. If you need faster gfx speed for specialized tasks, just run off the CPU. But DON'T, don't EVER think that the blitter drags the system down. Compared to what? A system without a blitter? It's a specialized _coprocessor_, no matter how you look at it. ^^ On an equal CPU-for-CPU basis, the Amiga system as a whole will always be faster than a system without a blitter. That's why A-Max is faster than a Macintosh. (it's so much fun to show the smooth pointer movement during disk accesses on A-Max to a Mac user) >>And no, I don't expect you'll reply to this. > > I guess this comes as a surprise to you, then. BTW, I started replying >to your message before I read that last line. YES, Marc. It was certainly a BIG SURPRISE! Happy day, happy day. Somebody get this gun out of my mouth... >>> / Marc Barrett -MB- | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / > / Marc Barrett -MB- | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / Dave Hopper |MUYOM!/// Anthro Creep | NeXT Campus Consultant at Stanford | __ /// . . | Smackintosh/UNIX Consultant - AIR bard@jessica. | \\\/// Ia! Ia! | Independent Amiga Developer Stanford.EDU | \XX/ Shub-Niggurath! | & (Mosh) Pit Fiend from Acheron