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From: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future
Message-ID: <1991Jun18.131000.29178@news.iastate.edu>
Date: 18 Jun 91 13:10:00 GMT
References: <Alex_Topic.3428@tvbbs.UUCP> <1991Jun15.112510.17324@news.iastate.edu>,<1991Jun18.104100.12869@marlin.jcu.edu.au>
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In article <1991Jun18.104100.12869@marlin.jcu.edu.au>, cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Colin Adams) writes:
>From what has been said from C= employee's on the net, one can make
>a pretty good guess of what the new chip set will have.  It appears
>that they only intend to improve the chipset to 32bits, leaving
>it at a similar clockspeed until 60ns DRAMS are common (as 80ns
>can't keep up with *2 speed).  Bob from LSI design has implied in
>the past that the chip set will support 8 bit colour from 24 bit
>palette (not 24 bit colour on screen at once, or at least not at
>high res).
>
>With the increased bandwidth, 1024*768 in 8 bit colour should
>be possible, although it will probably chew most of the chip bus time
>as 16 colour 640*256 does now.

   I am really, really hoping the new chipset has, at the minimum, the
same overall graphics capabilities as the chipsets in the CD-I systems.
This will be necessary because it will be essential for Commodore to
eventually allow the CDTV to run CD-I software.

   It is also no secret anymore that Commodore is going to fully adopt
the MPEG standard for full-motion video, so where does this fit in?  Do
you think Commodore is going to build MPEG decompression capabilities
into the chipset, or will they merely include an MPEG chip with Amiga
systems?  (Just as good, but somewhat less exciting)

>
>C= should be able to get a bit of extra speed in the chips by removing
>some of the wait states (such as the copper wake up time).
>
>Really I don't think you can except much more with current technology.
>You'll have VGA colour/res probably at slightly higher performance
>(and better than most VGA cards) and everything less
>(like what you're using today), will fly...

   After so long, what is needed is something better than VGA technology.
Already VGA cards are becoming available with 1024x768 non-interlaced
resolutions and 15 bits of color.  If the new chipset only supports 8-bit
color at this resolution, Commodore is going to find themselves behind
again the day the chipset finally reaches the market.

>-- 
>Colin Adams                                  
>Computer Science Department                     James Cook University 
>Internet : cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au               North Queensland
>'And on the eighth day, God created Manchester'

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