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From: kagle@batcomputer.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Reactions to IBM PC2 graphics
Message-ID: <662@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: Sun, 12-Apr-87 10:30:07 EST
Article-I.D.: batcompu.662
Posted: Sun Apr 12 10:30:07 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Apr-87 00:37:23 EST
References: <10726@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <1964@hoptoad.uucp> <541@neoucom.UUCP> <739@sputnik.tc.fluke.COM>
Reply-To: kagle@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu.UUCP (Jonathan C. Kagle)
Organization: Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 19
Keywords: VGA Killer graphics

In article <739@sputnik.tc.fluke.COM> kurt@tc.fluke.COM (Kurt Guntheroth) writes:
>OK, OK, so I know already.  256 colors is 8 bit planes, not 256.  You can do
>8 bit planes.  It would need better memory bandwidth than the amiga, but I
>suspect the high-end machine in the PCII series has higher memory bandwidth
>than the amiga.  If IBM did the video as bit planes, and there is currently
>no direct evidence either way, then they have done something right for a change.

	Why would 256 colors require much greater bandwidth?  Remember that the
256 color mode is only available in low-res (320 horiz) mode.  Hmmm.  Isn't
that the same amount of data as a 640 horiz. 16 color screen?  Sure, 8 bitplanes
could cause problems, but two 4-bit high-res. pixels could be combined to yield
an 8-bit result.  Of course, this would create ugly bitmaps, but it's better
than being put down by PC owners (choke!).  This hypothetical chip wouldn't 
require more address lines than the current one, so it could be retrofitted on
existing A1000, A2000, and A500 :-)  models.  
	Although a similar chip has probably already been pondered by Commodore,
perhaps the PS/2 might get it into production.

	-Jonathan C. Kagle