Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!orstcs!jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU!bob
From: bob@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU (robert s. richardson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Warning: New User Question
Message-ID: <10650@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 16 May 89 07:34:46 GMT
References: <1082@altos86.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: bob@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU.UUCP (robert s. richardson)
Organization: Oregon State University - CS - Corvallis Oregon
Lines: 55

In article <1082@altos86.UUCP> clp@altos86.UUCP (Chuck L. Peterson) writes:
>Okay, I finally found out how to turn on flicker -- by choosing
>interlace in the preference window, then rebooting.  Boy, do I get
>flicker!  Are these new Agnus chips supposed to fix this problem?
>Is it me, or is there something inherently wrong with a product
>requiring the purchace of an expensive 3rd party device (flicker fixer)
>to give acceptible output?  The technology is obviously there,
>so what is the problem with the Amiga Hardware Dudes using it?
>
>Chuck L. Peterson
> ...!sun!altos86!clp

To understand the "problem" of interlace it is necessary to look at
the history of the Amiga.  The original chipset was designed with
graphics applications in mind, but was optimized for rendering to
NTSC video for such applications as videogames.  NTSC video is
interlaced.  It is the very limitation business and CAD users
point out in the Amiga (flicker) that makes it the popular machine
suitable for video work without extensive modification.  So you
can look at it two ways:

1) Interlace flicker is what keeps the Amiga out of the
   business marketplace.  (At least one of the reasons)    

	or

2) NTSC compatibility is what brought the Amiga into business
   because of its usefulness in desktop presentations.

And remember, the price of the FlickerFixer is less than that
of a PC VGA card and less than that of many EGA cards.  In the PC
world buying a video card is a practical necessity, while it is
just another option in the Amiga world, depending on your 
own preference and intended application.

Question:  Can someone fill me in on the layout of VGA?  Does it
use a blitter?  I've seem some impressive graphics done of VGA,
but the Amiga still seems to outstrip even a 386 in the area of
real-time animation and sound capabilities.  (Useful for 
presentation as well as games).  What about the TARGA board, and
how does one get that board to work in an Amiga 2000?

And to Commodore 1.4 people:  Is it conceivable to utilize the
blitter as a math coprocessor with the proper code?  Or is the
68000 faster in such areas?  I know some simple binary operations
could probably be implemented, but what about floating point?

Thanks any and all.
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