Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pasteur!ames!uhccux!munnari.oz.au!stcns3!ipso!metro!basser!ultima!nigel
From: nigel@ultima.cs.uts.oz (Nigel Pearson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: DeskTOp Video Idea for Amiga
Message-ID: <13523@ultima.cs.uts.oz>
Date: 8 Aug 89 03:14:57 GMT
References: <3128@scolex.sco.COM>
Organization: Comp Sci, NSWIT, Australia
Lines: 46

in article <3128@scolex.sco.COM>, brianm@sco.COM (Brian Moffet) says:
> 
> Disclaimer, I know just enough about hardware to be dangerous. :-)
> 
	Me too!

> What would be the problem with an Amiga Computer which went all out
> in the Desktop Video market by providing the same resolution the
> ami now does, but is able to use 12 to 24 bitplanes for color.

	Main problem is graphics memory access, as you identified.
But, this really is quite feasible. The way I would do it would be
to treble the width of the graphics [data] bus(s). That way, you
effectively treble the speed without having to muck around too
much with the ami's complex timing. You could even hack up a cheap
one using three sets of custom chips, with just a different D-A
at the end to combine the outputs (and different colour map address',
processor interface address', etc).
Anyone interested in doing some work with me on this?

	What I would also like to see is a more sophisticated Genlock
system. The main problem I perceive with the Amiga's current one is
that computer generated pixels are either on or off. ie. there is no
way to fade overlayed images on top of video images. How about 32
bitplanes of information, 24 for colour, and 8 for 'transparency'.
This would allow computer images to have fuzzy edges when overlayed
over video. Should alleviate the age-old problem of contrast induced
interlace flicker. (Which, BTW, is present in almost all of the
video titling hardware available today. Fix this, and you create a
new market for the Amiga.)

	I'm all in favor of helping the Amiga further intrench itself
in ANY market, but particularly in Desktop Video; where it can really
'show its true colours'.

	As I said earlier, I am interested in implementing these
ideas (and others). Drop me a line if you have ideas/money/criticism.

						Cheers - Nigel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Nigel Pearson, overpaid research assistant @ University of Technology, Sydney.
      "Do you want to live for ever?" - Conan the Barbarian & Highlander.
ACSnet: nigel@ultima.cs.uts.oz        Surface: c/o- Key Centre, UTS, PO Box 123,
 (Well, at least for this week) :-)             BROADWAY, NSW, Australia, 2007 
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