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072010303050000144002006006010000 11 2Page #1 F0110000001 9[..◆.◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆.]0110 Ç========================================================================= CommodoreAmiga4000/300Specifications ========================================================================= Subject:Somefuckinglamespecsonthea4000... Date:Sat,12Sep9214:32:23EST Herearetherealspecs...moreofaworkstationthanahomecomputer: 040+6megsram+120HDforabout$3000US[seenaddsfor$2800US]...haha! Thelowendmachineisdueoutjustbeforechristmas. ForRelease:Immediate Contact: CommodoreBusinessMachines,Inc. 1200WilsonDrive WestChester,PA19380 MonaAstraLissor AmandaK.Griffies (215)431-9354 üCOMMODOREINTRODUCESTHEAMIGA4000ATWORLDOFCOMMODORESHOWÇ (Pasadena,CA---September11,1992)---CommodoreBusinessMachines, Inc.todayintroducedtheAmiga(R)4000,thecompany'srevolutionarynew premiermultimediacomputer.TheAmiga4000marksthecompany'smost significantnewtechnologyadvancementinitsAmigalinesincethe product'sintroductionin1985.InadditiontotheAmiga4000,Commodore announcedseveralothersignificantproductintroductionsincludingthe Amiga600and600HD,AmigaDOSTMRelease3OperatingSystem,A570CD-ROM Drive,andAmigaVisionTMProfessionalAuthoringSystem. JamesDionne,PresidentandGeneralManagerofCommodoreBusiness Machines,Inc.,commented,"Theseproductannouncementsexemplify Commodore'scontinuedcommitmenttooffercomputerswithprobablythe bestprice/performanceratiosinthecomputerindustrytoday.Weare confidentthattheseproducts,particularlytheAmiga4000,willkeep Commodoreattheforefrontofmultimediatechnologyandenableusto continueouraggressivepushinthemultimediamarketplace." üAmiga4000 Ç ThispowerfulnewmachinefeaturesCommodore'sAdvancedGraphics ArchitectureTMcustomco-processorchipsetthatenablesusersto displayandanimategraphicsinmultipleresolutionsatupto256,000 colorsfromapaletteof16.8million.Thenewhardwarefeaturesare drivenbyAmigaDOSRelease3,thenewestversionofCommodore's multitaskingoperatingsystem,incombinationwiththemachine'smain processor,theMotorola(R)68040.Whilethisnewversionofthe operatingsystemtakesadvantageofthelatesthardwarefeatures,italso maintainsbackwardscompatibilitywithAmigasoftwarenotwritten specificallyfortheAmiga4000. TheAmiga4000willcomestandardwitha120MBharddrive,6MBofmemory, adualspeedhigh-densityfloppydrive,andCrossDOSwhichenablesusers toreadandwritetoMS-DOS(R)formattedfloppyandharddrives.Other keymultimediafeaturesinclude:adedicatedslotforvideodevices; selectableNTSCscanratecompatibility;fourvoicedual-channeldigital audio;upto8sprites,enablinghighspeedanimations;andfullhardware videooverscan.TheManufacturer'sSuggestedListPricefortheAmiga Ç4000-040/120is$3699.00. üAmigaDOSRelease3 Ç ThenewestversionoftheAmigaoperatingsystemaddsseveralsoftware enhancementstotheprevious2.04operatingsystem.Amongthenew featuresare:CrossDOS,allowingaccesstoMS-DOSformattedfloppyand harddrives;anewInstallerutility;andaPostscriptprinterdriver. Additionally,AmigaDOSRelease3.0offersfullsupportforthenew AdvancedGraphicsArchitecturechipsetfeaturedintheAmiga4000. üAmiga600 Ç TheAmiga600isapowerfulentry-levelcomputerwithasmallfootprint andlowprofileshape,makingitveryattractivetothehomecomputer buyer.TheAmiga600and600HDwillcomewithAmigaDOS2.XXanda selectionofsoftwarepackages. üA570CD-ROMDrive Ç TheA570isahighcapacityread-onlystoragedevicefortheAmiga500 series.TheA570acceptsstandard5"compactdiscsinaCDcaddyand playsallCDTV(R),audioCD,CD+G,andCD+MIDIdiscs.Itcanalsoread industry-standardISO-9660CD-ROMdiscs. üAmigaVisionProfessional Ç AmigaVisionProfessionalbuildsandexpandsonthevisualprogramming environmentusedinearlierversionsofAmigaVision.Thenewfeatures includesupportfortheCDTVplayer,speedandmemoryimprovements,and enhancementstotheauthoringenvironment.Inaddition,afreely redistributableruntimemodulehasbeenincluded,enablingflowscreated inAmigaVisiontobeplayedbackwithoutloadingAmigaVision. CommodoreBusinessMachines,Inc.,basedinWestChester,PA,istheU.S. subsidiaryofCommodoreInternational.Thecompanymanufacturesand marketsacompletelineofAmigacomputersandperipheralsforthe business,consumer,educationandgovernmentmarkets. Commodore(R)andCDTV(R)aretrademarksofCommodoreElectronics Limited.Amiga(R),AmigaDOS,AmigaVision,BridgeboardandAdvanced GraphicsArchitecturearetrademarksofCommodore-Amiga,Inc.MS-DOS(R) isatrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.Motorola(R)isatrademarkof MotorolaInc. ### üëAmiga4000TechnicalSpecifications Ç CPU: -Motorola(R)68040series32-bitprocessor -25Mhzclockspeed -Removableprocessormodule MEMORY: -2MB32-bitChipRAM Ç-Upto16MB32-bitFastRAM -EasilyexpandableviastandardSIMMunits -AdditionalstandardRAMissupportedbytheAmiga'sproprietary AUTOCONFIG(TM)capability SOFTWARE: -512KB32-bitROM -AmigaDOS(TM)3.0MultitaskingOperatingSystem -Supportsprogrammableresolutions -Supportsoutlinefonts -Localizedformultiplelanguage/countries -CrossDOSMS-DOS(R)filetransferutility INTERFACES: -Keyboard -Mouse/Joystick/Lightpen/Tabletports(2) -Serial(RS-232) -Parallel(Centronics) -Video(RGBanalogorRGBIdigital) -RightandLeftstereoaudio -InternalandExternalfloppydiskdriveports -InternalATIDEport.OptionalSCSIadapter SYSTEMSLOTS: -CPUslot(200-pin)supportshigh-speedmemoryandadvancedprocessors -Amigasystembus-Four16/32-bitZorroIIIexpansionslots(100-pin) withAUTOCONFIG -PCbus-ThreePCATT(M)slots VIDEOSLOT: -Extended24-bitVideoslot -Inlinewithstandard100-pinZorroslotforeasyintegrationofZorro andvideoboards ZorroIIISlots ____________________________________________ || 1|[==========][======][=================]| 2|[==========][======][=================]| 3|[==========][======][=================]| 4|[======][=========][=================]| |______| |_________________||_________________| 1,2,3=PC/ATSlots;4=VideoSlot HowtheSlotsWork:IfMS-DOScompatibilityisdesiredaBridgeboard maybeplacedinslot1,2or3.WhenaBridgeboardisinstalled,the emptyPCslotsarecapableofsupportingawidevarietyofXTorAT- styleboards.TheremainingZorroIIIslotssupportboth24&32-bit Zorroboards. KEYBOARD: -Detachable -94keys,including10functionkeys -Separatenumerickeypad -Separatecursorkeys(inverted"T"layout) MOUSE: -Opto-mechanical -2-buttondesign Ç DISKDRIVES: -Built-in3.5-inchhighdensitydiskdrive(880KB/1.76MBformatted) -HardDrivemodelspre-formattedandpre-loadedwithsystemsoftware andutilities -2rearand2front3.5-inchdrivebays -1front5.25-inchdrivebay GRAPHICMODES: -AGAcustomchipsetproducesresolutionsrangingfrom320x200to 1280x400(morewithoverscan),including800x600 -NTSCandPALvideoresolutions -Colorpaletteof16.8millioncolors -2to256,000user-definablecolorsdisplayableonscreen VIDEODISPLAYOUTPUT: -WorkswithRGBanalogVGAormultiscanmonitors(notallmodes supportedwithnonmultiscanmonitors) -Horizontalscanrats15kHz-31kHz -Verticalscanrates50Hz-72Hz SOUND: -Fourchannelstereosound,capableofreproducingcomplexwaveforms -8-bitD/Aconverters -6-bitvolume DIMENSIONS: -151/4"deepx15"widex5"high WEIGHT: -Approx.20pounds POWERREQUIREMENTS: -110volt/60Hz150wattpowersupply A4000CONFIGURATIONS: A4000-040/120 -Amiga4000withMotorola68040Processor,6MBRAM,internal3.5" 1.76MBFloppyDriveand120MBIDEHardDrive -94-keyKeyboard -2-buttonMouse -AmigaDOSRelease3.0SystemSoftwareandUtilities -GoldServiceWarrantyPackage AmigaDOS(TM)Release2.1SystemSoftwareUpgradeTechnical Specifications NEWFEATURES: -DynamicLocalizationofProgramstodifferentlanguagesandlocales -IncludesCrossDOSforeasytransferofMS-DOS(R)andAmiga(R)files -IncludesPostscript(R)PrinterDriver -SupportsMultipleSerialandParallelPrinterPreferences -NewPreferencesEditing -Motorola(R)68040compatible -Screenmoderequesteraddedforselectionofscreenmodeorvideomode FONTS: -SupportsAgfaCompugraphicIntellifontscalabletypefaces -IncludesCGTimes,CGTriumvirateandLetterGothictypefaces Ç-Supportsscalingofbitmapfonts -BettercontroloffontrenderingforDesktopPublishingapplications AREXXPROGRAMMING: -IncludesARexx,apowerfulinter-processcommunicationlanguage -CanbeusedtocontrolapplicationswhichsupportARexx -AllowstheintegrationofdifferentapplicationsthatsupportARexx intoasingleenvironment -Abilitytolaunchapplicationsfromwithinotherapplications USERINTERFACE: -Professionalthree-dimensionallook -Improvedeaseofuseandconsistency -ExtensivelyconfigurablethroughPreferencesEditors -Standardfileandfontrequesters -Supportsscrollingscreenslargerthanthemonitor -SelectLocale/CountrybyclickingonWorldMap -KeyboardselectioninInputPreferences WORKBENCHFEATURES: -AllfilesareaccessiblefromtheWorkbench -Filesareaccessiblebynameorbyicon -Dragselectionofmultipleicons -IncludesNewDrawercommand -Easiercleanupsandpositioningoficons -Iconscanbe"leftout"ontheWorkbenchbackdropforeasieraccess OTHERFEATURES: -Generalpurposeinstalleraddedwithinstallationactivationof Keymaps,Monitors,PrintersandDOSDrivers -SelectkeyboardfromPreferencesEditor -PrinterDriversforpopularprintersadded -Splineanimationsonblankedscreens -SupportforEuropeanmonitors -Enhancedreliabilityevenunderlowmemorysituations -Fasterandmorereliablefloppydiskaccess -ImprovedIconEditor SHELLENHANCEMENTS: -AmigaDOScommandsarefaster,morepowerfulandrequirefewer keystrokes -Newcommandshandleenvironmentvariablesandlinks -CutandPasteinshellwindows -Extendedwildcardcapabilities -Backtickfeatureallowsembeddedcommandswithincommands -Shellwindowshaveaclosegadget -ARexxscriptscanberundirectlyfromtheShell ECSFEATURES: EnhancedChipSetRequired -640x480non-interlacedProductivityMode(requires31kHZ-capable monitor) -1280x200and1280x400Super-HiResModes -800x600requiresMultisync -Newgenlockfeatures HARDWAREREQUIREMENTS: -Requiresany2.0XROM-readyAmiga500,600,2000or3000series computer -Amiga2500,A2620or2630requiresrev-06orgreaterROMsonthe Çacceleratorcard -ECSfeaturesrequireoptionalEnhancedChipSet -ContactnearestCommodoreresellerfordetailsandinstallation ORDERINFORMATION: AS215AmigaDOSRelease2.1SoftwareUpgradeincludes: -6disks -3-manualset AS216AmigaDOSRelease2.1ROMandSoftwareUpgradeincludes: -2.0XROM -6disks -3-manualset ContactyourCommodoreresellerfordetails.TolocateaCommodore resellerintheU.S.,call1-800-66-AMIGA;inCanadacall1-800-661- AMIGA. Amiga600TechnicalSpecifications CPU: -Motorola(R)68000,16/32bit -7.16MhzNTSC -Multi-ChipcoprocessorsystemforDMA,Video,GraphicsandSound MEMORY: -Expandableto2MBChipRAM -MaximumRAMexpansion6MBwithPCMCIA SOFTWARE: -512KBROM -AmigaDOS(TM)Release2MultitaskingOperatingSysteminROM -Workbench2.XandUtilitiessoftware KEYBOARD: -Integral78KeyInternational MOUSE: -Opto-mechanical -2-buttondesign DISKDRIVES: -Built-in3.5-inch880KBfloppydisk -External3.5-inchfloppydisk -InternalIDEharddiskdrive(optional) GRAPHICMODES: -Colorpaletteof4096colors -Selectableresolutions -Supportsfulloverscan VIDEODISPLAYOUTPUT: -RGBanalog15KHzHorizontalScanRate -ColorComposite -RFModulated SOUND: -Fourchannelstereosound DIMENSIONS: Ç-14"deepx9.5"widex3"high WEIGHT: -Approx.6lbs. POWERREQUIREMENTS: -Switchingpowersupply23watts INTERFACES: External: -FloppyDisk(DB23) -Mouse/Joystick/Lightpen(2DB9) -Serial(RS-232,PC-compatible) -Parallel(Centronics--PC-compatible) -VideoRGBanalog(DB2315KHz) ColorComposite(RCA) RFModulator(RCA) -PCMCIACardSlot Internal: -InternalATIDEconnector A600CONFIGURATIONS: A600P -Amiga600withMotorola68000Processor,internal3.5"880KFloppy Drive,1MBRAM -IntegralKeyboard -Release2.XOperatingSystemandUtilities -2-buttonMouse A600HD -Amiga600withMotorola68000Processor,internal3.5"880KFloppy Drive,1MBRAM -Internal40MBIDEHardDrive -IntegralKeyboard -Release2.XOperatingSystemandUtilities -2-buttonMouse Amiga570ExternalCDROMStoragefortheAmiga500 TechnicalSpecifications FEATURES: -HighCapacity,Read-onlyCD-ROM -CDTVCompatibility -2MBFastRAMexpansion(internal) -Rearexpansionslotforplug-incartridges OPERATINGSYSTEM: -ISO9660filesystemhandler -High-speeddecompressionforgraphics,audio,CD+GraphicsandCD DigitalAudio CD-ROMDRIVESPECS: -DataTransfer-Normal:153KBytes/sec(Mode1) :171KBytes/sec(Mode2) -Averageaccesstime:0.5s -Maximumaccesstime:0.8s -Softreaderror:Lessthan1in10^9 -Hardreaderror:Lessthan1in10^12 Ç-Seekerror:Lessthan1in10^6 -Commands:CD-ROM,CD-Audio,CD+G,CD+MIDI -Standardsupported:ISO-9660 -DataCapacity:540MegaBytes(approx.) -Mechanism:ProtectiveDiskCaddyType CDAUDIOSPECS: -8xoversampling -Audiooutput:External2.0Vp-p,10KOHM -Frequencyresponse:4-20KHz -Signal/Noise:-96db -ChannelSeparation:-85db -HarmonicDistortion:0.02%at1KHz -Maximumaudiocapacity:about28hours-AMquality -SampleRates:variablefromCDAudiorate(44KHz) -Dual16-bitD/Aconverterplus64levelsofattenuation PHYSICALCHARACTERISTICS: RearPanel: -PowerSupplyConnector -PowerSwitch -AmigaAudioIn(LeftandRight) -CDTVAudioOut(LeftandRight) FrontPanel: -StereoHeadphoneJack -CompatibilitySwitch -Power-OnPilotLED -DriveActivityLED -DiscLoadingSlot Dimensions: -Approx.256x180x68mm Weight: -Approx.6pounds POWERREQUIREMENTS: -110volt/60Hzfromexternalsupply AmigaVisionProfessionalspecs CDTV(R)SUPPORTFEATURES -PlaybackofCD-XLMotionVideoFiles -PlaysCDDigitalAudiotracks -CursorandJumpingHighlightModes -ReadsCDTVIRController -FullSupportforCDTVPreferences -ControlMIDIoutfilestoMIDIorAmiga VIDEOCONTROLFEATURES: -Supportsfull-motionvideo -SupportsGenlocks -On-screenvideodisccontroller -Videosetupandconfiguration -SupportsSony,PioneerandPhillipslaserdiscplayers,NECPC-VCR, PanasonicTQ3032F,SonyUmatic9TapePlayers -Supportsdriversforcustomplayers USERINTERFACE: Ç-PrimaryInterface(s) DirectManipulationofIcons RequesterBoxes -Presentationinflowchartformat -Userinputfromkeyboard,mouse,joystickortouchscreen -Auto-openandreduced-sizeicons GRAPHICS&ANIMATION: -CombinesTextandGraphicsonscreen -UsesAmigastandardIFFILBMfilesasforegroundandbackground -SimultaneousplaybackofAnimationandAudio -34Transitionswith4speeds 17palette/resolutionindependent -VisualDisplayElements:Graphics,Text,Animation,Video SOUND: -SupportsAmigaStereoAudio -SupportsAmigastandardSMUSfileswithtempo,dynamicsandchord support -Digitizedsoundinstandard8SVXformat -Speechsynthesisandtext-to-speechconversion -Pre-loadingofaudioandstreamed-inanimationandsoundforincreased displayandplaybackspeed -AudioDisplayElements:DigitizedSound,Music,SpeechSynthesis DATABASE: -IntegratedintoAmigaVision -dBaseIII(R)datafilecompatible -upto10filesopensimultaneously -ReadandUpdatefunctions -Variabledefinitionandmanipulation -Definedatainputforms -String,numeric,dataandBooleanoperations VISUALPROGRAMMING: -Features: FlowControlSubroutines InterruptsAVEngine LibrariesofEventsObjectEditor ConditionalStatements -UnlimitedNumberofHitBoxes/ButtonsperScreen -UnlimitedTextWindows -HypertextBrowsing -RunsexternalprogramsviaARexx -Chainingofprograms -Selectablememoryconstraints -Createruntimemodules -Relocateapplications -Name,PositionandMoveobjectsincludinganimationbrushes -DefinePathsandTraversalOptions RUNTIMEPLAYER: -IncludesfreelydistributableRuntimePlayer HARDWAREREQUIREMENTS: -MinimumDeliverySystem:Amigacomputerwith2MBRAM -SuggestedDevelopmentSystem:AmigaComputerwithHardDriveand 4MBRAM -RuntimePlayerRequiresapprox.270KB,1MBRAMrecommended ÇAMIGAVISIONPROFESSIONAL(PN:AS251)INCLUDES: -ProgramDisk -InstallDiskwithprinterandvideodrivers -DemoDiskwithGuidedTourbooklet -ExamplesDisk -User'sGuide -RuntimePlayer -RequiresAmigaDOS(TM)1.3orhigher  ========================================================================= Subject:A3400/A4000specs...(possiblythisisajokepost) Date:Sat,5Sep199215:46:23GMT Hereisalittlesomethingthatmaybeinterestingto.advocacyreaders. Ihavenoideawhowrotethearticle,butitseemstobesomeonefroma hardwarecompany.Thearticlehasbeencirculatedviaemailtoseveral persons,yetithassomehowmanagedtoescapebeingpostedonthenet. Istheinformationrealorfake?Ifreal,isthisthetypeofmachine thatpeopleareexpecting? Hereitis: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A3400orA4000.ThestickeronthebackofthemachinesaidA4000,the labellikethe2000/3000keyboard,butstuckontheupperlefthandside ofthefrontofthemachinesaidA3400.Itwillbethesamecolorasthe oldCommodoreVIC-20(refridgeratorwhite)..guessit'llbecalledthe 'Fridge(NOT!). *-NomotherboardCPU.TheCPUslotisthesameasthe3000(T)andhas adifferentformfactor,socurrent040boardswon'tworkitin.The defaultmachineissupposedtohavea25MHz040(notECorLC,butfull). SincethereisnoonboardCPUslotthereisnoarbitrationcircuitry needed,soacceleratorswillbecheap.The040boardintherewasvery completeandclean. *-IDE,yesIDE,notSCSI.Cheapcheapcheap.Thispissedoffquitea fewdeveloperssincetheycouldn'tplugtheirCDROMsorFlopticalsinto it.MakesZorroIIISCSIcardsahotitemtoproduce(we'reprobably gonnacomeoutwithonebasedonthe53C710liketheMagnumuses).They hadadifficulttimeacceptingthattheindustrystandardisIDE,and thatIDEisn'tthatslow,especiallysincetheyaretargettingnewAmiga sales,notexistingusers. *-4xAAchipset,sincethereis5SIMMslots,4forFAST,1forCHIP, theCHIPusesaDualCASSIMMfor2M,otherwisecanhold512or1.The FASTcanholdupto16MofPAGEmodeSIMMs,whichyieldthe4xspeedup, whereasnonPAGE,wouldyielda2xsystem.Machinesshouldbeshipping with1or2MCHIPand4MFAST.16MlimitisduetousingthesameBUSTER RAMSEYcomboasintheA3000(T). *-NoDisplayenhancer.Allmachineshada1960,whichletyoupromote thedisplaysintoFlicker-free. *-5drivebays,2floppy,and3harddrive,withoneofthe3underthe 2floppybays.Allare31/2"formfactor.1avaiableunderIDEoron topofCPUdaughtercard. Ç*-Backplanediffersfromthe3000onetomovethevideoslottothe bottomrow,andmakeit24bit,thoughyoucanpluganormal12bitvideo cardintoit. *-Allsurfacemountcomponents.SIMMsareuserinstallable. *-StatusoftheA3000+is"unknown",whichpissedoffafewdevs,since theywereseriouslyconsideringDSPsoftware. *-Nonetworkcontroller(COM20200). *-Thismachinecaterstoaninexpensive040/AAentrymachine,whichis supposedtobehighend.Itisalso,theBASEbox...youcanputanyCPU intheslototherthana68000/010,solookforC=tousethisasacheap 020/AA(2x)(512kCHIP/4MFAST)systemthatyoucanupgradelater. [cheapASCIIdrawing] NotquiteanA3000formfactorontheoutside,definetlynotonthe inside. +----------------------+ |###===AMIGA[1.]*|(HighDensity) |----------------[---]-|(emptyfloppy) |[---]|(emptyharddrive) +----------------------+ {FRONT} ###=A3400sticker====LEDs(power,FDD,HDD)*=powerswitch .=floppybutton +----------------------+ |\ |-- |LR| +-[**]----------------+ *=Mouseports{LEFT}-WHYONLEFTSIDE??? +----------------------+ |@+---+$$$=====| |%|FAN|???=====| |+---+---+++.###**| +----------------------+ {REAR} %=normal3prongsocket@=(switched)socket$$$=A4000sticker ???=expansioncover---=serial+++=parallel###=video**= audio.=miniDINkeyboardconnector(alaPS/2)======ZorroIIIslot cover. +----------------------+ |Z:+---++-------+| |O:|IDE||POWER|| |R:|HD||SUPPLY|| |R:||||| |O:+---++-------+| |||^| |3:|0++^| |:|4S#+----+^| Ç|+++S|0L#C|FDD|^| |+++I:|O#P|HDD|^| |+++M:|T#U|BAYS|^| |+++M:+----#+----+^| +---------------------*+ {TOP} Finalnotes:Itwasclosetocompletion.Thisisthefirsttimethat I'veseenamachinefromCommodoresoclosetobeingshipped,soexpect thatitwillbeshownandintroducedattheWOCinPasadena.Alsoexpect itto_ship_byChristmasorearly'93ifnotsooner.Thiswillbea firstthatC=canactuallymeetanannouncementwithmachines.Alsonote thatKS39AmigaOSRelease3isinfinaltest.Theyaregivingusa coupleofmoreweekstofinishbetatesting.TheAAchipsetissnappy, adequateforanentrylevelmachine,and8bitplaneswasnotevenas slowas4bitplanesarenow,whichisgonnamakeitshinewhenthe reviewscomeout. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SungaRettaf ========================================================================= From:spence@cbmvax.commodore.com(SpencerShanson) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject:AAFeatures Date:14Sep9221:43:36GMT NowthatAA(AGA)hasbeenfinallyreleased,andtoquashanyfuture questionsastowhatAAcanandcannotdo,hereisalistofdisplay modesthatIcompiledwhenIfirststartedworkingontheAAproject. Thisisthedefinitiveguide!Thereisnomoreandnolessinformationto behadwithregardsAA. AllAAfeaturescanbeusedthroughtheappropriatecallsprovidedbythe operatingsysyem(AmigaDOSRelease3,kickstartV39).Allothermethods ofenablingfeatures(suchaswritingdirectlytothehardware,poking copperlistsetc)will*NOT*besupportedinfuturemachines. YOUHAVEBEENWARNED! Youwantafeature,usetheOS.That'swhatit'sfor. NB- 1colourclock=280ns 1Lorespixel=140ns(2percolourclock) 1Hirespixel=70ns(4percolourclock) 1SuperHirespixel=35ns(8percolourclock) 1VGApixel=35ns(8percolourclock) üNEWAADISPLAYMODES ==================== Ç Wenowhaveapaletteof2^24colours.Eachcolourhas8bitseachof Red,GreenandBlue(hence24bitsofcolour),+1genlockbit. ÇLORES ----- 6Bitplane(nonHAM,nonEHB)64colours! 7Bitplane128colours! 8Bitplane256colours! 8BitplaneHAMAnyof2^24colours! DualPlayfield,Max4Bitplanesperplayfield! 16coloursperplayfield.Thebankof16colours inthe256colourpaletteisselectableper playfield. HIRES ----- 5Bitplanes32colours@ 6Bitplanes64colours@ 7Bitplanes128colours@ 8Bitplanes256colours@ 6BitplanesEHB32*2colours@ 6BitplanesHAM4096colours@ 8BitplanesHAManyof2^24colours@ DualPlayfield,Max4Bitplanesperplayfield!or@ 16coloursperplayfield.Thebankof16colours inthe256colourpaletteisselectableper playfield. SUPERHIRES ---------- 1or2bitplanes,asECS,bitwithnocolourfudging! 3Bitplanes8colours@ 4Bitplanes16colours@ 5Bitplanes32colours$ 6Bitplanes64colours$ 7Bitplanes128colours$ 8Bitplanes256colours$ 6BitplanesEHB32*2colours$ 6BitplanesHAM4096colours$ 8BitplanesHAManyof2^24colours$ DualPlayfield,Max4Bitplanesperplayfield@or$ 16coloursperplayfield.Thebankof16colours inthe256colourpaletteisselectableper playfield. Allplayfieldscrollingisnowin35nsincrements,range0-63. PreAAscrollingwasin140nsincrements,range0-15 VGA --- 1or2bitplanes,asECS,bitwithnocolourfudging! 3Bitplanes8colours@ 4Bitplanes16colours@ 5Bitplanes32colours$ 6Bitplanes64colours$ 7Bitplanes128colours$ 8Bitplanes256colours$ Ç6BitplanesEHB32*2colours$ 6BitplanesHAM4096colours$ 8BitplanesHAManyof2^24colours$ DualPlayfield,Max4Bitplanesperplayfield@or$ 16coloursperplayfield.Thebankof16colours inthe256colourpaletteisselectableper playfield. KEY: !needs1xBandwidth @needs2xBandwidth $needs4xBandwidth NB-theA4000isconfiguredfor4xbandwidth. TheEuro72andSuper72modesarevariationsoftheVGAmodes(just differentresolutionsandrefreshrates). Thereisalsoa"ScanDoubling"feature.Thisallowseachscanlinetobe showntwice.Thepurposeofthisistoenableasoftwarework-aroundto replacethedisplayenhancerfoundontheA3000.Withthe"promotion" featureenabled,NTSCandPALdisplaysare"promoted"toaflicker-free versiondefinedintheDblNTSC/DblPALmonitors.Thesetwomonitorsare alsovariationsoftheVGAmonitor,butdesignedtoresembleasclosely aspossibletheNTSCandPALdimensions,butattwicetherefreshrate. Inotherwords,theDblNTSCmonitorwillprovide640x400dimension,non- laced,at60Hzrefresh,theDblPALwillprovide640x512nonlacedat 50Hz.Non-lacedNTSC/PALscreens(suchas640x200)willalsobepromoted, butwilltakeupasmuchspaceonthescreenasthe640x400willthrough scan-doubling. Ofcourse,alltheECSgenlockingfeatureshavebeencarriedthroughto AA. SPRITES ======= PriortoAA,spriteswerealwaysdisplayedwith140nspixels,excepton SuperHiresorVGAscreens,wherespritepixelswere70nslong. WithAA,allspritescannowbedisplayedineither: 1)ECSmode! 2)140ns(thisisnotthesameasECSmode-seeabove!)! 3)70ns@ 4)35ns$ onanydisplayresolution.eg35nsspritesonaloresscreen,or140ns spritesonasuperhiresscreen. Spritescanbepositionedto35nsresolution. Spritesareeither16,32,or64bitswide. Spritescanbeattachedinanymode(couldnotattachspritesinthenew ECSmodes). Spriteresolutionaffectsallthesprites,inotherwordsyoucannothave sprite364bitswidewith70nspixels,andsprite432bitswidewith 35nspixels. Ç Evennumberedandoddnumberedspritescanselectanybankof16colours fromthe256colourpaletteforthespritecolours. Spritescanalsobescandoubled(tomaintainaspectratio). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SpencerShanson-AmigaSoftwareEngineer|email:spence@commodore.COM |oruunet!cbmvax!spence Allopinionsexpressedaremyown,anddonot|Bix:sshanson (necessarily)representthoseofCommodore.|"Render?Ihardlyeven |knowher!" ========================================================================= From:cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au(ColinAdams) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Keywords:newchipsets,WOC Date:Sun,13Sep9213:09:52GMT Inarticle<1992Sep13.001854.21763@cco.caltech.edu> andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: >IjustgotbackfromtheseconddayoftheWorldof >CommodoreshowinPasadena,andtodaywasdefinitely >moreimpressivethanyesterday. [stuffdeleted,butalotincludedforadvocacypeoplewhodidn'tread itthefirsttimesoapologiesforpeoplewhohavealreadyreadmostof it] >Eggebrecht,whoworkedatIBMasahardwareguybeforecomingto >Commodore,presentedthefuturehardwaregoalsofCommodorefirst. >Firstoffwasthelow-endchipset.Hesaiditwouldbe2chipswith >about100Ktransistors.Asacomparison,theECSuses60Ktransistors >andtheAGAuses80Ktransistors.Itwouldaddress32-bitDRAMandhave >a57MHzpixelclock.ItwouldbeverymuchECSandAGAcompatible. >Eggebrechtsaidthatbackwardscompatibilitywasveryimportantforthe >low-endstuff.Youcouldhavea4MBfloppydrive(hesaid"four >megaBIT",butIthinkhemeantbyte),andthechipsetwouldsupport32- >bitprocessors.Thememorybandwidthwouldbe8xwhatitisnow,and >72Hzrefreshratesarepossibleinsomemodes.Hesaiditwouldbe >"easy"todo2xtheblitterperformanceanda800x600x8bit72Hzmodes >(!).Thelow-endchipsetwouldsupport16-bittruecolor,meaningyou >couldhave65536colorsatonce,andaFIFO'edserialportwouldbepart >ofit.TheFIFOwillclearupalotofpresentserialportproblems >presentnow.Gee,Iwouldn'tmindhavingthelow-endstuffnow:). Thisislow-end!?!?IthinkC=havebeenlisteningtous! >Now,Eggebrechtcontinued,let'stalkabouttheexcitingstuff-- >thehigh-endchipset.Thehigh-endchipsetismadeof4chipswitha >totalof750Kto1Mtransistors.Itcoulduseeither32-bitor64-bit >VRAM,givingitmuchincreasedperformance.Itwouldhavea >reprogrammablepixelclockof57to114MHz.Thepresentpixelclockis >28MHz(AGA,Iassume).Letmegooffonatangenthere.Apparently, >Commodore'snewphilosophyonsystemsdesignistomakesubsystems >clock-asynchronous,soeachpartcanbetunedtoitsmostoptimalspeed. >Thedecouplingofthegraphicschipsetfromtheprocessorclockisone >example.Futureprocessorswillalsohaveasynchronousclocksfromthe >restofthesystem. DaveHayniehasmentionedthisinthepastasbeingafuturebigstep. ÇHesaiditwouldprobablybreakquitealotofstuff.Breakit,break it,breakitguys! >Anyway,goingbacktothenewchipset,itwouldalso >supportchunkymodes,withoutlosingitsbitplanenature. >ItwouldsupportCD-ROM[...] >Itwouldhaveframegrabbing[...] >Itwouldhavea1Kx1Kscreen[...] >Itwouldalsohave8channelsof100KHz16-bitsound[...] >Supportingallthiswouldbeon-demandDMA--Iassumethismeanswe >aren'ttiedtohavingcertainDMAchannelsforcertain >partsonly.Itwouldbebackwardscompatiblewiththe >ECSandAGA,althoughEggebrechtdidn'tstressitasmuch. >Theperformanceofthischipsetis12-20xcurrentbandwidth. >Therewillbea32-bitblitterwith8xtheperformanceofthe >presentone. Absolutelyawesomestuff! >Thesystemiscapableofhaving1blitterfor >EVERYbitplane! ThisisjustlikeSGsystems.InfactthewholepostsoundedliketheSG CrimsonmanualIhave:-) >[...] >Thesystemismodularsoyoucanupgradetolaterchipsets. >Thedefaultscreenrefreshis72Hzwiththesystemcapable >of100Hz. >Eggebrechtnextwentontotalkabouttheupcoming >productfeatures.AGAwillbeincorporatedintoall >upcomingAmigaproducts.AllfutureAmigacomputers >wouldbemodularallowingyoutoaddstufflikeRISC >processors(hesaiditagain!).Commodorerealizes >thatinthepastthey'vekindofstayedapartfrom >everyoneelseandhaven'tbeenkeepingup.Nomore >ofthatnow--Commodorewillkeepupwiththeindustry, >whichmeans,Eggebrechtsays,theywillintroduce100MHz >processorsassoonastheyareout.Commodore"won't >dilly-dally"anymore.DSPsupportiscoming.32-bit >SCSI-IIiscomingaroundJan1993,andmaybeincorporated >intofuturemotherboards.CDTVisgoingtomergewith >theAmigaline.We'regoingtogetfull-motionvideo >withMPEG.CDTVitselfisgoingtobecost-reducedand >enhanced.Eggebrechtstatedinnouncertaintermsthat >CommodorestillthinksCDTVisoneofitsmostimportant >projects.Softwareisgoingtobeupgradedtohandleall >this. IREALLYhopemanagementisbehindalloftheseprojectsanditisn't justengineeringgettingexcited.Timewilltell,butthisisthebest vapourwareannouncementI'veeverseen:-)Allwecandotohelpisbuy anA4000,whichIwillbedoingifIheargoodnewsaboutfuture employmentthisweek... >Speakingofsoftware,Eggebrechtalsomentionedthe >newOS'sthataregoingtobecomingout.Hestatedthat >bothcompatibilityandstabilityaretheirtwogreatest >goals.Retargetabilityisalsoamajorgoal(hehadabout Ç>5).Specifically,release3hasallofthe2.1stuff >plusAGAsupportandmultimediasupport.3.1hasAPI >networkextensions.IaskedAllenHavemoseaboutthis, >andheseemedtoimplythatthe2.0TCP/IPsoftwareis >notgoingtobereleasedbutinsteadintegratedinto >theOS.3.1alsowillhavefileandprintersharing, >andDSPsupport.Release4willberetargetableand >havefullPostscriptprintersupport. Iwonderwhattheymeanaboutpostscriptprintersupport. >IaskedHavemose >aboutresourcetracking,andhesaid,"Notinthenext >version",meaning4.0,buthesaiditwillbeinlater. >I'msomewhatsurprisedatthisandIhopeIheardwrong. Wouldn't3.1bethenextreleasethough? WarningEarly4.0rumour:I'veheardVMiscomingfor4.0.Takeitasa grainofsaltatthisstage. >Astohowfaralongthesethingsare,Eggebrecht >saysthey'reclosetoworkingsilicon,butwouldnot >giveanydatesatall. IfindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfromtheAmiga architectureisalmostinworkingsiliconwhenithastakensolongfor theAGAchipset(C=probablychangedthenametogetbackatallthe peopleonthenet:-)). >--Andre >(whoisn'tmakinganyofthisup,really) Areyousure:-)It'shardertobelievethananyoftheAmigaX000fake posts. -- ColinAdamsHonoursStudent-JamesCookUniversityofNorthQueensland "AndifIseemalittlestrange,wellthat'sbecauseIam."-TheSmiths ========================================================================= From:andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:13Sep9215:02:25GMT cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au(ColinAdams)writes: >Inarticle<1992Sep13.001854.21763@cco.caltech.edu> >andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: >ThisisjustlikeSGsystems.Infactthewholepostsounded >liketheSGCrimsonmanualIhave:-) Hee,hee,notwhenyouhaveaCrimsonElanrightinfrontofyou,it doesn't:). >>IaskedHavemose >>aboutresourcetracking,andhesaid,"Notinthenext >>version",meaning4.0,buthesaiditwillbeinlater. >>I'msomewhatsurprisedatthisandIhopeIheardwrong. Ç>Wouldn't3.1bethenextreleasethough? Idon'tthinksobecausewhenhesaid,"nextrelease",Isaid,"3.0?" andhesaid,no,"4.0." >>Astohowfaralongthesethingsare,Eggebrecht >>saysthey'reclosetoworkingsilicon,butwouldnot >>giveanydatesatall. >Ifindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfrom >theAmigaarchitectureisalmostinworkingsilicon >whenithastakensolongfortheAGAchipset(C= >probablychangedthenametogetbackatallthe >peopleonthenet:-)). Thisistrue,butEggebrechtsaidthattheirimprovedVLSIdesign processesarehelpingthembringproductstothemarketfasterthan before. >>--Andre >>(whoisn'tmakinganyofthisup,really) >Areyousure:-)It'shardertobelievethananyoftheAmigaX000 >fakeposts. Well,I'mgladtosayno,thiswasallsaid.Besideswhocoulddreamup ofstufflikethis?Therewerefirecodebreakingnumbersofpeopleinthe roomandtheyallheardthesamespeech(Ihope:). --Andre  AndreYewandrey@tybalt.caltech.edu(131.215.48.100) ========================================================================= Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie(EddyCarroll) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Sun,13Sep199215:15:14GMT cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au(ColinAdams)writes: >andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: >>IjustgotbackfromtheseconddayoftheWorldof >>CommodoreshowinPasadena,andtodaywasdefinitely >>moreimpressivethanyesterday. Understatementoftheweek!:-) [LotsofamazingstuffwhichleadsmetobelievethatEggebrechthadtoo muchtodrinkonFridayNight.I_really_hopeCBMmanagementfollow throughonallthis!I'llevenforgivethemfornotincludingaDSPin thebaseA4000.] >Absolutelyawesomestuff! Yousaidit. >AllwecandotohelpisbuyanA4000,whichIwillbedoingifIhear >goodnewsaboutfutureemploymentthisweek... Icertainlyhavemyeyeonone. Ç >>Astohowfaralongthesethingsare,Eggebrecht >>saysthey'reclosetoworkingsilicon,butwouldnot >>giveanydatesatall. > >Ifindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfrom >theAmigaarchitectureisalmostinworkingsilicon >whenithastakensolongfortheAGAchipset ThisisthebitIreallywantedtoreplyto.AttheEuropeanDevConin Milanthistimelastyear,theyhadthefirstsiliconversionsoftheAA chipsetondisplay,andwereshowing1280x512HAM8pics.Theylooked awesome.(Theinterveningyearwasmostlikelytogetbugsoutofthe chipsetandgetthesystemsoftwaretosupportitfullywritten.) SoIcanquitebelievethatthey'vehadateambeaveringawayforthe past12months(orlonger)onthisnewchipsetwhoarealmostreadyto showsomethingforit. Theonlythingis,Ihopepeoplewon'tputoffA4000purchasesinthe hopethatallthisstuffisrightaroundthecorner.I'dsaythechances ofseeinganyofthisnextgenerationstuffbefore1994areprettyclose tozero. Eddy -- EddyCarroll----*GenuineMUDWizard|"Youhaven'tliveduntilyou've Internet:ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie|diedinMUD!"--RichardBartle ========================================================================= Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Sun,13Sep199221:08:01GMT ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie(EddyCarroll)writes: >cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au(ColinAdams)writes: >>andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: >[LotsofamazingstuffwhichleadsmetobelievethatEggebrechthadtoo >muchtodrinkonFridayNight.I_really_hopeCBMmanagementfollow >throughonallthis!I'llevenforgivethemfornotincludingaDSPin >thebaseA4000.] Iguesshewassodrunk,heevenmadeanAmigaVisionflowforhis presentationwhichhadallofwhathesaidinit:). >Theonlythingis,Ihopepeoplewon'tputoffA4000purchasesinthe >hopethatallthisstuffisrightaroundthecorner.I'dsaythechances >ofseeinganyofthisnextgenerationstuffbefore1994areprettyclose >tozero. Well,itseemstomethatthemagicofthe4000isthatit'smodular-- wecangetthesenewchipsetsbybuyinganewcard.PerhapsaCommodore engineercancommenthere. --Andre AndreYewandrey@tybalt.caltech.edu(131.215.48.100) ========================================================================= ÇNewsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:copes@cs.curtin.edu.au(SimonCope) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Mon,14Sep199205:28:26GMT ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie(EddyCarroll)writes: >>>CommodoreshowinPasadena,andtodaywasdefinitely >>>moreimpressivethanyesterday. >>AllwecandotohelpisbuyanA4000,whichIwillbedoingifIhear >>goodnewsaboutfutureemploymentthisweek... >Icertainlyhavemyeyeonone. >>>Astohowfaralongthesethingsare,Eggebrecht >>>saysthey'reclosetoworkingsilicon,butwouldnot >>>giveanydatesatall. >> >>Ifindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfrom >>theAmigaarchitectureisalmostinworkingsilicon >>whenithastakensolongfortheAGAchipset >ThisisthebitIreallywantedtoreplyto.AttheEuropeanDevConin >Milanthistimelastyear,theyhadthefirstsiliconversionsoftheAA >chipsetondisplay,andwereshowing1280x512HAM8pics.Theylooked >awesome.(Theinterveningyearwasmostlikelytogetbugsoutofthe >chipsetandgetthesystemsoftwaretosupportitfullywritten.) >SoIcanquitebelievethatthey'vehadateambeaveringawayforthe >past12months(orlonger)onthisnewchipsetwhoarealmostreadyto >showsomethingforit. >Theonlythingis,Ihopepeoplewon'tputoffA4000purchasesinthe >hopethatallthisstuffisrightaroundthecorner.I'dsaythechances >ofseeinganyofthisnextgenerationstuffbefore1994areprettyclose >tozero. ThemainreasonAGAtooksolongisthatC=neverhadanycompetition tillSVGAcameoutacoupleofyearsago.Tilltheneverythingwas sweet,sotherewasnorush,andtheyjustdilliedaroundwithECS,which RJwasworkingonbackinthedarkages. SuddenlySVGAcardsappearedwith1024x768x8etc.C=hasnogooddesign facilities,smalldevelopmentteametc.TheygetECSoutthedoor. Witnessthelackof8bitloresECSscreens.Thentheyemploynew engineers/designersetc.Startwithacleansheetdesignforthefirst ofanewbreedofchipsets.AA/AGAiscompleted.Theyshowdevelopers. StartmakingtheOScompatible.NowWEhaveAGA.C=willnowcontinueon itsway,andknockoutsomegood,powerful,CHEAPgraphicsworkstations. >Eddy >-- >EddyCarroll----*GenuineMUDWizard|"Youhaven'tliveduntilyou've >Internet:ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie|diedinMUD!"--RichardBartle copes@cs.curtin.edu.au ========================================================================= From:marks@castle.ed.ac.uk(MarkSteyn) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy ÇSubject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Keywords:newchipsets,WOC Date:14Sep9211:14:19GMT Iseemtohavemissedtheoriginalpostsandwouldbegratefulifsomeone couldmailthemtome. thanks,Mark ?Aslongastheyoungestchildisfreetodream,?MarkSteyn: ?Intheforestthatwecallimagination,?marks@castle.ed.ac.uk ?ThereshallalwaysbeaUnicorn.?mpjs@dcs.ed.ac.uk KnowledgeisnovirtueandInnocencenovice ========================================================================= From:fineberg@wupost.wustl.edu(CharlesM.Fineberg) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:14Sep199217:44:26-0500 marks@castle.ed.ac.uk(MarkSteyn)writes: >Iseemtohavemissedtheoriginalpostsandwouldbegratefulif >someonecouldmailthemtome. Thisismyfirstever"Metoo"post.Ourversionofinndwentnuts andexpiredeverythingover24hrsold... Charlie ========================================================================= From:fineberg@wupost.wustl.edu(CharlesM.Fineberg) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:14Sep199218:06:16-0500 AndIfindthatmessagecancellationisouttolunchtoo.Ihavesome worktodo.FounditincsahsoIdon'tneeditsenttomeorreposted. Sorryaboutthatchief! Charlie ========================================================================= From:marks@castle.ed.ac.uk(MarkSteyn) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:14Sep9215:17:32GMT I'vehadtworepliesinthatpastcoupleofhours(thanksguys!)andhave thehorriblefeelingthatmymailboxisgoingtodoubleinsizeunlessI postthissayingnomore-please:-) Mark -- ?Aslongastheyoungestchildisfreetodream,?MarkSteyn: ?Intheforestthatwecallimagination,?marks@castle.ed.ac.uk ?ThereshallalwaysbeaUnicorn.?mpjs@dcs.ed.ac.uk ?KnowledgeisnovirtueandInnocencenovice ========================================================================= From:andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew) Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) ÇDate:14Sep9215:49:08GMT copes@cs.curtin.edu.au(SimonCope)writes: >ThemainreasonAGAtooksolongisthatC=neverhadanycompetition >tillSVGAcameoutacoupleofyearsago.Tilltheneverythingwas >sweet,sotherewasnorush,andtheyjustdilliedaroundwithECS, >whichRJwasworkingonbackinthedarkages. Idon'twanttoseemlikeI'madvertisingmyarticles,butdoyou actuallyreadorjustscaneveryotherwordandinterpolate?Eggebrecht (theVPofengineering)saidthattheAGAchipsetwasthefirstproduct oftheirnewVLSIdesignprocess.That'swhyitwasfasteroutthedoor. Asforcompellingcompetition,perhapsthathelped,perhapsitdidn't. --Andre AndreYewandrey@tybalt.caltech.edu(131.215.48.100) ========================================================================= Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:mike@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG(MikeSmithwick) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Mon,14Sep199222:10:11GMT Inarticle<1992Sep13.150225.21925@cco.caltech.edu> andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: > >>Ifindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfrom >>theAmigaarchitectureisalmostinworkingsilicon >>whenithastakensolongfortheAGAchipset(C= >>probablychangedthenametogetbackatallthe >>peopleonthenet:-)). > >Thisistrue,butEggebrechtsaidthattheir >improvedVLSIdesignprocessesarehelpingthembring >productstothemarketfasterthanbefore. > >>>--Andre >>>(whoisn'tmakinganyofthisup,really) AsonewhoistiredofMBslittletiradesandtheAX000hoaxpostings,I willverifyLouisEggebrectstalk.Afterall,Ihaveitonvideotape.Dan Zerklewasrightinfrontofmetakingnotesforcomp.sys.amiga.announce. Onethingthathasn'tbeenmentionedisthatmanyotherthingswere subtlyimpliedthattheycouldn'ttalkabout.Particularyaboutsomenew hardwarethatissupposedtobeannouncedattheWinterCESinLasVegas. ItalkedtoJimDionneaboutdoingamodularCDTVunit,cartridgedbased, thatcouldbeexpandedintoafullfledgedAmiga.Henoddedinagreement andsuggestedIcometotheCES(VRLIwillhaveabooththere,soI'll postareport).GoingbackinmynotesonhistalkhementionedthatCA isgoingtoattempttogetbackintothe"C64market",meaningalow-cost machineinthe$150to$200rangethatcouldbesoldatToys-R-Us.Itall dependsonwhethertheycanmakeitcostseffective.Hedidsaythatthey atonetimehadasimplecartridgemachineprototyped,butthatthey didn'tthinkthatitcouldeffectivelycompeteagainstSEGAortheNES. Sotheyhadtocomeupwithsomethingbetter. Ialsoaskedhimiftheyhadplansforlo-end68020machinessothey Çcouldphaseoutthe68000.Hesimplyreplied"YES!ButIcan'tsay anymore". mike >>Areyousure:-)It'shardertobelievethananyoftheAmigaX000 >>fakeposts. > >Well,I'mgladtosayno,thiswasallsaid.Besides >whocoulddreamupofstufflikethis?Therewerefirecode- >breakingnumbersofpeopleintheroomandtheyallheard >thesamespeech(Ihope:). > >--Andre > >-- >AndreYewandrey@tybalt.caltech.edu(131.215.48.100) "Thereisnoproblemtoobigthatcan'tbesolvedwithhighexplosives"- Rush MikeSmithwick-ames!zorch!mike ========================================================================= Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:mike@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG(MikeSmithwick) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Mon,14Sep199222:17:30GMT Inarticle<1992Sep13.151514.26401@maths.tcd.ie>ecarroll@maths.tcd.ie (EddyCarroll)writes: >cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au(ColinAdams)writes: >>andrey@cco.caltech.edu(AndreT.Yew)writes: >>>IjustgotbackfromtheseconddayoftheWorldof >>>CommodoreshowinPasadena,andtodaywasdefinitely >>>moreimpressivethanyesterday. > >Understatementoftheweek!:-) > >[LotsofamazingstuffwhichleadsmetobelievethatEggebrechthad >toomuchtodrinkonFridayNight.I_really_hopeCBMmanagementfollow >throughonallthis!I'llevenforgivethemfornotincludingaDSPin >thebaseA4000.] > Heseemedclearlysober.JimDionnewasseatednexttohim. >Absolutelyawesomestuff! > >>>Astohowfaralongthesethingsare,Eggebrecht >>>saysthey'reclosetoworkingsilicon,butwouldnot >>>giveanydatesatall. >> Heimpliedthattheywouldhavechipsreadyinamonthorso,and prototypesnottoolongafterthat.GiventhatthenextDevConisinJan. 1992,Icanonlyassumethattheywillhavesomecoolstufftoshowus. >>Ifindithardtobelievethisincrediblebreakfrom >>theAmigaarchitectureisalmostinworkingsilicon Ç>>whenithastakensolongfortheAGAchipset > >ThisisthebitIreallywantedtoreplyto.AttheEuropeanDevConin >Milanthistimelastyear,theyhadthefirstsiliconversionsoftheAA >chipsetondisplay,andwereshowing1280x512HAM8pics.Theylooked >awesome.(Theinterveningyearwasmostlikelytogetbugsoutofthe >chipsetandgetthesystemsoftwaretosupportitfullywritten.) > >SoIcanquitebelievethatthey'vehadateambeaveringawayforthe >past12months(orlonger)onthisnewchipsetwhoarealmostreadyto >showsomethingforit. ADOS3.0wasprobablydevelopedwiththe>AAchipsetinmind.Inthat casetheturnaroundtimeforfutureproductdevelopementisgoingtobea lotshortersincesoftwaretradionallytakesmuchlongertoproducethan thehardware.Atthe1991DevConinDenvertheyshowedusthefirsttwo prototypeAAmachines.TheimpressionIgotwasthattheywereslapped togetheronlyashorttimebefore.It'sbeenayeartogetthemoutto themarketplace,mostofthatprobablybeingtheOSwork,sothenext generationofmachineswilllikelybeoutwithinayear.Providingof courseDionneisn'tfired. >Theonlythingis,Ihopepeoplewon'tputoffA4000purchasesinthe >hopethatallthisstuffisrightaroundthecorner.I'dsaythechances >ofseeinganyofthisnextgenerationstuffbefore1994areprettyclose >tozero. > >Eddy >-- "Thereisnoproblemtoobigthatcan'tbesolvedwithhighexplosives"- Rush MikeSmithwick-ames!zorch!mike ========================================================================= Newsgroups:comp.sys.amiga.advocacy From:dnavas@oracle.uucp(DavidNavas) Subject:Re:WorldofCommodoresummary,9/12,part2(LONG) Date:Tue,15Sep199215:25:29GMT Inarticle<BuL9xC.2Jw@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>mike@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG(Mike Smithwick)writes: >hardware.Atthe1991DevConinDenvertheyshowedusthefirsttwo >prototypeAAmachines.TheimpressionIgotwasthattheywereslapped >togetheronlyashorttimebefore.It'sbeenayeartogetthemoutto >themarketplace,mostofthatprobablybeingtheOSwork,sothenext Inallfairness,you'reprobablyrightabouttheOSnotbeingquitethere yetwhenthehardwarecouldhavebeen.Thequestioniswhetheryouship hardwarew/osoftwareorwithBeta/Alphasoftware.Iwouldhavetaken oneofthoseAAmachineshomewithmein91hadtheyletme:)Even thoughthepicturewasn'tanywherenearstabletoo! Atanyrate,whatIwantedtosaywasthatthereweretheusualbonehead decisionsfrommanagementjustatidafterDevConwhichalteredthetime- to-marketaswell.AndthuswasborntheA600[w/ECS];) >generationofmachineswilllikelybeoutwithinayear.Providingof >courseDionneisn'tfired. Ç Atleastayear,methinks--althoughtheremaybesomeinterimrelease- thingsthatwillinteresthigh-endpeople.SCSIIIandsomesortofnew- sound/DSPhasbeenmentionedIbelieve. DavidC.Navasdnavas@oracle.com Workingfor,butnotspeakingonbehalfof,OracleCorp.