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Creative Computers
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Creative Computers CD-ROM, Volume 1 (Legendary Design Technologies, Inc.)(1994).iso
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ham-e_info.pp
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ham-e_info
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1994-11-17
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301 lines
Black Belt Systems is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of
our new HAM-E graphics system for all Amigas from the early a1000's, on
up to PAL version 2500/030's and all models in between. The HAM-E is
inexpensive, extremely compatible, and it offers more performance for
your dollar than any other graphics system for the Amiga.
We'll start at the top: The HAM-E provides you with two new graphics
modes in addition to all of the original ones you already have in a
standard Amiga - and it does so in an extremely compatable and
interference free manner.
*** REG Mode:
The first mode is 256 simultaneous colors from a palette of 16,777,216
colors (24 bits, 8 bits/gun). Resolutions available are 320x200,
320x400 (interlace), the normal overscan options both horizontally and
vertically, and equivalent PAL resolutions. Additional features include
the capability to color cycle any or all of the 256 color registers,
fully Genlockable, sliding/overlapping front-back screens, no CPU
overhead to maintain the image (unless you want to color cycle or
glow... and even then it's minimal), completely IFF compatible. You can
have 256 levels of grey scale in this mode if you are involved in image
processing and so on.
*** HAM-E Mode:
The second mode is the Extended HAM (Hold-And-Modify) mode. This mode
provides 236 24-bit color registers in four banks of 59, and full 18
bit HAM capability. You can have 262,144 colors on screen at one time
(in exactly the same way "standard" HAM allows you to have 4,096) and
instead of having 16 color registers available to enhance "fast-edge"
color changes, you have 236.... which are accurate to 24 bits (16
million colors).You use this just like you use HAM mode, but you get...
(1) More than a quarter-million more simultaneous colors than standard
HAM mode (or any "normal" Amiga mode) can provide;
(2) You have much better sharp edge color changes because you have 59
immediately available color registers you can use to load the R, G and
B guns with no delay or HAM artifacts to a precision of 24 bits (16
million colors);
(3) You have the ability to change anywhere in the picture to a new set
of 59 color registers - the cost is one pixel that does not change at
all from the previous pixel. Obvious "good" places to do that are at
the beginning of a scan line, or in an area of an image that is not
currently changing (say, the contour of a cheek). Remember, it only
takes one pixel and there is no processor overhead involved, no
interrupts, no blitter. It's all directly dependant on the pixel data
in the image.
The HAM-E mode is Genlockable; it exists on a sliding, front/back
standard Amiga screen; it's fully IFF compatible; and supports color
cycling of any of the 236 color registers, regardless of bank.
Resolutions available are 320x200, 320x400 (interlace), the normal
overscan options both horizontally and vertically, and equivalent PAL
resolutions.
Some General Information:
The HAM-E device attaches to any Amiga by simply plugging it into the
DB-23 connector that is the RGB port using a supplied cable, and then
plugging your monitor or genlock into the other DB-23 connector on the
HAM-E. Then you plug it's AC cord into a wall outlet. That's all there
is to installation; no need to change your system software in any way,
or to add libraries or devices.
At this point, you turn your Amiga back on, and use SuperView (or any
other show or slideshow utility that understands standard 640
resolution images) to view your first HAM-E images (supplied on a demo
disk from us). When you're not viewing an image that uses one of our
new modes, for instance, if the WorkBench(tm) is pulled halfway "over"
a new mode image, the normal screen (in this example, the WorkBench)
looks just as it usually does, and the portion of the new mode image
looks exactly as it should also.
The point we're making here is that the new mode images act exactly as
if they had been designed into the system from the very start of things.
One very important difference between the HAM-E product and other,
competing display adapters is that our images are maintained in the
Amiga's normal "chip" memory, and so you can use the blitter on them;
that means that animation and page flipping does not require the direct
attention of the CPU... a critical point for those of you using
standard animation utilities.
Something else worth noting at this point is that the output from the
HAM-E hardware is quality 24 bit RGB (or 12 bit when a normal Amiga
screen is showing, and only for the portion that is showing) rather
than composite video - composite is very difficult to process in many
ways, especially for studio work. You can always turn RGB into
composite or S-VHS, but not the reverse.
Some things to keep in mind:
The HAM-E works by operating on the video data coming out of the Amiga
RGB port. For this reason, in a system using a flicker-fixer (tm) the
new enhanced modes will not be visible on the flicker-fixer's output
monitor - only on a monitor connected to the HAM-E. This is a video
tool and as such does not at this time support deinterlacing. You can
always have both monitors attached, of course.
Think of the output port on the HAM-E hardware as if it were the DB-23
jack on the Amiga; all the same signals are there, on all the same
pins, and they work as they always have under the same conditions. For
this reason, external genlocks, composite and S-VHS adapters, and
monitors all will continue to function normally. It really is as if the
Amiga magically "grew" three great new video modes.
Here is a concise list of features for the HAM-E graphics enhancer:
* 256 thousand simultaneous colors on screen , HAM-E mode
* Up to 236 directly usable color registers in 8 bit HAM mode
* 256 simultaneous colors out of palette of 16 million, REG mode
* Complete "color cycling" capability for 59 or 236 color registers
* All color registers are 24 bit accurate (8 bits/color-gun)
* Both modes can be animated using standard anim type tools
* Both Modes are completely IFF compatible
* Both modes supported by existing show and slideshow tools
* Both modes may be overscanned horizontally or vertically
* Both modes may be interlace or non-interlace
* High rez menuing capability
* No "CPU" overhead involved in maintaining the image
* No "BLITTER" overhead involved in maintaining the image
* All normal Amiga modes pass thru unaffected
* Amiga modes are still Genlockable
* Both new modes are Genlockable
* Image memory is BLITTER and CPU accessable
* Screens are fully "vertical slide", "overlay" & "front/back".
* Works with ALL Amigas - a1000, 500, 2000, 2500, 2500/030, PAL, etc
* Attaches to Amiga RGB connecter only - no internal connections
* Quality RGB output - not composite
* Externally powered, no load on Amiga system
* FCC Approved
Best of all...
* Affordably priced - less than half the cost of other solutions
About support programs:
Currently, we have talked to Impulse (Silver), NewTek (Digipaint),
MicroIllusions (Photon Paint II), Electronic Arts (DPaint, Deluxe Photo
Lab) and ASDG (Professional ScanLab, ScanLab 100) about the HAM-E. All
were enthusiastic and interested, and all have already ordered units
from the developer run. Support has been promised for format conversion
for the various 24 bit file formats that are out there, and we have
barely scratched the surface as of yet.
We will be supporting the HAM-E directly with our AVT (Amiga Video
Terminal) product which is marketed by AEA corp.
We fully expect the sales of the HAM-E to positively explode as soon as
we make units available (Jan-Feb of 1990), and are planning production
accordingly. There is nothing available for the Amiga that even comes
close to the flexibility, compatability, and color resolution for
anywhere near the planned retail of this unit, which is in the $300.00
range (subject to change as we get a better handle on production costs,
of course).
Black Belt Systems - technical products for the Amiga Computer
398 Johnson Road, Glasgow