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072010303050000144002006006010000
11
2Page #1
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üFalcon030-theMachineofthefuture?Ç
bymanydifferentpeople
éThefollowingarticlesoriginallyweregatheredonasinglefileand
storedon"AtariBot"-arobotthatamongotherthingskeptinformation
abouttheFalcon030andtheAmiga4000foranyonetoread.Thisisthe
fileaboutFalcon030,somewhatslicedintoshorterfiles,sothateven
peoplewithnottoomuchmemorywillbeabletoreadit,anditshouldbe
quickertofindyourwaythrougheacharticle.Anyway,here'stheheader
fromCep,theonewhocompiledthestuff...Ç
=========================================================================
AtariFalcon030DocumentHistoryLastUpdate:26September1992
=========================================================================
Containsearlypre-release/releasedocumentswhichhavebeenposted
aroundtheplaced.Thisisagrowingdocument.Ifyouhavemore
informationontheFalcon(especiallytechnicalstufflikehardware
registers;-)pleaseemailme.
Notethatsomeoftheearlyreportsarefalse.Thesehavemainlybeen
leftthereforentertainmentvalue;^)
Compiledby:AndrewKing[u882453@bruny.cc.utas.edu.au],IRCnick:Cep
=========================================================================
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From:vjrao@owlnet.rice.edu(VinayJulapalliRao)
Subject:FalconResolutions
Date:Tue,25Aug199201:00:08GMT
ResolutionsavailableontheAtariFalcon030
(c)1992AtariCorp.WrittenbyJohnTownsend
=========================================================================
Thisdocumentmaybere-printedagainandagainaslongastheAtari
copyrightremainsintact.
=========================================================================
Acoupleofnotes:Unlikepreviousmachines,therearejusttoomany
resolutionstogiveeachresolutionaname.Therefore,Iwilldomybest
todescribewhattheresolutionisandwhichmonitoritison.
-NOTE:TVandaColorMonitorarethesame..byColorMonitor,Iam
talkingaboutthestandardSC1224.ByVGA,ImeanastandardVGA
Monitor.
40columnmodes("column"meansthenumberofxpixelsdividedby8)
---------------
4color,normal,TV:320x200,4colors,2planes
16color,normal,TV:320x200,16colors,4planes
256color,normal,TV:320x200,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,normal,TV:320x200,truecolor
4color,interlace,TV:320x400,4colors,2planes
16color,interlace,TV:320x400,16colors,4planes
256color,interlace,TV:320x400,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,interlace,TV:320x400,truecolor
4color,normal,VGA:320x480,4colors,2planes
16color,normal,VGA:320x480,16colors,4planes
256color,normal,VGA:320x480,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,normal,VGA:320x480,truecolor
4color,line-doubling,VGA:320x240,4colors,2planes
Ç16color,line-doubling,VGA:320x240,16colors,4planes
256color,line-doubling,VGA:320x240,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,line-doubling,VGA:320x240,truecolor
80columnmodes
---------------
2color,normal,TV:640x200,2colors,1plane
4color,normal,TV:640x200,4colors,2planes
16color,normal,TV:640x200,16colors,4planes
256color,normal,TV:640x200,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,normal,TV:640x200,truecolor
4color,interlace,TV:640x400,4colors,2planes
16color,interlace,TV:640x400,16colors,4planes
256color,interlace,TV:640x400,256colors,8planes
Truecolor,interlace,TV:640x400,truecolor
2color,normal,VGA:640x480,2colors,1plane
4color,normal,VGA:640x480,4colors,2planes
16color,normal,VGA:640x480,16colors,4planes
256color,normal,VGA:640x480,256colors,8planes
4color,line-doubling,VGA:640x240,4colors,2planes
16color,line-doubling,VGA:640x240,16colors,4planes
256color,line-doubling,VGA:640x240,256colors,8planes
andlastly..therearecompabilitymodesforSTLow,STMedium,andST
HighonbothVGAmonitorsandSC1224monitors.(Onacolormonitor,ST
Highisachievedbyusingtheinterlacemode).
Also,theSTMonochromemonitor(theSM124)willworkwithFalcon030as
well.However,itonlysupportsoneresolution:STHighResolution.
AllmodesonaTVcanbeoverscanned.ThismeansmultiplyingtheXandY
resolutionby1.2.Forexample,modeswith320pixelsofhorizontal
resolution(Xres)willbecome384pixelsacross,andmodeswith640
pixelswillbecome768across.OverscanningisdoneintheXandY
resolution.Youcan'tdothemindependently.SpecialNote:OnaVGA
monitor,overscanis"faked"..sincethevideohardwaredoesn'thavethe
capabilitytodooverscanonaVGAmonitor,wemadeitsothatifa
overscanmodeissetonaVGAmonitor,youstillseethenormalsize
screen,butthescreenisawindowontothebiggeroverscannedimage.
Makesense?Wedidthisforcompatibility.Thiswayifagamethathasan
overscannedstaruppicturecanusethesamepiconboththeVGAmonitor
andtheTVmonitor.Prettycool,eh?<grin>
BTW..OverscancanNOTbesetfromthedesktop.TheAESandDesktopwill
workjustfinewithit,butbecauseyoucan'tseethepartsofthe
screen,wethoughtthatthatoptionshouldn'tbeavailablefromthe
desktop.Wedon'twanttoconfusepeople.However,Overscancanbeset
usinganewXBIOScall(Vsetmode())..soitisstillavailable.
IhopeIhaven'tmadeanymistakes.Itriple-checkedthisdocumentin
searchoferrorsandIcouldn'tfindany.Ifyoudofindsome,sendme
EmailonGEnie(toTOWNS)orCIS(70007,1135)andletmeknow.
--JohnTownsend,AtariCorp.
PS.Anyonewouldwouldliketoreprintthismessage,pleasedoso!The
smallerthenumberoftimesIhavetotypethatmessage,themoremy
fingerswiththankyou!;-)
ÇAfterlookingatthisonemoretime..onepointtoclearup:By
sayingSC1224ColorMonitor,ImeananyColorMonitorthatAtari
havemanufacturedfortheST/Mega/STE/MegaSTEcomputers.Clearas
mud?;-)
=========================================================================
Date:Fri,24Jul199214:36:14GMT
Hardware:
16MHzMC68030
32MHzMotorola56001DSP-chip
1,4or16MegaByte(Nosimms...)
Externalconnectors:
parallelport
serialport
SCSIII-port
Videoout/Genlock
stereoheadphones-out
stereomike-in
DSP/Digitalaudiointerface
RF-Modulator(TV)
LAN-port
CartidgeROMport
Joysticks
MIDI-In
MIDI-Out
ST-joystick/mouseports
Intern
DRAMexpansionboard
Internalbusexpansion-slot
InternalIDEharddisk-connection
Internaldiskdrive
Resolutions:
ModeResolutionBitplnscolorspallette
STLow-res320x2004164096
STMed-res640x200244096
STHigh-res640x400124096
640x4808256262.144
truecolor320x2001532768--
VGA/VIDEOx:320or6401,4,2,16,(overscanselect)
y:200or4008256262.144
TheDSPcandoa1024pointcomplexFastfouriertransformin2.07
milliseconds.TheTTwithcoprocessorneeds145milliseconds.
SincetheDMAporthasbeenremovedyoucan'tusetheSLM804and604
TheIDEconnectorallowsyoutoconnectacheaperIDE-harddisk.
P.S.Igotallthisinformationfromamagazinecalled"ataristnieuws"
edition50/51.There'slotsmoreinfointhearticle(especially
abouttheDSP).I'mnotgonnatypeallthatstuffthough:)
JanKort
kort@fwi.uva.nl
=========================================================================
ÇFrom:JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu(J.J.Lehett)
Subject:AAFalconOverviewandContents
Date:2Aug9203:24:43GMT
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
///ATARIADVANTAGEMAGAZINE///
///Contents--June/July1992///
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FALCON'030REVEALED!--Thenextgenerationofhomecomputeris
""""""""""""""""""""onthewayandtheFalcon'030leadsthe
packwithpowerandfeatures.
FALCON'030ataGLANCE:
*Motorola68030Microprocessorrunningat16MHz,
multi-taskingcapable
*Motorola68881or6888216MHzFloatingpointcoprocessor
*MotorolaDSP56001DigitalSignalProcessor(DSP)
*1to16MBofmemoryand512KBofROM
*16bitBLiTTERGraphicscoprocessorrunningat16MHz
*EnhancedBroadcastTVqualityVideo
--"TrueColor"320x200resolution,32,768colorsor640x480
resolution,256colorsfroma264,144colorpalette
--VGAorVideo320or640by200or400resolution,2,16,or
256colorsfroma262,144colorpalette
--StandardSTevideomodeswitha4096colorpalette
--RFmodulatorandVGAmonitorconnections
--Overscansupport
--Genlockandmulti-mediacapable
--Graphicsoverlayandvideotiling
--Enhancedhighspeed16MHzBlittergraphicsco-processor
--STehorizontalscrolling
*"CDquality"stereosound
--Stereo16bitAnalogtoDigitalinputs
--Stereo16bitDigitaltoAnalogoutputs
--EightchannelstereoDMAsoundenginewith16bitPCMdigital
record/playbackwithupto50KHzsamplerates
--Stereo8bitSTecompatiblePCMsound
--STcompatible3channelPSGsound
--MultiplexertoconnectCodec,DSPandDMAsoundengine
--Stereomicrophoneinputsandheadphoneoutputsconnectedtoa
16bitstereocodec
--DSPdigitalaudioconnector,upto1MHzdatatransferrate
--Built-inmonophonicspeaker
*1.44MBfloppydrive
*Built-inIDE21/2"harddriveinterface(driveoptional)
*SCSIIIperipheralinterface(harddrive,tapedrive,etc.)
*MegaSTe/TTcompatiblelocalareanetwork(LAN)interface
*Enhancedmodem/RS232port
*STandSTecompatiblejoystick/controllerports
*Built-in"processordirect"expansionconnectors
*OnboardrealtimeclockandbatterybackedupRAM
*MIDIinputandoutput
*Parallelprinterport
*Enhancedkeyboardcontrollerallows300DPImice
=========================================================================
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Subject:Falcon030isthere..
Date:18Aug9213:34:04GMT
MadefortheRealWorld:APersonalMediaSystem
------------------------------------------------
Ç
Mostcomputermanufacturersseemtothinkthattherealworldisblack&
white,ordrawnfromalimitedpaletteofcolors.Thatsoundsarenothing
morethanlo-finoises.Andthattherealworldconsistsofpeoplewho
don'tcareaboutcost,compatibilityofnewmachineswitholdersoftware,
or"improved"operatingsystemsthatcauseproblemsinsteadofsolvethem
(andwhoneverneedtoworkonmorethanonetaskatatime).
AtAtari,weknowbetter.Atari'sworldincludesavisoninwhich
advancedtechnologymeetscost-effectiveproductiontocreatenotjusta
greatcomputer,butagreatpersonalmediasystem.WebuilttheAtari
Falcon030asapersonalmediasystemfortherealworld-aworldwith
vibrantcolors,crystal-clearsound,andpeoplewhowantacomputerto
maketheirliveseasier,notharder.Ourpersonalmediasystemallows
manipulationofvideo,audio,text,animationandtelecommunications-
easilyandaffordablyonaqualityhomesystem.Atari'spersonalmedia
systemforconsumersiswasmultimediasystemsshouldbeforbusiness⑨
people.
TheAtariFalcon030isa"musicalinstrument".A"specialF/Xoptical
bench"forvideo.Abetter-than-CD-quality"digitalrecorder".An
elctroniccanvaswithmorethanaquartermillionpossiblecolors.A
graphicsworkstation.Ananimationstudio.Amultimediaproduction
center.Anunflagginghelpmatearoundthehouse.Anexperiencethat
you'veneverexperiencedbefore.
Simplystated,theAtariFalcon030isthefirstsystemthatmakes
personalmediapossible.Here'swhy.
ProvenTechnology,ProvenSoftware
----------------------------------
TheAtariFalcon030'sheartisaMotorola68030processor(thesame
blazinglyfastchipusedincomputersothercompaniessellforthousends
more).It'steamedwitha32MHzMotorola56001DigitalSignalProcessing
andaspecialAtaricustomchipsetthatdeliversstate-of-the-artaudio
qualityformusic,speech,orspecialeffects.Withmostcomputers,this
kindofextraordinaryaudiocapabilityisanexpensivead-on(ifit's
availableatall).Butinapersonalmediasystem,wedesigninquality
audiofrombeginning.TheAtariFalcon030deliversaudiopowerwithout
theprice.
Forvideo,theAtariFalcon030doesn'tjustofferSuperVGAgraphics,but
alsotruecolor16-bitmode(upto640x480resolutionandupto65,536
on-screencolors).Itacceptsexternalvideosyncforhigh-quality
genlock,and-thankstoauniqueoverlaymode-makestitlingand
specialeffectsabreeze.Graphicsarefast,too,becauseofadedicated,
high-speedgraphicscoprocessorchip.Unlikecomputersthatrequire
costly(andsometimestemperamental)optionalhardwaretodopro-level
video,theAtariFalcon030alreadyincludeswhatyouneed.
Thislevelofintegrationandperformanceiswhatyou'dexpectfroma
companythathasbeenmakingpersonaltechnologyproductssince1985.
Yet,astheAtariFalcon030looksforwardtothenewgenerationof
creativityandproductivity,ithasn'tforgottenthepast.Itwillrun
virtuallyallprogramsfortheindustry-standardAtariSt(asEurope's#1
omputerduringthe'80's,avastselectionofpro-levelSTprogramsare
alreadyavailable).Butthat'snotall:there'sstandardMS-DOSfile
compatibility,andawealthofportsforcommunicatingwithexisting
peripherals-aswellasoptionalsoon-to-be-released'386PCemulation,
Çor,Macintoshemulation,andseveralotherexcitingnewtypesof
peripheralsplannedforthefuture.Inshort,Atarihascombinedallof
theingredientsforatruepersonalmediasystemforuseathome-orat
theoffice.
ASoundInvestment
------------------
MIDIistheworld-widestandardthatallowstechnologyproductsto
communicatewithtoday'smusicalinstruments,recordingdevices,and
stagelighting.Atarimadethefirstcomputertoofferabuilt-inMIDI
interface,whichforallothercomputersrequiresanextracardor
externalbox.NowAtarihasuppedtheantebyaddingthenextlogical
step:integrated,high-qualitydigitalaudio.Whetheryou'reamusician
inneedofdigitalaudiorecordingorsynthesis,avideoproduction,an
executivewhosavestimewithvoicemailmessages,oraspeechtherapist
rehabillitatingchildren,theAtariFalcon030'sdigitalaudio
capabilitiescanprovidetheanswertoyourneeds.
Yeteventhatjustscratchesthesurface.DigitalSignalProcessingcan
producespecialeffectssuchasreverberationorecho,andhookintoyour
homeentertainmentsystemtoprovideoptionslikesynthesizedconcert
hallambience.Professional-qualityspeechcompressionanddecompression,
alsoavailableoutofthebox,areessentialtoolsforthosewhoneedto
fitsoundtopicture.Fordigitalrecording,theAtariFalcon030handels
8discretetracksatatime,withoutadd-onboardsorissuesof
compatibility.BetweenMIDI,digitalrecording,andmultitasking,the
AtariFalcon030providesthesame-ifnotsuperoirfunctionalityto
digitalrecordingsystemscostingliterallythousandsof$more.
AColorfulSight
----------------
Artistscanneverhaveenoughcolors.That'swhytheAtariFalcon030can
displaymorethan65,000colorsfromapaletteof262,144colors,andall
ofthiscan-ifneeded-begenlockedtoprofessionalvideoequipment.
Corporatepresentationstakeanastoundingvibrancy.Newvistasopenup
fortheelectronicartist.Programsbecomemoreintuitive,thankstothe
sophisticateduseofcolor.Andentertainment-well,let'sjustsay
you'veneverseenthiskindofrichnessbeforeonanysystem.Youno
longerhavetosettleforanythinglessthanavirtualrainbowofcolor.
TheFunFactor
--------------
Thebesttoolsshouldbefuntouse,andtheAtariFalcon030isjust
that.Already,majorsoftwaredevelopersaresoexictedaboutthis
stunningpersonalmediasystemthatthey'vecommittedtoproviding
programsthattakeadvantageoftheAtariFalcon030'sground-breaking
capabilities,we'renotjusttalkingportsfromotherplatforms.You
thinkyou'veseenflightsimulatorsbefore?Justwait.
TheAtariFalcon030finallydeliversonthepromiseofatruepersonal
mediasystemsystemforthehome-that'sequallycomfortableadding
surround-soundtoyourVCR,deliveringinteractiveeducation,runninga
homesecuritysystem,orsimplyprovidingentertainmentafteraday's
work.
PowerWithoutthePrice
-----------------------
Ç
Atariisdedicatedtobringinghightechnologyintotherealworld,for
realpeople.Wedon'tchargemorethanweneedtojustbecausewecanget
awaywithit.Ouraudienceisnotpinstripeclonesor"blindlemmings",
butthoseeverydayuserswhowantpowerful,efficient,cost-effectiv
tools.
TheAtariFalcon030hasbeenyearsinthemaking.Itmarriesthebusiness
experiencewe'vegainedwiththeMegaandTTline,themusicaledgethat
theSTserieshasalwayshad,andtheincrediblecolorandspeedthat
remainthehallmarkofourvideogametechnology.Fromthesethree
apparentlydivergentsources,we'vecraftedaplatformthat'sreadyfor
yourmostchallengingcreativtasks-wherecolorandsoundblend
seamlesslyintoasystemthatcantrulybeanykindofpersonal,creative
toolyouwant.
=========================================================================
Subject:FirstReportfromDusseldorf!!!!!
Date:Sat,22Aug199221:10:25GMT
GEnie/Z*NETNEWSREPORT
FIRSTREPORTFROMDUSSELDORF
----------------------------
NathanPotechinofDMCPublishing,Inc.,filedthisfirstreportofthe
hugeAtarishowinGermany.Theinformationcameviatelephonefromthe
flooroftheAtariMesse("Fair")inDusseldorf,Germany,andwas
transcribedbyJohnNagyoftheZ*NetNewsServiceatNathan'srequest,
andhasbeenuploadedbyZ*NettoGEnie.Thisnewsreleasemaybe
reprinted,excerpted,orre-postedonanyothertelecommunicationservice
ONLYwiththisnoticeintact.TheAtariRoundtablesonGEnieare
*official*informationservicesofAtariCorporation.
------------------------------------------
ATARIATATARIMESSE-THENEWWAVEBEGINS
------------------------------------------
Everyyear,AtariholdsahugetradeshowinDusseldorf,Germany.
Spanningroughlyfourfootballfieldsoffloorspace,theshowthisyear
issimilarinsizeandattendancetolastyear'sevent.
TheannouncementoftheFalcon030tothelargestAtarishowintheworld
wasthefirstorderofbusiness.AccordingtoNathanPotechin,"there
areFalconsallovertheflooroftheshow,inalmosteverybooth."
Clearly,thenearly-accurateprofileofthecomingmachineofferedby
mostoftheAtarimediaacrossthelastmonthswasnotmissedbythe
showgoingAtariMesseaudience,andtheexcitementinthecrowdwashigh
astheysawitfirsthand.
Manyvendorshadnewapplicationsthatexposethepowerandfeaturesthat
arenewontheFalcon030.DMCPublishing(Calamus)againhadthe
largestboothonthefloor,spanning4,000squarefeetwithabout40
peopleworkinginitalone.OtherlargeboothsincludedTMS,Matrix,3k,
andMaxxon.Manynewproductswereshown,andwewillreportonthemin
detailinalaterrelease.
MARKETINGPLANS,PRICEFORFALCONINUSA
Thehottestnewsat5:00PMFridayeveninginGermanyafterthecloseof
thefirstdayofAtariMessewastheunveilingnotonlyoftheFalcon,
ÇbutoftheplansthatAtarihastomarketthenewmachineintheUSA.
The"base"Falcon030willretailfor$799intheUSAinaonemegabyte
configuration.ThenextoptionupthescalewillbeafourmegabyteRAM
with65megabyteharddriveFalconat$1,399.
SamTramieltolddealersanddevelopersatanafternoonmeetingthatthe
USlaunchwillbeginimmediatelywithregionalmarketingbuildups.
IndividualregionsoftheUSAwillbetargeted,oneatatime,withmajor
"dogandponyshows"tobothwooandeducatecomputerdealers."Serious"
co-opadvertisingmoneywillbeofferedtodealerswhojoinintheroll-
out.Onceenoughregionsareservedbyanoperatingdealernetwork,
Atariwilllaunchanationaladvertisingcampaign.
IndustryobserverssuggestthatthisplanwillmakethemostofAtari's
cashandproductionresources.Byservingasmallbutgrowingdealer
networkwithproduct,on-boardFalcondealerscanbemoreassuredof
deliveryofproductduringthebuild-outstagesoftheplan.Dealers
willhelpandbehelpedinpromotionalcosts,enablingAtaritomakea
biggersplashinsmallerpondswithlessoftheirownmoney,andallowing
Atari'sresourcestogotowardsincreasingproductionofFalcon
computers.Asproductionandsalesincrease,sowillrevenueswithwhich
toattacknewregions.Meanwhile,Falconspecificsoftwarewillmature
andpresentasolidbaseforthelaternationalmarketingefforts.
MoredetailsfromGermanywillbecominglaterintheweekend.Lookfor
morespecialreportsonGEnie,aserviceofGEnieandtheZ*NetNews
Service.
=========================================================================
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Subject:OfficialFalconSpecs
Date:24Aug9218:15:00GMT
Hello,
i'vebeenonlasSundayinDuesseldorf"AtariMesse"andherearethe
officialSpecificationoftheFalcon030:
-680030CPU16MHZ(withcache)
-optionalFPU68881/6888216MHZ
-RAM1,4,14MB
-ROM512KB
-BLITTER16MHZ
Video:
-VGA640x480x256collors(from262.144)
320x480x65.356
320x480x32.768withoverlay-Bit
-RGB/TV768x480x256from262.144,interleaced
768x480x65.536,interleaced
768x480x32.768,interleacedwithoverlayBit
-allST-modi
-Hardware-overscanoption
-Hardwarescrolling
CoprocessorSubsystems:
-DSP5600132MHZ32Kx24BitSRAm.0Waitstates
-Blitter,16MHZ,kompatibeltoST-Blitter
Ports:
-Paralel
Ç-RS-232/Modem
-Midiin
-Midiout/through
-Cartridge-Port
-SCSIII(50Pinconnector)withSCSI-DMA
-LAN(compatibletoMEGASTEandTT)
-mouse
Sound:
-16BitD/AA/Dconverter
-Stereoinputandoutput
-8channels16Bitrecordingandreplay(max.50KHzsamplingfrequenz)
-3channelPSCsound(ST)
-connectorforDigitalaudioandDSP
Joystick:
-2xSTEcompatible
-2xstandard
Floppy:
-1,44MByte
Harddisk
-internoptionalIDE-busHarddisk(2,5")
allso
-realtime(??)clockwithbattery
-expansionbuswithallimportantthingsCPU,bus-control,Interrupt...
-RAM-Bus
Bye____
/homasL.
P.S.SorryforanymistackesintheText
E-mail:_________________________________
______/(MausNet)ThomasLeonhaeuser@F\______
///(UseNet)Thomas_Leonhaeuser@F.maus.de\\\
|||(Z-Netz)Thomas_Leonhaeuser%f@ZERMAUS.ZER|||
\\\Mailbox:MausFrankfurtamMain(germany)//
=========================================================================
From:darling@cellar.org(ThomasDarling)
Subject:Re:Falcon/DSPquestions
Date:31Aug9200:40:28GMT
u882453@bruny.cc.utas.edu.au(AndrewKing)writes:
>Couldsomeonepleaseanswerthesequestions:
>
>1.WhatistheDMA(?)bandwidthbetweenDSPexternalRAMandmain
>memory,
>2.Doesthe68030havetohaltwhilethisoccurs?
1)Notsure.2)Heckno.
>3.Canthe16-bit8channelsoundhaveindependentfrequencyandvolume
>control(liketheAmiga)forEACHchannel.
3)Youbet.Thisthingisdesignedformultitrackdigitalrecording.
Eachchannelwillhaveindependentvolume,panning,etc.Ofcourse,the
sampleratewillprobablysufferasyougoformoreandmorefull-
Çfrequencyoutput.Asinglestereopairwillbecapableof50KHzplayback,
butwhenyoudo8-channelmixing,youmight(IrepeatMIGHT)belimited
to25KHz/channelorthelike.Idon'tknowallthedetailsontheDSP.
=========================================================================
Newsgroups:comp.sys.atari.st
From:piet@cs.ruu.nl(PietvanOostrum)
Subject:Re:TheREALFalconspecswanted!
Date:Tue,1Sep199212:02:11GMT
IfoundthisfileonthelocalATARICompany'sBBS:(originalinDutch)
ThisarticleiswrittenbyWilfredKilwinger(SupportManager)forAtari
Briefing,thenewsletterbyAtari(Benelux)B.V.fortheAtariuser
groups.Itwasspecificallystatedthatitcouldbereproduced.Ihave
translateditinEnglishwiththeassumptionthatanEnglishtranslation
wouldbeconsideredthesameastheoriginal.
Theoriginalalsocontainedadescriptionofallthefeaturesofthe
FalconwhichhavebeenreproducedhereazillionoftimessoIdidnot
includethese.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ataricustomchips
VIDEL
TheVIDELtakescareofthevideofunctionsofthesystemincluding
overscan,overlaymodeandtruecolorgraphics
COMBEL
TheCOMBEListhesystemmanageroftheAtariFalcon030.Thischip
controlsallsystemfunctions.AlsotheBLITTERisbuiltininthischip.
SDMA
TheSDMAistheSoundDMAandcontrolsthesoundpart.Wehavebuiltina
uniquematrixswitchfunctioninthischip(moredetailsinthesecond
part)
KEYBOARDPROCESSOR
Thekeyboardprocessorhasbeenimprovedandisnowalsosuitablefor
highresolutionmice.
BesidestheabovecustomchipstheAtariFalcon030hasanumberof
standardchipsliketheMotorola68030and56001DSP.Anotherimportant
chipistheCODECinwhichthe16bitADandDAconvertersarelocated.
Videomodi
AsyoucanseeinthesurveyofOperatingSystemcallsthevideohardware
iscompletesotwarecontrollable.Thefollowingcombinationscana.o.be
chosen:
ModeResolutionBitplanesColorsPalette
STLOW320x2004164096
STMED640x200244096
STHIGH640x400124096
Ç TrueColor640x4808256262144
320x20015bpp32768N/A
Thelastmodeasksforsomeexplanation.Herethereisnocolorpalette
but15bitsperpixeltodescribethepixelitself.Theformatis
RRRRRGGGGGXBBBBB.VDIsupportsthismodethusprogramsthathavenotbeen
writtenforthismodespecificallycanuseitnevertheless.Xisthe
overlaybitandcanbeusedforvideotitlingandspecialeffects.
320x20016bpp65N/A
Thismodeiscalledtheslideshowmode,isnotsupportedbytheVDI,you
areonyouown.Xisanextragreenbit.
TrueColorin640x480isnotpossiblebecauseofthebandwidthofVGA
monitors.
ModeResolutionBitplanesColorsPalette
VGA320of6401,4,82,16,256262144(Overscan
Video200of400
WithVideowemeantheAtariSC-monitors,theTVmodulatorand/orthe
compositevideooutput.
Allmodescanbegegenlocked.Withadaptorsweconvertthe15-polevideo
bustotheestandardAtariorVGAconnections.
|----|
--
/\
/\
/\
||
-|--------|-
Matrixcoupling
Tomakethesystemperformanceintheaudiopartasgoodaspossible
Ataridesignedaminiature'telephoneexchange'thatcaneasilyconnect
thesourcedevicestothereceivingdevices.Alsoitispossibletomake
morethanoneconnectionatatime.
Sourcedevices
EXTINPUT---*-------*------*------*
CHANNEL||||
||||
DSP---*-------*------*------*
TRANSMIT||||
||||
ADC---*-------*------*------*
||||
||||
DMA---*-------*------*------*
PLAYBACK||||
DMADACDSPEXTOUTPUT
ÇRECORDRECEIVECHANNEL
ReceivingDevices
Portsandninterfacing
DSPCONNECTOR(DB26Female)
PinSignalPinSignal
1GP014GND
2GP115SRD
3GP216GND
4P_DATA17+12V
5P_CLK18GND
6P_SYNC19R_DATA
7n/c20R_CLK
8GND21R_SYNC
9+12V22EXT_INT
10GND23STD
11SC024SCK
12SC125GND
13SC226EXCLK
SCSICONNECTOR(flat50pinsSCSIIIFemale)
PinSignalPinSignal
1-10GND37NotConnected
11+5V38+5V
12-14NotConnected39NotConnected
15-25GND40GND
26SCSI041ATN
27SCSI142GND
28SCSI243BSY
29SCSI344ACK
30SCSI445RST
31SCSI546MSG
32SCSI647SEL
33SCSI748C/D
34Parity49REQ
35-36GND50I/O
SERIALPORT(DB9MALE)
PinSignal
1CarrierDetect5GND
2Receive6Datasetready
3Transmit7RequesttoSend
4DataTerminalReady8CleartoSend
9RingIndicator
PARALLELPORT(DB25Female)
Theparallelporthasextrasignaltoeasetheconnectionofscanners.
ÇPinSignal
1Strobe8Data6
2Data09Data7
3Data110Acknowledge
4Data211Busy
5Data312-16NotConnected
6Data417Select
7Data518-25GND
MONITORCONNECTOR(DB19Male)
PinSignalPinSignal
1Red11GND
2Green12CompositeSync/Video
3Blue13HorizontalSync
4Mono/Overlay14VerticalSync
5GND15ExternalClockInput
6RedGND16ExternalSYNCEnable
7GreenGND17+12V
8BlueGND18M1
9Audioout19M0
10GND
SCCLAN-portCONNECTOR(8-pinMiniDINFemaleRS-422)
PinSignal
1HandshakeOutput(DTRRS423)5-ReceivedData
2HandshakeInputorExternalClock6+TransmittedData
3-TransmitData7General-purposeInput
4GND8+Receive
ENHANCEDJOYSTICK(DB15Male)
PortAPortB
PinSignalPinSignal
1UP01UP1
2DOWN02DOWN1
3LT03LT1
4RT04RT1
5PAD0Y5PAD1Y
6FIRE0/LIGHTGUN6FIRE1
7VCC(+5VDC)7VCC
8NotConnected8NotConnected
9GND9GND
10FIRE210FIRE3
11UP211UP3
12DOWN212DOWN3
13LT213LT3
14RT214RT3
15PAD0X15PAD1X
ÇMIDIPORT(DIN5Female)
MIDIOUTMIDIIN
PinSignalPinSignal
1ThruTransmit1NotConnected
2GND2NotConnected
3ThruLoopReturn3NotConnected
4OutTransmit4InReceive
5OutLoopReturn5InLoopReturn
NewOperatingSystemcalls
Thisinformationisnotcomplete,maybesubjecttochangeandis
certainlynotmeantasdocumentationforprogrammers
DSP-calls
Dsp_DoBlock(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(500,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_BlkHandShake(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(501,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_BlkUnpacked(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(502,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_InStream(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(503,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_OutStream(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(504,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_IOStream(a,b,c,d,e,f)(void)xbios(505,a,b,c,d,e,f)
Dsp_RemoveInterrupts(a)(void)xbios(506,a)
Dsp_GetWordSize()(int)xbios(507)
Dsp_Lock()(int)xbios(508)
Dsp_Unlock()(void)xbios(509)
Dsp_Available(a,b)(void)xbios(510,a,b)
Dsp_Reserve(a,b)(int)xbios(511,a,b)
Dsp_LoadProg(a,b,c)(int)xbios(512,a,b,c)
Dsp_ExecProg(a,b,c)(void)xbios(513,a,b,c)
Dsp_ExecBoot(a,b,c)(void)xbios(514,a,b,c)
Dsp_LodToBinary(a,b)(long)xbios(515,a,b)
Dsp_TriggerHC(a)(void)xbios(516,a)
Dsp_RequestUniqueAbility()(int)xbios(517)
Dsp_GetProgAbility()(int)xbios(518)
Dsp_FlushSubroutines()(void)xbios(519)
Dsp_LoadSubroutine(a,b,c)(int)xbios(520,a,b,c)
Dsp_InqSubrAbility(a)(int)xbios(521,a)
Dsp_RunSubroutine(a)(int)xbios(522,a)
Dsp_Hf0(a)(int)xbios(523,a)
Dsp_Hf1(a)(int)xbios(524,a)
Dsp_Hf2()(int)xbios(525)
Dsp_Hf3()(int)xbios(526)
Dsp_BlkWords(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(527,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_BlkBytes(a,b,c,d)(void)xbios(528,a,b,c,d)
Dsp_HStat()(char)xbios(529)
Dsp_SetVectors(a,b)(void)xbios(530,a,b)
Devolledigebeschrijvingvanbovenstaandefunctie'sstaatinde
Falcon030DevelopersDocumentation.
VIDEOSETMODE
intsetmode(intmodecode);
ÇThesetmode(intmodecode)callisusedtoplacetheFalcon/030SHIFTER
intoaspecificmode.Abit-encodedvalue(calleda"modecode")ispassed
tosetmode()tosetthemode.setmode()returnsthepreviousmodethat
wasset.
Tohelpmakethebuildingofmodecodevalueseasier,hereisatableof
defines:
#defineVERTFLAG0x100
#defineSTMODES0x80
#defineOVERSCAN0x40
#definePAL0x20
#defineVGA0x10
#defineTV0x0
#defineCOL800x08
#defineCOL400x0
#defineNUMCOLS7
#defineBPS164
#defineBPS83
#defineBPS42
#defineBPS21
#defineBPS10
Usingthesedefines,youcanbuildamodecodeforanypossiblemode.For
example:
ForTrueColorOverscan:
modecode=OVERSCAN|COL40|BPS16;
ForSTMediumCompatibilitymodeonaColorMonitor/TV:
modecode=STMODES|COL80|BPS2;
ForSTLowCompatibilitymodeinPALonaColorMonitor/TV:
modecode=STMODES|PAL|COL80|BPS2;
For256color,80columnmodeonaVGAmonitor:
modecode=VGA|COL80|BPS8;
Ifyouhaveamodecodeandwishtoknowhowmanybitsperpixelithas,
usethefollowing:
if(modecode&NUMCOLS)==BPS16)
do_something_cool();/*Youhavetruecolormode*/
Thesetmode()callwillreturnthepreviousmodecodeset.Youmustuse
thisvaluetogetbacktowhatevermodeyouwereinbeforeyoumadeyour
setmodecall.
intmon_type(void)
Themon_type()functionwillreturnthekindofmonitorthatiscurrently
inuse.Herearethepossiblereturnvalues:
0=STmonochromemonitor
1=STcolormonitor
2=VGAmonitor
3=Television.
Ç
voidext_sync(intflag)
Thisfunctionsetsorclearsexternalsync.Ifflagisset,externalsync
isenabled.Ifflagisclear,theninternalsyncisused.
SOUND-calls
locksnd();
Usedasasemiphoretolockthesoundsystem.Fromotherapplications.
unlocksnd();
Usedtoreleasethesoundsystemforotherapplicationstouse.
soundcmd(mode,data);
Thiscommandisusedtogetorsetthefollowingsoundparameters.Ifa
negativenumberisusedastheinputthenthecurrentsettingus
returned.
MODEOPERATIONMEANING
OLTATTENSetsthecurrentleftchanneloutput
1RTATTENSetsthecurrentrightchanneloutput
2LTGAINSetsthecurrentleftchannelinputgain.
3RTGAINSetsthecurrentrightchannelinputgain.
4ADDERINSettheoutputofthe16bitsignedadderto
receiveit'sinputfromtheADC,Matrixor
both.
5ADCINPUTSettheinputthetheADC.Theinputcaneither
betheleftandrightchannelofthePSGorthe
leftandrightchannelofthemicrophone.
6SETPRESCALEUsedforcompatability.Thisprescalevalue
isusedwhentheDEVCONNECT()internal
prescalevalueissettozero.
setbuffer(reg,begaddr,endaddr);
Thisfunctionisusedtosettheplayorrecordbuffers.REGselects
playbackorrecord,whilebegaddrandendaddrarethebuffersbeginning
andendinglocations.
(int)reg-(0)Setsplaybackregisters.
-(1)Setsrecordregisters.
(long)begaddr-Setsthebeginningaddressofthebuffer.
(long)endaddr-Setstheendingaddressofthebuffer.
setmode(mode);
Thisfunctionisusedtosetrecordorplaybackmode.Themodesareas
follows:
MODEOPERATION
(int)08BitStereo
Ç(int)116BitStereo
(int)28BitMono
settracks(playtracks,rectracks);
Thisfunctionisusedtosetsthenumberofrecordorplaybacktracks.
setmontracks(montrack);
Thisfunctionisusedtosettheoutputoftheinternalspeakertooneof
thefourtrackscurrentlyplaying.Theinternalspeakerisonlycapable
ofoutputingONEtrackatatime.
setinterrupt(src_inter,cause);
Thisfunctionisusedtosetwhichinterruptthatwilloccurattheend
ofaframe.Iftheframerepeatbitison,thisinterruptisusedto
allowfordoublebufferingtheplayingorrecordingofsound.Interrupts
cancomefromTimerAortheMFPi7.
buffoper(mode);
Thisfunctionisusedtocontroltheoperationoftheplayorrecord
buffersinthesoundsystem.Theinputtothisfunctionisabitmap.If
modeissett0-1thenthecurrentstatusofthebufferoperationbitsis
returned.
NOTE:Thesoundsystemcontainsa32byteFIFO.Whentransferringdata
totherecordbuffer,softwareMUSTchecktoseeiftherecordenable
(RE)bitwasclearedbythehardware.Ifthebitwasclearedthenthe
FIFOisflushed,ifnotthensoftwaremustflushtheFIFObyclearingthe
recordenable(RE)bit.
dsptristate(dspxmit,dsprec);
ThisfunctionisusedtotristatetheDSPfromthedatamatrix.
gpio(mode,data);
ThisisusedtocommunicateovertheGeneralPurposeI/OontheDSP
connector.Onlytheloworderthreebitsareused.Therestarereserved.
Thiscall,dependingonthemode,canbeusedtosetthedirectionofthe
I/Obits,readthebits,orwritethebits.
devconnect(src,dst,srcclk,prescale,protocol);
Thisfunctionisusedtoattachasourcedevicetoanyofthedestination
devicesinthematrix.Givenasourcedevice,thiscallwillattachthat
onesourcedevicetooneorallofthedestinationdevices.Thiscall
alsosetsupthesourceclockandprescaler,protocolandprotocolsource
ifused.
sndstatus(reset);
Thisfunctiongetsthecurrentstatusofthecodec.
buffptr(pointer);
Thisfunctionreturnsthecurrentpositionoftheplayandrecorddata
bufferpointers.Thesepointersindicatewherethedataisbeing
read/writtenwithinthebuffersthemselves.Thisfunctionisalsousedto
determinehowmuchdatahasbeenwrittentotherecordbuffer.See
buffoper().
Theaboveisnotyetcomplete.AtarihasalsoroutinesforJPEGandandio
conversion.
=========================================================================
9[..◆.◆..◆.◆◆◆◆.◆◆...◆..◆.◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆....◆.]0110
Ç(C)1992byAtariCorporation,GEnie,andtheAtariRoundtables.Maybe
reprintedonlywiththisnoticeintact.TheAtariRoundtablesonGEnie
are*official*informationservicesofAtariCorporation.
=========================================================================
THEFALCON030/ATARICORPORATIONREALTIMECONFERENCE
FEATURINGSAMTRAMIEL,PRESIDENTOFATARICORPORATION
WEDNESDAY,AUGUST12,1992
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>OnbehalfoftheAtariSTRoundtable,Iwelcomeallof
youtotheAtariCorporationRealTimeConferencefeaturingSamTramiel,
presidentofAtari.
Beforegettingstarted,somebusinessabouthowanRTCworks.
WhiletheRTCroomisinListen-Onlymode,youcanonlyaddressourguest
whenIletyoutalk.
Togetmyattention,just/RAIseyourhand.Justenterthisfromyour
keyboard:/rai
I'llacknowledgeyourraisedhandassoonasIcan,butpleasebe
patient.I-WILL-letyouknowwhenyourturniscomingup.
SomeotherRTCcommandsare:
?-ListsallRTCcommands.
/sta-Status(list)ofeveryonein
theRTCroom.
/exi-ExittheRTC,butyouremain
loggedontoGEnie.
/bye-LogoffofGEniedirectlyfrom
theRTC.
/rai-Raiseyourhand.Letsmeknow
youwishtoaddressourguest.
Withthatoutoftheway,letusproceed.
Laterthismonth,AtariwillbeunveilingtheFalcon030totheworldat
theAtariMesseinDuesseldorfGermany.TheFalconhasgeneratedalot
ofspeculationandrumorsoveritsfeaturesandabilities,aswellas
hopesforthefutureofAtariinthecomputerindustry.
TonightwegetasneakpreviewoftheFalcon.BeforethecrowdsatAtari
MessegettoogletheFalcon,SamTramielwillgiveusaguidedtourand
answerourquestions.
Iknowthatmanyofyouwillhavequestionsyou'llwishtoaskSam,so
I'lltrytogettoasmanyofyouasIcan.Whenitisyourturn,you'll
gettoaskonlyonequestionduringthatturn.Butyoucanhaveasmany
turnsastimeallows.Afteryouaskyourquestion,/RAIyourhandagain
tobeputbackinline.
ThepurposeofthisRealtimeConferenceistogetoutfactualinformation
abouttheFalcon.AnythingelsethatSamispreparedtosharewithus
willbeicingonthecake.PleaseunderstandifSamcannotanswer
specificquestionsaboutthingslikemarketing,futureproducts,and
othernon-Falconrelatedquestionsatthistime.
ÇSam,thankyouforbeingwithusthisevening.Iunderstandyouhave
somepreparedtexttouploadtousabouttheFalcon.Youmaybeginthe
uploadatyourconvenience.
<STRAMIEL>Goodevening,all.I'mverypleasedtobehereonour
officialonlineservice,GEnieonceagain.We'reexcitedtobe
celebratingthe20thanniversaryofAtariCorporationthisyear.We're
especiallyexcitedbecausethisisatimethatwecanintroduceanother
milestoneproducttotheworld.
I'dliketotakethisopportunitytorecognizesomepeoplethathavebeen
closealliesofAtariCorporation.TheentirestaffoftheAtariRTson
GEnie,undertheleadershipofDarlahPotechinhavebeenproviding
stellarsupporttoourcustomersforanumberofyearsnow.I'm
gratefulforthesupportofDarlah,SandyWilson,JeffWilliamsandthe
restoftheGEnieRTstaffinsupportingourmutualcustomers.We've
justsignedanewagreementwithGEnie,thatwillensurethecontinuation
ofGEniebeingouronlinehome.
Inaddition,I'mpleasedtowelcomethenewpublishersofAtariExplorer
Magazine,MikeLindsaytoSunnyvaleaswell.Asmostofyouknow,we've
broughtExplorerintoourcorporateheadquarters.JohnJainschigghas
movedontootherchallenges,andMikeLindsayandDarrenMeerarenowat
thehelmofAtariExplorer.Ouronlinemagazine,AtariExplorerOnline,
isundertheableleadershipofRonKovacs.Ronisbestknownforhis
yearsofexperienceasthepublisherofZ*NetOnlineMagazine.
Tonight,we'repleasedtobeabletofinallyannouncetheAtariFalcon
030Computer.Thiscomputerwillbeunveiledtothebuyingpublicatthe
DuesseldorfAtariMesseinGermanynextweek.TheFalconisamachine
thatwe'reveryexcitedabout.Wethinkthatitplacesusbackinthe
forefrontofthe"PowerwithoutthePrice"placeinthemarket.
Here'sthespecsontheAtariFalcon030:
CPU:Motorola68030runningat16Mhz
32-bitBus
Optional68881or68882FPU
RAM:1,4,or14megs
StandardAtariCartridgePort
Motorola56001DSPchip
ExpansionBus:
Internaldirectprocessorslotfor386SXPCemulation,orother
coprocessor
Graphics:
SuperVGAgraphics:640x480with256colors
Truecolor16bitmodeallowingadisplayofupto65,536colors
Acceptsexternalvideosyncsignaltoallowhighqualitygenlocking
Overlaymodeforeasyvideotitlingandspecialeffects
OverscanonTV'sandSTColormonitors
262,144possiblecolors
hardware-assistedhorizontalfinescrolling
BLiTTERgraphicsco-processor
Soundfeatures:
Eight16bitaudioDMArecordandplaybackchannels
Stereo16bitdigitalDMAinput
ÇStereo16bitDMAaudiooutput
SDMAsound/DMACoprocessor
StandardPorts:
SCSIIIportwithDMA
HighspeedLocalTalkcompatibleLAN
ConnectorforanalogRGBcolor(STorVGA)orcompositevideo
RS232Cserialport
Bidirectionalparallelport
MIDIIN/MIDIOUT
Stereomicrophoneinput,miniaturestereoplug
Stereoaudioout,miniaturestereoplug
Twojoystickconnectors
Twoenhanceddigital/analogcontroller/lightpenconnectors
DataStorage:
1.44Mbytefloppydiskdrive
OptionalinternalIDEHardDisk
Systemsoftware:
Pre-emptiveMultitaskingwithadaptiveprioritzation(MultiTOS)
Interprocesscommunication
NewDeskdesktopandeXtensiblecontrolpanel
Multiplewindowuserinterface;numberofwindowslimitedonlyby
memoryorsoftwareinuse.
Weseethiscomputerasexceedingallofthemultimediaexpectationsof
thecomputerbuyingpublic.Aswellasbeinganexceptionalvalueasa
homecomputersystem.
ExtensivetestingwiththeFalconhasalreadybeendoneonexisting
software.Weareverypleasedwiththehighdegreeofcompatibility.
Forinstance,PowerNet,aincreasinglypopularLocalTalknetworking
solutionworksfinewithnomodifications.CalamusSL,PageStream,
WordFlairII,Cubase3.0,STalker3.0,STeno,Arabesque,andmanyother
wellwrittenapplicationswillworkperfectly.
Thatconcludesourremarks,IhopeyouwereallimpressedwithhowfastI
cantype!
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>DoyouhaveapricereadytoannouncefortheFalcon?
<STRAMIEL>No,wewillannouncethepriceattheDuesseldorfAtariMesse,
Jeff.
<[ChrisR.]DRAGONWARE>SamThankyouforthePlug:..Whatkindof
NumberswillbeavalibleintheUSandhowsoon?
<STRAMIEL>WeareonceagaingoingtoFCCandIrealisticallyexpect
shipementsintotheUSinmidOctober.
<[Mike]M.HILL13>Wehaveheardsomedevelopershavefalconsalready.
Whenwillotherregistereddevelopersbeabletopickoneuptostart
workonthem.Iunderstandifthisquestionneedstobeansweredin
email.
<STRAMIEL>PleasecontactBillRehbockregardingthismatter.Hewillbe
happytohelpyouwiththismatter.
<[Bigcat]K.LONERGAN>AreMIDIportsincluded?
Ç
<STRAMIEL>YES,MIDIportsareincludedwiththeFalcon.Wefullysupport
theMIDIstandard.
<[FASTTECH]J.ALLEN27>HiSam,thanksforvisitingGEnieagain.Three
questions:
IstheFalcongoingtostayblack?
Howareyougoingtomarketit...whatvenues,etc?
AndisMultitosgoingtobe68040compatiblewhenreleased?
<STRAMIEL>ColorsandmarketingplanswillbetalkedaboutatDuesseldorf
andafterthatshow,Jim.Ihavetosavesomethingfornextweek.:)
AndMultiTOSwillbe68040compatible!Butsorry,we'renotcommenting
about68040machines.
<[ScottJ]S.CORLEY1>Sam,aboutthegraphicscapacityoftheFalcon.
Whydoesntithave800x600orbetteryet1024x768graphicsasthatisthe
VGAstandardnow.Also,hastheBLiTTERchipbeenspeduptohandlethe
extragraphicsbandwidth.
<STRAMIEL>HiScott.TheBLiTTERChiphasbeenspeduptohandlethe
extrabandwith.TheBLiTTERisnowrunningat16Mhz.VGAnormallydoesn't
haveTRUECOLOR,whichtheATARIFALCONDOES,andthismachineisaimed
athavinggreatcolor,greatsound,andwiththeDSPchip,somewonderful
newapplicatons.
<[Advertise!]B.KING8>1)AreyougoingtoAdvertise,ifsohow?2)What
isthedealwiththeGEServicecontract?3)CanweexpectDesktop(ie.
Detachablekeyboards)modelsandTowerversions?
<STRAMIEL>AsIsaidbefore,allmarketingannouncementswillbemadeat
Duesseldorf.IwillnotcommentonfuturemodelsoftheFalcon.Weare
talkingtodayaboutamachinewhichwillbeshippingnextweek.
Wedon'twanttomakefutureannouncementsandgetintotroublewith
Vaporware.Andbytheway,forhigherrezrequirements,buyTTs!:)
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>Rememberfolks...onlyonequestionperturn...We
havealotoffolkswaitingandnotnearlyenoughtimetoaccomodate
everybody.Thanks.
<R.PECORA>HastherecentForbesarticleinfluencedAtari'sfuture
marketingplans?
<STRAMIEL>Mynewoffice,whichhasabetterviewthanmyoldone,isso
farquitesatisfactory.AndRichardMillerisinmyoldoffice.The
Forbesarticlewasamish-mashandmisconstruedarticlefullofhalf
truths.WeareanxiouslyawaitingthereleaseoftheAtariFalconto
bringusbacktotheforefront.Thearticlehasgivenussomelaughs,
butotherwisehasnotaffectedus.
<OAWALKER>zEveningSamEveningSam(SBACE)PLEASESHOWfalconat
GlendfaleforalltheSoCalBoys.
<STRAMIEL>Wewilltryourbesttoshowit.Therewillbeanumberof
finedevelopersthere,likeLexicorSoftwareshowingAtariFalcon
applications.
<[SteveJ]S.JACOBS6>WouldyoupleasenamesomeofFalcon'sdesigners?
<STRAMIEL>Youmeanourengineers?
Ç
<[SteveJ]S.JACOBS6>Yes.
<STRAMIEL>TheAtariFalconwastotallydesignedinhouseatAtari,and
itisnotourpracticetogiveoutindividualsnames.Somanypeople
are,andwereinvolvedintheproject.Theyallworkedveryhardto
bringthistoareality!
<[wantsunix]JM.HAWTHORNE>IstheexpansionbusVME?
<STRAMIEL>No,itisnotaVMEbus.Itisadirectprocessorslotthat
givesdevelopersmoreflexibility.
<[Marc]M.RHODES8>HowdoyouthinktheFalconwillcomparew/the
industrydominatingIBMplatform?
<STRAMIEL>Thereisnocomparison!TheAtariFalconisfarsuperiorto
thePCplatform.Ourchallengeistogetalotofsoftwareforthe
platform,andalotofpeopletobuyit.
<[Gary]G.STOLLMAN>Sam,youmentionedIBMemulation...Howclosetotrue
IBM386speedandpowerwillthisactuallybe...???BythisImeanlike
a38633SX...??Willthisrequireanaddonunitformorespeed??
<STRAMIEL>HiGary.BillRehbockassuresmethataPCBoardwillbe
shownatDuesseldorf.Wewillgiveyouspecsaftertheshow.
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>Anycommentsaboutperformance?
<STRAMIEL>Notuntilaftertheshow,Jeff.Sorry.It'snotourproduct.
<P.LORIMER>WilltheFalconbesoldwithMulti-TOS,andwillmulti-TOSbe
intheROM's?FromwhatI'veheardittakesupclosetoaMEGifinRAM.
<STRAMIEL>Yes,theAtariFalconwillbesoldwithMultiTOS.Itwillbea
combinationofROManddiskbased.
<S.AGARWAL>Sam,WhynoDMA(ACSI)port....HowshallIconnectmySLM
804tothefalcon?
<STRAMIEL>WefeltthattheDMAportwasnotenoughofastandardport.
That'swhywewenttoSCSIII.Thereareseveralthirdpartycompanys
thatareworkingonaconverterboxtoallowyoutoconnectupyourSLM
totheAtariFalcon030.TheSCSIismuchfasterthanDMA,too.
<NEVIN-S>Thanksforcomingtonight,Sam.Asadeveloperwhodependson
salesofAtarisoftwareforagoodportionofmyliving,Iamexcited
aboutthenewFalcon.Ontheotherhand,Iseemoreandmorepeople
beingfiredfromAtari,entiredivisionsbeingcloseddown,etc.Atari
seemstobeverygoodatcuttingcosts,butisthisreallythetimeto
cutcosts?IamconcernedthatonceagainAtariwillhaveagreatmachine
technically,butthatthecorporationbehinditwon'tbestrongenoughto
maketheFalconfly.
<STRAMIEL>Weare"rightsizing"ourcompanytoreflectourcurrentrate
ofsales.Wemustconserveassestsforfuturegrowthwithproductslike
AtariFalcon.Example,withthenewNorthAmericafreetradeagreement,
wefeltthatwecouldhandleCanadiansaleslogisticallyfromSunnyvale
andhavesalespeopleinCanadaandtheUShandlingbothcountriesina
north/southdirection.
Ç WewillsupporttheAtariFalconthroughouttheworld.Andneed
developerslikeyoutosupportitaswell.
<[TheEDGE]C.ROSE4>I'vebeenusing1040STbecauseofit'sMIDI
capabilities.IalsouseC-lab'sNotator.IwantedtobuyaTT,but
Notatorwon'trunonit.WilltheFalconsupportthisproduct?
<STRAMIEL>ThenewversionofNotatorwillrunfineonaFalcon,justas
thenewversionwillrunontheTT030.
<E.MONACO>Is16Mhzviablerunningmultipleaplications?Whatcanwe
expect?
<STRAMIEL>We'vefoundittoworkjustfine.The68030iswellsuitedfor
multi-tasking.
<B.SALDANA1>theFalconinspiredmetodesignanattractivemonitorstand
foritcalledtheSTATION[faxedB.Rhebock].Hasitbeeninspiringnew
oroldsoftwaredevlopers?{I'llsendyouoneSam>
<STRAMIEL>AtarecentAtariFalcondevloperconference,{organizedby
thecapableBillRehbock}intheUK,Iwasveryhappytolearnaboutnew
developersandsomeexcitingsoftwarewhichisalreadybeingdeveloped.
Themachinesspecaresonovel,thatdevelopersreallyhavetofigureout
allthenew,wonderfulthingsthattheycandowithit.I'msurethat
we'llseegreatsoftwarewithinthenext6months.Thanksfortheoffer
ofthemonitorstand,I'lllookforwardtoit!!!
<[J.M.T.]J.TORRES17>Sir,IstheFalconfully1040STecompatable
(graphics,8Mhz,TOS,etc)?ormoreliketheTT?
<STRAMIEL>TheAtariFalconisVERYSTEcompatible.Muchmoresothat
theTT030is.Wereallytrytomakeourproductsascompatibleas
possible.
<[NotSamT.]SAM-RAPP>Doesthis"OfficialAnnouncement"meanthatall
these"Gagged"developerscanstarttalkingnittygrittywithusinfo
starvedmasses?Atleastsomeinfo?;>
<STRAMIEL>Nomoreonourproduct,buttheywillbewelcometodiscuss
theapplicationsthattheyaredevelopingthatwillbeFalconspecific.
<WORDFLAIR>Sam,weareexcitedabouttheFalcon.Wewillbelaunching
severalnewproductsthattakefulladvantageofitspowerlaterthis
fall.TheproductsarebeingdevelopedbyusandbyDigitalArts,GmbH,
theformerdevelopmentteamfor3KComputerbild.
<STRAMIEL>Lauren,it'salwaysapleasuretohaveyouaspartofthe
Atariteam.Thankyouforyoursupport!!
<[Ron]AD-VANTAGE>TheFalconsoundswonderfulSam!Couldyoudiscussin
generaltermssomeofthenewsoftwareindevelopmentfortheFalconand
whatdoyouthinkthemostsignificantimpactoftheDSPhardwarewillbe
onsuchnewapplications?
<STRAMIEL>Icannotgiveexactdetailstonight,butIthinkthattheDSP
hardwarewillopenupawholenewrealmofcommunicationstypesoftware.
I'mpushingveryhardforvoicemailtypeapplicationsforthehome.
<[Mike]M.HILL13>YoumentionedtheSCSI2portisDMAdrivenandtheDSP
ÇtooIbelieve,butistheLocaltalkportDMAdrivenlikeontheTToris
itliketheMegaSTElocaltalkport.IhopeitisDMAdriven.
<STRAMIEL>ItisnotDMAdriven,sorryMike.Wethinkthatitis
satisfactoryatthislevel.
<[Peter]ABC.SOLN>Canyoucommentonthefutureofexistingmachines,
especiallytheTT030.(therehavebeenreportsthatitisoutof
production)Forinstance,willupgradestomultiTOSbeavailable?Will
trade-updealsbeoffered?
<STRAMIEL>TheTT030isstillinproduction,andwedohaveplansto
releaseAtariMultiTOSfortheTT030.Itisnotapracticeforusto
offertradeupdeals.Thatissomethingthatisforthedescretionof
thedealers.
<M.RIVMAN1>MR.T.(Sam),welcome!Asgoodasthenewmachinelookson
paper,wehaveallbeenhardhitbylackofsupportbydealers/developers
PLEASE-sellmeonstayingwiththeATARIplatformwhenallmy
friendsscreamMACforMIDIDTP,graphics!!!
<STRAMIEL>WehavebeenreluctanttoattacktheUSmarketwiththeold
machines.WefeelthattheAtariFalconistrulyagiantstepforward
andwehopethatthiswillturnonusersintheUS.Thiswillhelpget
ourmarketplacegoing.Wearesigningupnewdealers,andasmore
softwarebecomesavailable,youwillbeseeingusadvertiseintheUS.
ButasIsaidearlier,Iwillnotgointodetailsatpresent.
<W.RENKEL>WhenwilltheyarriveintheUS,andwheredotheyfitinto
thecurrentproductline??
<STRAMIEL>Theywillbeavailableinmid-October,andtheyfitverywell
intoourproductline!:)
<[Connor]CONNOR>GoodeveningSam.Iassumethatthereleasedatefor
theFalconwillbethesameinCanadaasintheUnitedStates,isthis
correct?
<STRAMIEL>Ifanything,itmightbeearlierinCanada.That'sbecause
I'maCanadian,eh.
<[Curt]C.FLUEGEL>willitbepossibletorecord/playbackonjusta
singleofthesoundchannels,orwilltheyonlyworkinpairs??
<STRAMIEL>AccordingtoBillRehbock<mytrustytechnicalassistant>,
yes,youcanrecordonasinglechannel.
<[Advertise]T.MCCOMB>WillMultiTOSbeavailablefortherestoftheST
line?Ifso,whatkindoftimeframeforavailablity?-Tom.Pleasetell
metherewillbeaMAJORmarketingeffortintheUSAotherwiseonlyus
ChickenswillknowabouttheFalcon.
<STRAMIEL>MultiTOSwillbeavailableforTT030andforfuture68030and
abovemachines.Wealreadyansweredtheothermarketingquestions.
<[Steve]S.JOHNSON10>YousaidtheFalcon030(isitactuallygoingtobe
calledthat,bytheway?)hasa16-bit65,536colormode.Willthatwork
at640x480oristhatmodelimitedtolowerresolutionsand,ifso,which
one(s)?
Ç
<STRAMIEL>Steve,themachineiscalledtheAtariFalcon030.The16bit
truecolormodewillworkin640x480interlacedonaTVorSTstyle
monitor.
TrueColorwillalsoworkin320x480onVGAmonitors.
<[Chuck.]HAINES>Forramexpansionuptothemaxof14meg,istheram
standardsimmsorproprietarytypepackages?Ifnotisthisthetype
thinggoodchipmerchantswillhavereadilyinstock.
<STRAMIEL>Itisacustomboard,butnotproprietary.Wewillhaveit
readilyinstock,andweareagreatchipmerchant!:)
<[Network23]R.MARTIN22>Thanksforbeingheretonight.I'mthinkingof
becominganAtaridealer.WhatsupportcanIexpectfromSunnyvale?Are
theanalogportsyoumentionedthesameasthoseontheSTE?
<STRAMIEL>PleasecontactnewUSsalesdirectorArtPruzynskiregarding
yourdealerinterest.Wewillsupportyoufully.Yes,theanalogports
arethesameasontheAtari1040STE.
<[ChrisC.]C.CASSADAY>FromyouransweraboutMultiTOSandtheST,it
seemsasif68000basedmachinesmaynotbeinAtari'sproductionfuture.
Also,when,andinwhatformcanweexpectMultiTOSfortheTT030.
<STRAMIEL>HiChris,thefutureofthe68000machinesalldependsonthe
marketwants.IE,whatsells.MultiTOSwillbeavailablefromAtarifor
theAtariTT030asanupgrade.We'llsupplydetailslateron,after
Duesseldorf.FromwhatIhaveseen,MultiTOSisfantastic,andisjust
asmuchamajoradvanceasthehardwarefortheAtariFalcon.NoGuru
meditationerrors,andsomereallygreatgraphicfeatures,andwonderful
technicalfeatures.
<[ScottJ]S.CORLEY1>Sam,whydidAtarichoosetousethefixedpoint
56001DSPinsteadofthenewer,morepowerful96002DSPwhichhas
floatingpoint?Also.couldyougivemoredetailaboutFalcongraphics
capacities,i.eresolutions,#ofcolors,scanrates,interlacing,etc.
<STRAMIEL>Scott,theprimaryreasonswereprice...the96002ismuchmore
expensive.Thenewerchipdoesn'thavethesoftwaretoolsavailableto
takeadvantageofityet.
We'llpostmoregraphicdetails<grin>inthebulletinboardafter
Duessledorf.
<[Chris]C.OATES2>TheAdvantgearticlementioned16bitinonly320x
200.Anyotherinnacuraciesweshouldknowofintheirspecs?
<STRAMIEL>WehavereleasedthespecificationsoftheAtariFalcon
tonight.Youaregettingalloftheinformationstraightfromthe
horse'smouth.We'drathernotcommentabouttheAdvantagearticle.
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>AnyonewhomissedthespecsatthebeginningoftheRTC,
they'llbeinthetranscriptthatI'llputinthelibrarytomorrow.
<[MikeAllen]M.ALLEN14>DoesyourcommentabouttheFCCindicatethat
thefalconisNOTClassByet?Ifthisissohowcanyouhave
significantquantitiesintheUSbyMid-October?
<STRAMIEL>WehavenotyetevengiventhemachinetotheFCC.Andweare
onlyapplyingforClassBapproval.Accordingtoour"experts",it
ÇshouldpassClassB.WewillnothavesignificantquantitiesofAtari
Falconuntillaterintheyear.Octoberwillbejustthebeginning.
<[Veg]R.ALBRIGHT7>HaveanyAs-of-YetNon_AtariVendorsexpressed
intentionstoproduceapplicationstakingadvantageofthetremnendous
newcapabilitiesoftheFalcon.Softwarefromawellknownvendorcould
dowondersforenticingusersofotherplatforms.
<STRAMIEL>Yes,therearesome30newdevelopersthatareproducing
softwarefortheAtariFalcon.SeveralofthedevelopersarealsoNeXT
developers,forexample.
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>Folks...wehaveabout5-10minutesleftbeforewe
havetoletSamandfriendsgo.Wewon'tbeabletogettoeveryone,but
we'lltrytosqueezeinasmanyaspossible.
<R.PAINTER3>Willitbepossibletoupgradetoa040,orshouldIhold
outforthebettermachine(Ican'tafordboth).
<STRAMIEL>TheAtariFalcon030cannotbeupgradedtoan68040,asfaras
thedesigngoes.I'msurethatyou'llfindtheAtariFalcon030verycost
effective.Buyone!:)
<[wantsunix]JM.HAWTHORNE>Howfastwilltheserialportsbe,andhow
many?
<STRAMIEL>Theserialport(thereisone)isdrivenbytheSCCchip.It
iscapableoffulllocaltalkspeed,250Kbaud.Also,wefeelthatthe
DSPportwillhavegreattelecommunicationsapplicationswithveryhigh
speedthings,likeISDN.
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>Wehavetimefortwomorepeopletoaskquestions.
R.PECORAandM.RHODES8.
<R.PECORA>IsaMega-typeversionFalconapossibilityinthenear
future?Manyofusprefertheexternalkeyboardarrangement.
<STRAMIEL>Sorry,asIindicatedbefore,nocommentaboutfuture
machines.Thanksforyourinputontheexternalkeyboard.
<[Marc]M.RHODES8>Doyouthinkthe'major'retailers(alaCompUSA,
Computerland)willcarrytheFalcon?BeinghereinSanFrancisco,Ionly
have2or3placesIcangoforAtariequipment,andIwouldlovetosee
theFalconsupportedintheseoutlets.GAandGoodNight!:)
<STRAMIEL>Wesurehopethatsome"majorretailers"willpickupthe
Atariline.Agoodfriend,thatyouallknow,namedGregPratt,nowruns
IntelligentElectronics.Whydon'tyouwritehim,andpushhimtosell
Atariproducts?:)
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>Toeveryonewhowedidn'tgetto,myapologies.Butwe
_have_runthroughanincrediblenumberofquestionsandanswersduring
thistime.
Thankyouallforattendingandparticipating.
Sam,manythankstoyouandtheAtaricrewforbeinghereandfilling
usallinabouttheFalcon.Manybestwishesforitssuccess.
Doyouhaveanyclosingstatementsyou'dliketomakebeforewe
adjourn?
<STRAMIEL>Yes,Jeff.Thanksforjoiningusheretonight.Andwe
ÇappreciateyoursupportofAtari.I'vejustreturnedfromAsia,whereI
sawthefirstAtariFalconproductioncomingoffthelines.Let'shope
thisnewofferingwillmakeitinNorthAmerica.Iknowthatthespecs
aregreat.Weshouldhaveagoodchance,withallofyoursupport.
Goodnight,thankyouagainforattendingtonight!
<[Sysop]JEFF.W>ThanksagaintoSamandallwhoturnedouthere.
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