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1990-11-13
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NTSC/PAL 1.0a
BootNTSC/BootPAL 1.1 User Manual
May 6, 1990
Preface
=======
These programs are public domain, source code is included. You are free
to use/change it as long as you leave my copyright notice intact. If you do
make some nice improvements I'd like to hear about them, so please let me
know. You can distribute these programs as long as you don't ask any more
money for them than a nominal fee for copying, and if you keep this document
with them. If you want to include these programs in a commercial product
you need my written permission.
The source is in assembler and is ready to be assembled by DevPac II.
It should be no problem at all to get it to assemble under another assembler.
If you have suggestions or remarks about these programs, or if you find
any bugs, please let me know.
Write to the following address:
Nico François
Corbielaan 13
3060 Bertem BELGIUM
Contents
========
1. An introduction
2. Usage of BootPAL and BootNTSC
3. The NTSC and PAL utilities
4. ECS Agnus
1. An introduction
==================
I am now the proud owner of a brand new A2000, I kicked out my A500 (It
has served me well :-) and scraped all my money together to buy this great
machine. But why am I telling you this ? Well, the new A500/A2000 has got
the new ECS 1Mb Agnus installed. As most of you will know the main advantages
of this chip is that it can access 1Mb of CHIP memory and that it can blit
larger memory blocks (32Kx32K). But there is one other difference with the
old agnus: the new agnus is the same in the PAL and NTSC machines. A
question that leaps to mind is 'Can you switch between PAL and NTSC ???'. The
answer is YES !!! At least, from PAL to NTSC is possible, the other way
around I've not been able to check, but as long as your monitor can cope with
it it should work ! I hope some NTSC users can confirm this. I've had one
confirmation, but it was from somebody who used a NTSC Amiga in Germany, using
a Commodore 1084S (PAL monitor) and a 50Hz power supply (Opposed to 60Hz in
the USA and Canada). Therefore I am not absolutely sure it works on a "real"
NTSC machine.
The advantage to NTSC users should be obvious, the PAL display is much
larger and gives a better quality picture. The advantage to PAL programmers
is that they can test-run their programs on a real NTSC machine to see if
they'll work. Another advantage is that you can play games in NTSC so they
will fill the entire screen ! No more screen distortion ! And last but not
least interlace flicker is less in NTSC than in PAL. (30 frames per second
instead of 25 !)
Source code is included and shows how to install resident programs in a
clean way so you can install multiple resident utilities. Of course it also
shows how to make your Agnus switch the Amiga from PAL to NTSC or vice versa,
I think you will be surprised how easy it is :-D !
2. Usage of BootPAL and BootNTSC
================================
BootNTSC/BootPAL can only be used from CLI, use it like this:
PAL Amigas:
'1> BootNTSC INSTALL'
to install the NTSC romtag. The next time you reboot your machine will
be an NTSC machine !! This works like a charm on my Commodore 1084S, I
hope it works on other monitors as well.
NTSC Amigas:
'1> BootPAL INSTALL'
This will install a PAL romtag. Reboot and keep your fingers crossed,
your machine should boot up in PAL.
To get your machine to behave normally again type:
'1> BootNTSC REMOVE' (PAL) or '1> BootPAL REMOVE' (NTSC)
and reboot.
NOTE: - You *MUST* run the 'SetPatch r' command first !!! Otherwise these
programs don't survive a reboot. This is normally the first
command in your startup-sequence, so if you boot from your standard
WorkBench there should be no problem.
- Once installed the program will survive multiple reboots unless it is
removed by memory corruption (like after a crash or after playing a
game). This is only true if you run the 'SetPatch r' command each
time you reboot !
- It works just fine with the 1.3 RAD ramdisk. (Unlike other rebootable
programs)
- If you have Kickstart 2.0 installed you don't have to run the
'SetPatch r' command. Please note that these programs have NOT been
tested under Kickstart 2.0.
3. The NTSC and PAL utilities
=============================
These two little programs are ideal to be put in the startup-sequence of
games (and other programs ?). They will make your Amiga switch over to NTSC
or PAL immediately. They will not change the size of the WorkBench screen,
but they will make the Amiga think it is a PAL or NTSC machine from their
execution on.
Note that you will get very strange effects when you switch over to NTSC
on a PAL Amiga with the WorkBench screen in front. This is because the
WorkBench was opened on a PAL Amiga and will use a copperlist the NTSC Amiga
won't understand. As far as I know this is completely harmless however.
Use these little utilities like this:
'1> NTSC' to switch PAL->NTSC '1> PAL' to switch NTSC->PAL
4. ECS Agnus
============
The new Agnus chip is present in all the new Amigas (A500, A2000, A3000)
or can be bought seperately and fitted yourself in your A500 (Rev 4+) or A2000
(Rev B4.4+). (I am not absolutely sure about these numbers, check with your
Amiga dealer). Fitting it is worth it, not only can you run this program :-),
but you have 1Mb CHIP RAM and a more powerful blitter !
If you fit the new agnus don't forget to change the 'SetPatch' command in
your startup-sequence to 'SetPatch r' so these programs and RAD: will work.
As always, I hope you find these programs useful !
PROGRAM HISTORY:
*****************************************************************************
VERSION 1.0
First release.
*****************************************************************************
VERSION 1.0a
Small changes to the document. Programs only work when 'SetPatch r' is
run first.
*****************************************************************************
VERSION 1.1
I got a phonecall from someone to tell me the BootPAL program almost
worked. Everything worked, except he lost part of the picture :-(
This version of the programs patches some more things in GfxBase and I
now think the programs should work fine on both PAL and NTSC machines.
You no longer get strange effects when you drag the WorkBench screen on
a PAL Amiga in NTSC mode (using BootNTSC).
*****************************************************************************
NTSC/PAL 1.0a
BootNTSC/BootPAL 1.1 written by Nico François (Yes, Nico is my first name :-)
thanks to Isaac Wyrobikwyrobnik (No, I can't pronounce
it either, I just hope it is spelled correctly :-) for
his bug report.
(c) 1990 Nico François / PowerPeak
//
Thanks to \X/ Amiga for being the best computer ever !