[comp.sys.amiga] Frame buffers?

rgd059@Mipl3.JPL.Nasa.Gov (02/03/88)

I asked about this a month or so ago, and didn't get any response, so here
goes again...

Does anyone have any info whatsoever on Amiga frame buffers?  I'm looking
for true color... that's at least 24 bits/pixel.  More would be great.  Higher
resolution would be nice but the color space is more important to me.  I know
none are out now, but does anyone know who's working on them?  Help!

Oh yeah, I saw NewTek's Toaster (at AmiExpo), as well as Mimetics' product
(at SIGGRAPH), but they seem to be NTSC only (correct me if I'm wrong,
please!).  This is for professional image processing applications, so NTSC
isn't good enough... I need RGB.

Thanks in advance....

Bob Deen  @  NASA-JPL Multimission Image Processing Lab
Internet: rgd059@mipl3.jpl.nasa.gov
Span:     mipl3::rgd059
Ma Bell:  (818)354-7492 (daytime)

cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (02/04/88)

In article <5352@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> rgd059@Mipl3.JPL.Nasa.Gov writes:
>Does anyone have any info whatsoever on Amiga frame buffers?  I'm looking
>for true color... that's at least 24 bits/pixel.  More would be great.  Higher
>resolution would be nice but the color space is more important to me.  I know
>none are out now, but does anyone know who's working on them?  Help!

Well, yes, there are 'frame buffers' that work in the Amiga 2000. The 
nicest one is called the Targa Board from AT&T. The secret is you buy
a bridge board, write a little program on the PC side to pick up messages
from the Amiga, and then manipulate the display. You probably only need
LoadImage(), SaveImage(), ReadPixel(), and WritePixel(). [As a note to
Bridge card owners and/or Commodore, something that talked to message
ports would be really nice here. Maybe a named port 'BridgePort' that 
you could send messages to, and a PC TSR program that users programs
could poll/send messages to.] One reason why I sometimes reccomend the
2000 over the 500 is that there are these really exotic boards (not that
frame buffers are exotic) that work on the PC bus. The other nice feature
of this is that you can get the PC to convolve the image or whatever with
it's use of the 8087 it could do so more rapidly than the 68000 could.
Plus you get the benefits of multiprocessing. 

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.

deh@umree.UUCP (02/05/88)

/* Written  6:51 pm  Feb  2, 1988 by daemon@elroy.UUCP in umree.UUCP:comp.sys.amiga */
>/* ---------- "Frame buffers?" ---------- */
>I asked about this a month or so ago, and didn't get any response, so here
>goes again...
>
>Does anyone have any info whatsoever on Amiga frame buffers?  I'm looking
>for true color... that's at least 24 bits/pixel.  More would be great.  Higher
>resolution would be nice but the color space is more important to me.  I know
>none are out now, but does anyone know who's working on them?  Help!
>
...
>Thanks in advance....
>
>Bob Deen  @  NASA-JPL Multimission Image Processing Lab
>Internet: rgd059@mipl3.jpl.nasa.gov
>Span:     mipl3::rgd059
>Ma Bell:  (818)354-7492 (daytime)
>/* End of text from umree.UUCP:comp.sys.amiga */

I too would like to hear any information about hi-res frame buffers.
Please add me to the "distribution list".  512 x 512 not absolutly required
 but true color is.

E-mail:  wucs2.umree.UUCP.deh   (I think. Please reply to net also if you
                                 try this so I'll know if it was unsuccessful)
U-snail: David E. Harris
         University of Missouri--Rolla
         118 Electrical Engineering
         Rolla, MO 65401

Phone:   (314) 341-4528  (Graduate office.  Leave a msg.)
         (314) 341-2748  (home.  after 5 pm cst usually)