taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) (01/14/91)
In Message <1419@tardis.Tymnet.COM> <jms@Tardis.Tymnet.COM> writes: >>Question: What display modes does the Amiga have? >Answer: Lots. I took the table given in the original message, and altered it to make it a little more sensible. The following table is a list of the resolution modes possible with a 'normal' Amiga (without the Enhanced Chip Set). The 'NTSC' and 'PAL' categories indicates the resolutions possible in NTSC and PAL. The 'BitPlns' category indicates the maximum number of bitplanes possible in each resolution mode. To find the maximum number of colors, take 2^(Max. Bitplanes) Mode (Normal Denise) NTSC PAL BitPlns Palette ------------------------ -------- -------- ------- ------- Lores 320x200 320x256 6 4096** Lores-Interlaced 320x400 320x512 6 4096*,** Hires 640x200 640x256 4 4096 Hires-Interlaced 640x400 640x512 4 4096* The Super Denise (in the ECS) has all of the resolutions in the previous table, plus the added resolutions in the following table. Note that this is a very incomplete table, as literally hundreds of resolutions are possible by fiddling with the programmable scan rates of the Super Denise. Mode (ECS Super Denise) NTSC PAL BitPlns Palette ------------------------ -------- --------- ------- ------- Super-Hires 1280x200 1280x256 2 64 Super-Hires-Interlaced 1280x400 1280x512 2 64 VGA-ExtraLores 160x480 same 6 4096** VGA-ExtraLores-Interlcd 160x960 same 6 4096** VGA-Lores 320x480 same 4 4096 VGA-Lores-Interlaced 320x960 same 4 4096 Productivity 640x480 same 2 64 Productivity-Interlaced 640x960 same 2 64 A2024 1008x800 1008x1024 2 16*** Notes: All of the Amiga's resolution modes can be extended somewhat by use of overscan, with some extendable to a greater extent than others. The non-ECS resolutions can typically be extended by about 17% by the use of overscan, while the added ECS resolutions can only be extended by about 5% by the use of overscan. * The Display Enhancer in the Amiga 3000 (and the Display Enhancer Board for the Amiga 2000) will de-interlace all of the interlaced resolution modes of the first table, as well as any interlaced-and-overscanned resolution modes. It will not, however, de-interlace any of added ECS resolution modes. ** The Lores and Lores-Interlaced modes can display 64 or 4096 colors (out of al palette of 4096) the Extra-HalfBrite (EHB) and Hold-And- Modify (HAM) resolution modes. Both of these use 6 BitPlanes. (I believe that the VGA-ExtraLores and VGA-ExtraLores-Interlaced are also capable of EHB and HAM modes, but am not certain about this) The 2nd 32 colors of EHB mode are restricted. They are the same as the first 32 colors with the red, green, and blue values reduced to one half. HAM mode (Hold And Modify mode) allows all 4096 colors to be displayed, but has restrictions affecting adjacent pixels of differing colors. *** The Commodore A2024 monitor is a gray-scale monitor. In the maximum resolutions given in the table, it displays a maximum of 4 shades of gray out of a palette of 16 shades of gray. This monitor requires the ECS, and so is listed with the ECS resolution modes. To answer a question from Dennis_Grant@CMR001.BITNET in message <910112.21331533.053294@CMR.CP6> about the resolution modes possible with an A2000 with the ECS, with the A2432 Display Enhancer Board, and with both: An A2000 with the ECS can display all of the resolution modes given in both tables, including both the NTSC and PAL resolution modes. An A2000 with the A2432 but without the ECS can only display the resolution modes in the first table. In addition, it can display these resolutions in either NTSC or PAL, but not both. With the A2432 active, all of these resolution modes are non-interlaced. An A2000 with both the ECS and the A2432 can display all of the resolution modes given in both tables. In addition, with the A2432 active, all of the resolution modes in the first table are non-interlaced, in both PAL and NTSC. However, the A2432 will not de-interlace any of the ECS resolution modes in the second table (as I said in the first set of notes), so with the A2432 active all of the interlaced resolutions in the second table will still flicker. -MB-
spence@cbmvax.commodore.com (Spencer Shanson) (01/16/91)
In article <17550@cbmvax.commodore.com> spence@cbmvax.commodore.com (Spencer Shanson) writes: >In article <1991Jan14.024715.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >>*** The Commodore A2024 monitor is a gray-scale monitor. In the maximum >> resolutions given in the table, it displays a maximum of 4 shades of >> gray out of a palette of 16 shades of gray. This monitor requires the >> ECS, and so is listed with the ECS resolution modes. >> >The A2024 does not require the ECS. It does, however, require a separate >display board which plugs into the video slot of a A2000/3000 > OOOOPS! I boobed. The A2024 does NOT require the ECS or separate display board. All the additional circuitry is built into the monitor. I was getting it confused with the Moniterm monitor which does require the setup I described. The A2024 can be used with any Amiga. Thanks Randell for spotting that one for me. Apologies for any confusion I may have caused. (It was a looong weekend - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :-) ) -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spencer Shanson - Amiga Software Engineer | email: spence@commodore.COM | or uunet!cbmvax!spence All opinions expressed are my own, and do not | "A picture is worth 1000 (necessarily) represent those of Commodore. | words, or about 300,000 | bytes."
alpha@omega.ruhr.de (Rudolf Neuhaus) (01/22/91)
In article <1991Jan16.231956.1939@agora.rain.com>, Bill Seymour writes: [...] > Some mention should be made here of the 'every other pixel' display > that the 2320 and 3000/VGA gives you in SuperHighRes modes. Although the > percieved resolution is 1280x200/256/400/512, the actual display is still > 640 pixel wide. They just display every other pixel... [...] Are you sure about that? Couldn't it just be your monitor, that can't display 1280 dots horizontally? Why should they say it's 1280xXXX then? Rudy ________________________________ Rudolf Neuhaus |__o_/ \alpha@omega.ruhr.de Kreuzstr. 144 | \\ 4600 Dortmund 1 | / \ Voice: +49-231-103703
jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) (01/22/91)
In article <1991Jan14.024715.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >In Message <1419@tardis.Tymnet.COM> <jms@Tardis.Tymnet.COM> writes: >>>Question: What display modes does the Amiga have? >>Answer: Lots. >I took the table given in the original message, and altered it to make >it a little more sensible. You did a good job, Marc, except for one line. A2024 belongs up in the first table with "Normal Denise". >A2024 1008x800 1008x1024 2 16*** >*** The Commodore A2024 monitor is a gray-scale monitor. In the maximum > resolutions given in the table, it displays a maximum of 4 shades of > gray out of a palette of 16 shades of gray. This monitor requires the > ECS, and so is listed with the ECS resolution modes. ^^^ Not required. > -MB- The resolution of 1008x800 is sent out as either 4 or 6 panels. The bits are sent out as {lines 0-399, pixels 0-639} + {lines 0-399, pixels 640-1007} + {lines 400-799, pixels 0-639} + {lines 400-799, pixels 640-1007} (or something like that). This is using the normal Denise, using approx. 640 pixels per scanline at 15KHz. All the magic is done via software (a new graphics.library) in the Amiga and hardware inside the A2024 "Hedley" monitor. When changing the entire screen (such as using Left-Amiga-M), it takes 4 fields (1/15 second) to get all the pixels updated. The A2024-15Hz mode uses up as much Chip-RAM bandwidth as a 640x400x16-color screen. The A2024-10Hz mode uses up less bandwidth, as much as a 640x400x8-color screen. -- Joe Smith (408)922-6220 | SMTP: jms@tardis.tymnet.com or jms@gemini.tymnet.com BT Tymnet Tech Services | UUCP: ...!{ames,pyramid}!oliveb!tymix!tardis!jms PO Box 49019, MS-C51 | BIX: smithjoe | CA license plate: "POPJ P," (PDP-10) San Jose, CA 95161-9019 | humorous dislaimer: "My Amiga 3000 speaks for me."
harris@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Michael Harris) (01/22/91)
>In article <1991Jan16.231956.1939@agora.rain.com>, Bill Seymour writes: >[...] >> Some mention should be made here of the 'every other pixel' display >> that the 2320 and 3000/VGA gives you in SuperHighRes modes. Although the >> percieved resolution is 1280x200/256/400/512, the actual display is still >> 640 pixel wide. They just display every other pixel... >[...] Speaking for the A3000, SuperHighRes modes will appear to display every other pixel if you have the display enhancer turned on. I have tried running SuperHighRes mode on my NEC 3D, and to get the correct aspect ratio for the graphics, I must stretch the screen to its maximum on the horizontal and shrink it to it's minimum on the veritcal. The NEC 3D's resolution is 1024 X 768. I could believe that the SuperHighRes modes does what it is advertised to do. -- __ _ ___ ___ Michael Harris - harris@catt.ncsu.edu // _ | / \ | | Computer and Technologies Theme Program // /||\/||/ _ /| |__ / /_\ | | North Carolina State University \X/ /-|| ||\_|/-|
sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz (Sleeping Beagle) (01/23/91)
alpha@omega.ruhr.de (Rudolf Neuhaus) writes: > In article <1991Jan16.231956.1939@agora.rain.com>, Bill Seymour writes: > > [...] > > Some mention should be made here of the 'every other pixel' display > > that the 2320 and 3000/VGA gives you in SuperHighRes modes. Although the > > percieved resolution is 1280x200/256/400/512, the actual display is still > > 640 pixel wide. They just display every other pixel... > [...] > > Are you sure about that? Couldn't it just be your monitor, that can't display > 1280 dots horizontally? > Why should they say it's 1280xXXX then? > Rudy THe secret is to turn off the display enhancer. I think you can get true 1280*200/256/400/512 The only problem is that the Interlaced modes will FLICKER! I think that the flicker-fixer can't cope even though the rest of the circuitry can... -- ** Official Signature for Sleeping Beagle (aka Thomas Farmer)! ** sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz || Disclaimers are for sick societies ** Thomas.Farmer@bbs.actrix.gen.nz || with too many lawyers.
spence@cbmvax.commodore.com (Spencer Shanson) (01/24/91)
In article <1991Jan22.194511.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: > I have a question that I've been wanting to ask ever since the Viking I >monitor first came out for the Amiga. If the highest resolution uses four >or six 640xXXX 'panels', why is the resulting resolution of the monitor >1008xXXX and not 1280xXXX ? 1008 is the maximum number of pixels the old Denise could display per scan line. The restriction is maintained with the ECS Denise for compatibility. > -MB- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spencer Shanson - Amiga Software Engineer | email: spence@commodore.COM | or uunet!cbmvax!spence All opinions expressed are my own, and do not | "A picture is worth 1000 (necessarily) represent those of Commodore. | words, or about 300,000 | bytes."
daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) (01/25/91)
In article <1991Jan22.194356.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >In article <188daf2b.ARN010c@omega.ruhr.de>, alpha@omega.ruhr.de (Rudolf Neuhaus) writes: >> In article <1991Jan16.231956.1939@agora.rain.com>, Bill Seymour writes: >>> Some mention should be made here of the 'every other pixel' display >>> that the 2320 and 3000/VGA gives you in SuperHighRes modes. Although the >>> percieved resolution is 1280x200/256/400/512, the actual display is still >>> 640 pixel wide. They just display every other pixel... >> Are you sure about that? Couldn't it just be your monitor, .. > The Super Denise puts out 1280xXXX video in SuperHires mode. However, >when you turn the Display Enhancer in the A3000 on, the Display Enhancer >only samples every other pixel in SuperHiRes mode. The result is as >described above. It is due to the Display Enhancer, and NOT the monitor. That's correct. The display enhancer is in effect a real-time digitizer. Being a digital device, it has a particular sampling rate, and can only deal with pixels at that rate (70ns per pixel) or lower (such as the lores modes). If you feed it 35ns pixels, it will only get every other pixel. It does know about different display rates, so if it sees a 31kHz scan rate coming it, it will automatically get out of the way. The 1280xN modes are 15kHz, but with 35ns pixels, so they wind up generating this strange every-other-pixel output. Which is the best you can do with that resolution on a VGA monitor anyway. For a multisync, you simply flick the bypass switch on the converter and get the proper expression of the 1280xN modes on your monitor. Monitors, from a cheap TV all the way up to your expensive new multi-whatever, are analog devices. There's no physical concept of pixels across the screen, only a rough limit on how many pixel changes per line can be clearly seen. For example, while you can't read 8 point text generated in the 1280xN mode on a TV set, you can tell the difference between titling done in the 1280xN mode vs. a 680xN mode. Really hot commercial titling boxes may go to 2000 or so pixels across (in TV terms, meaning overscan, this Amiga mode is really around 1400 pixels across). Not to be individually resolved, but so that curves can come in much smoother. Additional colors, for antialiasing such lines, also makes such titles clearer. -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy "What works for me might work for you" -Jimmy Buffett
daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) (01/25/91)
In article <1991Jan22.194511.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >> The resolution of 1008x800 is sent out as either 4 or 6 panels. > I have a question that I've been wanting to ask ever since the Viking I >monitor first came out for the Amiga. If the highest resolution uses four >or six 640xXXX 'panels', why is the resulting resolution of the monitor >1008xXXX and not 1280xXXX ? The actual resolution that the monitor hardware is capable of producing is 1024x800 @ 60Hz or 1024x1024 @ 50Hz. 1008 is a magic number, the maximum size of a non-ECS Agnus' largest blit (ECS Agnus can blit 32K pixels or somesuch). Under UNIX, for example, they drive the display with the CPU, and you get all 1024 pixels. I suppose they could do this with an ECS Agnus too. > -MB- -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy "What works for me might work for you" -Jimmy Buffett
hood@cbmvax.commodore.com (Scott Hood) (02/04/91)
In article <1247@borg.cs.unc.edu> tell@oscar.cs.unc.edu (Stephen Tell) writes: >In article <1991Jan14.024715.1@ccvax.iastate.edu> taab5@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >> >>In Message <1419@tardis.Tymnet.COM> <jms@Tardis.Tymnet.COM> writes: >> >>>>Question: What display modes does the Amiga have? >>>Answer: Lots. > >> To answer a question from Dennis_Grant@CMR001.BITNET in message >><910112.21331533.053294@CMR.CP6> about the resolution modes possible >>with an A2000 with the ECS, with the A2432 Display Enhancer Board, >>and with both: > >I haven't heard of this; what's the A2432 board? >(Oh, no! I'm getting behind on news!) >It sounds like the deinterlacer/display enhancer from the A3000, >is this correct? >I suppose it uses the video slot. Does it work properly with genlocks >that use the 23 pin video connector? >What is the availability and cost? (both list and educational discount) >Its getting so we need a scorecard for all the A-numbers... > > >> -MB- > >-------------------------------------------------------------------- >Steve Tell tell@.cs.unc.edu H: +1 919 968 1792 #5L Estes Park apts >CS Grad Student, UNC Chapel Hill. W: +1 919 962 1845 Carrboro NC 27510 Somebody is REALLY confused!! There are only two display cards at present, the A2320 Display Enhancer board for the A2000 machines and the A2410 Hi-Res Graphics Card for the A2000/A3000 class machines. The A2320 is a de-interlacer/scan-doubler card (US list of $299) that functions just like the display enhancer circuitry in the A3000. The A2410 is a framebuffer/graphics card that allows programmable resolutions up to 1024x1024 (at 89Mhz pixel rates) with 256 (plus three overlay colors) on-screen colors out of a palette of 16.8 million (24-bit) and has its' own TI34010 50Mhz graphics processor chip. Regards, Scott Hood -- -- Scott Hood, Hardware Design Engineer (A3000 Crew), Commodore-Amiga, Inc. {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!hood hood@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com "The views expressed here are not necessarily those of my employer!"