#Ami buyer scared off!!
6 messages in this thread
Dave,
Was that "major dealer" in LA? I have had similar experiences with a
dealer there.
Michael: Nope. This "major dealer" was in Boston (actually the outskirts
thereof). I had been to this dealer before, and he (the same guy we spoke
to) dissuaded me from buying the A3000/16 which was on sale for $1800 at
the time. He said I would regret it, and that I should really get the
A3000/25. Well, I got the A3000/25, but I bought it USED, since I couldn't
afford the $3300 price tag. I have been VERY happy with my computer.
So it WAS good advice he gave me the first time (I was READY to buy the
3000/16 right then), but this time he goofed. If they managed the 4000's
demos better, and offered to help out, running the machine for us and
answering questions, then it would have been different. Unfortunately, it
didn't work out that way. Too bad.
I hope my friend's spirits lift so that I can help him bring an A1200 home
and set it up.
— Dave
Dave,
Well then, there are two Major Dealers out there that aren't being very
smart.
Mike
Don't forget to tell your friend that the Amiga's video resolutions are
user programmable. Not to say that it is easy, but if he WANTS a
256-color, 800×600 in non-flicker mode, he probably can have it. However,
given that there already are other modes with many more colors and similar
resolution and no flicker, why should he expect the Amiga to "come down"
to the level of VGA? Here's the way to pitch it: All those IBMers who have
800×600 deinterlaced VGA screens who want to dump to video have to buy an
expensive encoder and then INTERLACE the screen! What's wrong with using a
724×482 (overscanned) NTSC high-res screen in MORE than 256 colors? It's
nearly the same size.
Ron: He is a manufacturing engineer and I'm sure he would like to use the
Ami at times for CAD and other high-res work. When you work with CAD,
hi-res is really needed, and the flicker will drive you insane.
FWIW, he's now seriously looking into the new MAC-LC-III computer, but I
think the initial out-of-pocket cost for the MAC will keep him back, not
to mention the high price of productivity software. He still thinks
AmigaDos is the most versitile and stable OSs out of the bunch, so maybe
he will get over that bad experience and join our group! <g>
— Dave
With an A3000, A1200 or A4000, flicker isn't an issue since deinterlacing
is built into the system, unless you insist upon the 800×600 mode. In that
case it isn't interlace flicker that's a problem, but rather flicker that
may be caused by the mode's lower refresh rate (any lurkers want to check
me on this? I *think* I'm right.). Note, though, that the apparent flicker
varies considerably depending on the monitor. Buy a low-persistence,
high-end monitor (which would be best for CAD work, anyway) and the
refresh rate shouldn't be a problem. At least, that's my take on it;
others here may want to chime in. Of course, what your friend sees in the
store on whatever monitor they've got may not be convincing, but that
isn't the only configuration. There is a file in the libraries here that
list monitors compatible with the new AGA Amigas, and some higher-end
models may be what he needs. They'll add a bit of cost to an overall
system, but it'll still be cheap compared to a Mac.