#What Is Dyanimic HiRes?
16 messages in this thread
Steve, just out of curiosity, what is a "dynamic hires"?
Doug
Dynamic HiRes ™ is an invention of NewTek. It is a resolution achieved
by changing the 16-color pallette every scan line while displaying a
high-resolution picture. Consequently it is possible to display all 4096
colors on a screen at once, in high resolution. The computer does not have
much time to do anything else while this display is going on.
Hi Doug!
Dynamic Hires is basically just the standard 16 color Hires (640+ across)
screen, with the pallete changed on each line. It makes for some decent
looking pictures, with lots of color, but no HAM artifacting, and, of
course, a higher resolution. (Of course, you are limited to only 16 colors
on a line, but many pictures will look good that way…)
This format was first introduced on the Amiga by Newtek as part of their
DigiView digitizing software, and can be viewed with Dyna-Show, which is
here in LIB 1 currently. They also have a Dynamic HAM mode which is
basically the same idea applied to HAM mode. (Although there seem to be
some differences between Dynamic HAM, and SHAM, the latter of which was the
first format to use the same basic technique…)
–>Steve Bennett
I have heard from 2 sources (CNN & Computer Chronicles) that NewTek has
announced a 'Mac Clone'?!?!?!?
Maybe we'll actually see a MacToaster at NAB . . .
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
That's Nutek. California.
–Paul < Motorola Inside >
Erik,
A company called Nutek (unrelated to NewTek) announced a year ago that
they had reverse engineered MAC ROM chips and were planning on using these
to release MAC clones. It's been in litigation (or at least discovery) for
some time. I hadn't heard of any resolution yet.
Thanks for the clarification, it didn't seem like the sort of thing
'NewTek' would be doing anyway. (Now that you mention it, I remember
hearing of them a few years back.)
Like I said to someone else, I'll be curious to see what happens with it .
. .
Thanks again,
Erik Flom
Like Paul says, the Mac clone maker is NuTek, a California/Taiwan firm — I had
gotten it confused with the Kansas folks myself — but if NuTek starts making a
Toaster clone, then good gosh, I'll be confused again!
Coupla interesting things on the NuTek story: It's not only a Mac emulator, but
a PC emulator too. They re-created the Mac's ROM chips by analyzing its
functions — I think this is the first time someone's been able to do fast
firmware emulation without using ROMs from dead boxes. And also, it will be
interesting to see how they do financially — prices on all 3 desktop platforms
have fallen significantly since NuTek started the project.
On another topic: does anyone know where we'll be able to find press releases
from NAB? I'm looking forward to the announcements.
Thanks,
jd
Erik. As I understand it, there has been some hookup which allows the Mac and
Amiga/Toaster to work in unison. The Toaster board remains in the Amiga, but
control is from the Mac.
If a special arrangement could be made whereby the Toaster hardware would fit
and operate in a PC 386/486, think its application in an Amiga would evaporate.
I was very surprised to know that the Amiga-4000 and Toaster would NOT operate
together. One would think that Commodore would come up with some "fix" to allow
this – as it would then add considerably more sales potential.
It is also a pity that Commodore have not designed a machine which can be
updated by the customer – rather than having to buy a new model. This is the
trend it some of the newer PC motherboards.
Probably we shall see the new video/Toaster related products emerge in the NAB
show in about 2/3 week's time. It should be interesting.
Best regards, HILARY.
"Why doesn't the Toaster work in the A4000?"
Well, the answer is that NewTek did NOT follow the specs as outlined by
CBM. Commodore did nothing malicious.
-Jonathan
Thanks for the reply.
My confusion about the 'NewTek Mac Clone' resulted from the fact that I
heard the name mentioned on 2 TV shows, but wasn't watching the tube at
the time, so I didn't realize that it was 'NuTech' (an entirely different
company) that had released a 'Mac Clone' chipset.
My comments about people 'finally getting the MacToaster they'd been
waiting for' was said with tongue firmly in cheek. :^)
As for the A4000 & the Toaster . . . .
Is it any surprise? (spoken as a long-time Amiga evangalist.)
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
P.S. April 4th, the day we find out how much we'll have to cough up for
the 'big upgrade' to 3.0. :^)
There is a front end program which runs on the Mac which can remotely
control a Toaster in the Amiga. I believe they also have a front end for
the PC too. But the odds of seeing a Toaster which could plug into the PC
directly is pretty near zero, from what I've heard. Since the Toaster is
intimately connected to the Amiga custom chips, you'd pretty much need to
stick an Amiga on the same board as the Toaster to fit it into a PC…
The reason the Toaster doesn't work with the A4000, I believe, is due to
the radically changed new AGA Amiga chipset. The toaster has always been
timing sensitive, so the new chipset probably confused it thoroughly. I'm
hoping less for a fix from Commodore than perhaps a redesigned Toaster
from NewTek. It *is*, after all, several years old and quite probably due
for a redesign anyway. And now they can rebuild it. They can make it
better, stronger, faster… (And charge more for it at the same time…
<evil grin>) Should be interesting to see what happens at NAB, if
anything…
As for Commodore desiging machines which are upgradable by the Customer…
They've been doing it since the A2000, which was, at it's time, one of the
most upgradable machines ever made, which is one reason it *still* is
being sold almost 6 years later… The 3000 wasn't quite as good at that
job, but the 4000 is even better, IMHO.
–>Steve Bennett
Still waiting for the DEC Alpha chip set Upgrade for my A2000 040 Toaster
sys……..:^) Just Kidding, I think.
I'd probably go with an A4000 and its 90's design if Newtek would comply,
but paybacks are a bitch, and CBM deserves it kinda. I'd say, Newtek wants
to sell Workstations with their names on 'em, but can't get a good enough
price (Deal) YET on the systems from CBM. They won't get burned again.
….John
Steve, forgive my intrusion, but I wish to address a question or two
concerning the Toasters and NTSC video work. I pulled the only file
that I could locate that indicated it was digitized from an analog
video source, CADIMA.JPG, to try and get a feel for the image quality
of same in comparison to something we have been doing with PC mode
machines, sourcing from an external TBC and feeding a 24 bit 640 x
480 frame as an isolated field back through same, allowing the TBC to
perform the transcoding back to a fully interlaced NTSC signal. Is
the referenced image representative of the analog to digital
conversions performed by the Toasters? Are there some more NTSC/PAL
sourced examples floating around the libraries that I missed? And, is
all image processing within the Toasters, and Amigas, performed with
linear gamma? Appreciate any information you could provide or point
me to in this area.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to say which files come from what
source. I'd say a good portion of the images here online come from a
digitized NTSC source (there are quite a few hardware items which can
digitize from video on the Amiga…) but I truthfully haven't a clue
as to which ones. Perhaps some of our other members can help you
better… –>Steve Bennett