CompuServe Thread

#A1200: First Impressions

10 messages in this thread
#85025From: pat beaulieuJan 14, 1993 11:36 AM
I made a 640×400 16 colors anim with Lightwave converted it with rend 24. I tested side by side with an Amiga 2000-Fusion Forty and an Amiga 4000. It ran 3 times faster on the A4000. The animation was vertical rotation of the lettre Chancery_A at about 3/4 the size of the screen.
#85112From: john meggieJan 14, 1993 10:43 PM
Pat, >> three times faster << yyyeeesss! That's what I was hoping to hear. Could I ask your opinion on somethin'. I am in a quandry (?). I don't know what to get for my next upgrade. I seem to remember you own/work in an Amiga store. All I want is a Hi Res, Hi Color, Hi Speed system <grin>. I presently have an A2000/040 with a Ham-E and have been happy with it so far but I really want more. I would use it for S-VHS video work. I figure my options are 1) A4000 2) OpalVision 3) Digital EditMaster. There are pluses and minuses to each. What are your impressions on the above (with emphasis on Anim speed) realizing EditMaster is unreleased. Your response is appreciated. John
#85285From: pat beaulieuJan 16, 1993 11:18 AM
First, if you want Anim speed, the A4000 is definitly your choice!! my first impressions are that anims are about 3 times faster than an Amiga 2000 and about 1.8 times faster than an Amiga 3000. But at least with an Amiga 4000 you have more resolution and more much more colors. You may consider OpalVision, which looks very good to me but it will not replace a Video Toaster. Don't forget that HAM8 pictures are comparable to 24 bits pics but in a smaller format. I have yet no personal opinions on EditMaster as it is unreleased.
#85368From: john meggieJan 16, 1993 10:49 PM
Pat, thanks for your thoughts on Hardware for Anim Speed. I wonder how well the A1200 will perform in Anim speed. That little guy with a faster CPU just may be the most cost effective route to hi color hi res hi speed animation. Any chance of comparing an anim on an A1200 and an A4000? That would be interesting. Thanks. John
#85506From: Christopher LapriseJan 18, 1993 12:42 AM
"That little guy with a faster CPU just may be the most cost effective route.." I was thinking the same thing, but it will depend greatly on animation speed with the '020, and if the '020 doesn't quite exploit AGA's full speed potential (comparing it to the A4000 will be proof of that), then the question will be if the '040 boards for the A1200 are inexpensive enough. Any ANIM speed test (regardless of the Amiga model) will have to be performed with true Fast RAM, otherwise the data is useless. We are talking about exploiting the hardware's full potential with existing software. -Chris
#85643From: john meggieJan 19, 1993 12:14 AM
Yes, the key to animation potential of the A1200 is what CPU type is needed to fully exploit the AGA hardware for speed. For example, on an A2000 an anim will play at the same speed with an '030 vs an '040. Somebody's gotta be working on an '030 accelerator for the A1200. But then we may be seeing a new Amiga AGA with an '030 built in. I think one thing is for sure – software will play a major role in anim playback speed. John
#85289From: pat beaulieuJan 16, 1993 11:30 AM
First, if you want Anim speed, the A4000 is definitly your choice!! my first impressions are that anims are about 3 times faster than an Amiga 2000 and about 1.8 times faster than an Amiga 3000. But at least with an Amiga 4000 you have more resolution and more much more colors. You may consider OpalVision, which looks very good to me but it will not replace a Video Toaster. Don't forget that HAM8 pictures are comparable to 24 bits pics but in a smaller format. I have yet no personal opinions on EditMaster as it is unreleased.
#85132From: Christopher LapriseJan 15, 1993 1:22 AM
Pat, See my message #84995 with my A3000/A4000 results. What is missing from my tests is the A500/A2000 series machines, which should represent some significant data seeing as how the A3000 has 32-bit CPU access to Chip RAM, and the A2000 has 16-bit access regardless of the CPU. We need that original-chipset-reference-point angle. -Chris
#85286From: pat beaulieuJan 16, 1993 11:18 AM
It is about 3 times faster compared to an A2000-040 equiped.
#85290From: pat beaulieuJan 16, 1993 11:30 AM
It is about 3 times faster compared to an A2000-040 equiped.