C128 article in the NYT
in [Commodore]
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From: Bogdan Macri on 10 Apr 2008 19:12 I found this article while searching for "I don't know what..." It seems to be from November 10th, 1987 and it's quite positive. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFD71030F933A25752C1A961948260 Enjoy, Bogdan -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bogdan Macri - Photography & Consulting bogdan dot macri at geemail dot com
From: David Murray on 11 Apr 2008 09:27 One thing they got wrong.. They said the C128 has improved graphics and sound. Well, graphics is debatable, but I can see how they could say that. But, sound? There is no difference.
From: Vanessa Ezekowitz on 11 Apr 2008 17:14 David Murray wrote: > One thing they got wrong.. They said the C128 has improved graphics > and sound. Well, graphics is debatable, but I can see how they could > say that. But, sound? There is no difference. The 128 can do something like 640x194 with 8x8 color cells with 16k, but you can push this to some 640x400ish with 8x1 color cells using "interlaced sync and video" mode and a software trick, if you have 64k video RAM. Or, you can turn on double-width mode and do something like 400x200 with 8x1 cells, non-interlaced, which you can turn into 200x200 resolution with no color clash and very little CPU overhead by just filling the bitmap with $A0 or $0A and altering only the color cells to draw a picture. One thing I'm not clear on is whether the VDC can do both interlaced mode and double-wide mode at the same time. On the sound, the 128 can do things the C64 can't nearly as well, thanks to having more onboard memory and double the processor speed, especially when you're dealing with digital audio. A MOD player I wrote many moons ago takes advantage of the speed boost to render higher quality audio than the C64 could do. -- "Life is full of happy and sad events. If you take the time to concentrate on the former, you'll get further in life." Vanessa Ezekowitz <vanDEesLEsaeTEzekTHowiIStz(a)gmail.com> ("DELETE THIS" to email me :-) )
From: Bogdan Macri on 11 Apr 2008 18:36 Vanessa Ezekowitz wrote: > David Murray wrote: > >> One thing they got wrong.. They said the C128 has improved graphics >> and sound. Well, graphics is debatable, but I can see how they could >> say that. But, sound? There is no difference. > > The 128 can do something like 640x194 with 8x8 color cells with 16k, but you > can push this to some 640x400ish with 8x1 color cells using "interlaced > sync and video" mode and a software trick, if you have 64k video RAM. Or, > you can turn on double-width mode and do something like 400x200 with 8x1 > cells, non-interlaced, which you can turn into 200x200 resolution with no > color clash and very little CPU overhead by just filling the bitmap with > $A0 or $0A and altering only the color cells to draw a picture. One thing > I'm not clear on is whether the VDC can do both interlaced mode and > double-wide mode at the same time. > > On the sound, the 128 can do things the C64 can't nearly as well, thanks to > having more onboard memory and double the processor speed, especially when > you're dealing with digital audio. A MOD player I wrote many moons ago > takes advantage of the speed boost to render higher quality audio than the > C64 could do. > Yes, the C128 with 64k video RAM can, in theory, go up to 640x400 interlace. It's even mentioned in the 128 Programmer's Reference Guide. - Bogdan -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bogdan Macri - Photography & Consulting bogdan dot macri at geemail dot com
From: Vanessa Ezekowitz on 11 Apr 2008 23:37
Bogdan Macri wrote: > Yes, the C128 with 64k video RAM can, in theory, go up to 640x400 > interlace. It's even mentioned in the 128 Programmer's Reference Guide. Not just a theory - I've run it at around 640x500 with 8x2 color cells before (I don't remember the exact vertical resolution I used, and I didn't use the 8x1 trick). It's an interesting mode to play around with. The C128 demo "risen from oblivion" has an example of a similar mode. -- "Life is full of happy and sad events. If you take the time to concentrate on the former, you'll get further in life." Vanessa Ezekowitz <vanDEesLEsaeTEzekTHowiIStz(a)gmail.com> ("DELETE THIS" to email me :-) ) |