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AMReport International Online Magazine Special Expo edition 3
____ ____
/ / / \ \ \ Your Online Amiga News Source!
/ / / \ \ \
____ / / / AMIGA REPORT \ \ \ ____ EDITOR: Charles E. Hill
\ \ X / / \ \ X / /
\_\_X_/ INTERNATIONAL \_X_/_/ SPECIAL EXPO EDITION #3
---------------------------
| PRINT ASSOCIATES |
---------------------------
UNITED KINGDOM AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
Amiga Mart Professional Amiga User
Aceville Publications Australian Commodore & Amiga Review
89 East Hill
Colchester, Essex
England, CO1 2QN
ATTN: Paul Rigby ATTN: Andrew Farrell
CIS: CIS: 100033,1406
--------------------
| CONTACT POINTS |
--------------------
PHYSICAL ELECTRONIC
AM-Report CompuServe: 76370,3045
5765 Crane Place InterNet: 76370.3045@compuserve.com
Orlando, FL 32807-3108 GEnie: <coming soon>
USA Portal: <coming soon>
FidoNet: <coming soon>
EDITOR'S COLUMN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please excuse any errors, typos, etc. I wanted to get this issue out the
door as fast as possible. Last issue (AM-Report #208) and this issue were
put together mainly on a PC, since my monitor (A1950) died. Commodore sent
me (via my dealer) a new one, and it is supposed to be in Monday (tomorrow).
After that, things will return (mostly) to normal.
Commodore's World of Amiga show in Pasadena saw a deluge of information and
products. Commodore, who has been very tight-lipped in the past, not only
announced a raft of new products (A600, A600HD, A4000, A570, AGA, AmigaVision
Pro, AmigaDOS 2.1, AmigaDOS 3.0) but did a complete 180 degree turn on
announcing *future* plans. Until now, Commodore's policy has been "if it
isn't shipping, it doesn't exist". However, at WOA Commodore said that they
would ship more new products in the next six months than anyone could believe
possible. This includes AmigaDOS 3.1 (with network extensions and DSP
support), and Digital Signal Processor upgrade for the A4000. They also
mentioned retargetable graphics and Postscript support in AmigaDOS 4.0 as
well as some nifty deals on CDTV (free with a new A3000 or $599 for current
Amiga owners).
Well, read it for yourself. This issue covers the WOA exclusively...
everything else (as well as more WOA items) will be in the next AM-Report
(v2.09).
-Chas
==============================
COMMODORE PRESS RELEASES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMMODORE INTRODUCES THE AMIGA 4000 AT WORLD OF COMMODORE SHOW
(Pasadena, CA --- September 11, 1992) --- Commodore Business Machines,
Inc. today introduced the Amiga (R) 4000, the company's revolutionary new
premier multimedia computer. The Amiga 4000 marks the company's most
significant new technology advancement in its Amiga line since the
product's introduction in 1985. In addition to the Amiga 4000, Commodore
announced several other significant product introductions including the
Amiga 600 and 600HD, AmigaDOS TM Release 3 Operating System, A570 CD-ROM
Drive, and AmigaVision TM Professional Authoring System.
James Dionne, President and General Manager of Commodore Business
Machines, Inc., commented, "These product announcements exemplify
Commodore's continued commitment to offer computers with probably the
best price/performance ratios in the computer industry today. We are
confident that these products, particularly the Amiga 4000, will keep
Commodore at the forefront of multimedia technology and enable us to
continue our aggressive push in the multimedia marketplace."
Amiga 4000
This powerful new machine features Commodore's Advanced Graphics
Architecture TM custom co-processor chip set that enables users to
display and animate graphics in multiple resolutions at up to 256,000
colors from a palette of 16.8 million. The new hardware features are
driven by AmigaDOS Release 3, the newest version of Commodore's
multitasking operating system, in combination with the machine's main
processor, the Motorola (R) 68040. While this new version of the
operating system takes advantage of the latest hardware features, it also
maintains backwards compatibility with Amiga software not written
specifically for the Amiga 4000.
The Amiga 4000 will come standard with a 120MB hard drive, 6MB of memory,
a dual speed high-density floppy drive, and CrossDOS which enables users
to read and write to MS-DOS (R) formatted floppy and hard drives. Other
key multimedia features include: a dedicated slot for video devices;
selectable NTSC scan rate compatibility; four voice dual-channel digital
audio; up to 8 sprites, enabling high speed animations; and full hardware
video overscan. The Manufacturer's Suggested List Price for the Amiga
4000-040/120 is $3699.00.
AmigaDOS Release 3
The newest version of the Amiga operating system adds several software
enhancements to the previous 2.04 operating system. Among the new
features are: CrossDOS, allowing access to MS-DOS formatted floppy and
hard drives; a new Installer utility; and a Postscript printer driver.
Additionally, AmigaDOS Release 3.0 offers full support for the new
Advanced Graphics Architecture chip set featured in the Amiga 4000.
Amiga 600
The Amiga 600 is a powerful entry-level computer with a small footprint
and low profile shape, making it very attractive to the home computer
buyer. The Amiga 600 and 600HD will come with AmigaDOS 2.XX and a
selection of software packages.
A570 CD-ROM Drive
The A570 is a high capacity read-only storage device for the Amiga 500
series. The A570 accepts standard 5" compact discs in a CD caddy and
plays all CDTV (R), audio CD, CD+G, and CD+MIDI discs. It can also read
industry-standard ISO-9660 CD-ROM discs.
AmigaVision Professional
AmigaVision Professional builds and expands on the visual programming
environment used in earlier versions of AmigaVision. The new features
include support for the CDTV player, speed and memory improvements, and
enhancements to the authoring environment. In addition, a freely
redistributable runtime module has been included, enabling flows created
in AmigaVision to be played back without loading AmigaVision.
Commodore Business Machines, Inc., based in West Chester, PA, is the U.S.
subsidiary of Commodore International. The company manufactures and
markets a complete line of Amiga computers and peripherals for the
business, consumer, education and government markets.
Commodore (R) and CDTV (R) are trademarks of Commodore Electronics
Limited. Amiga (R), AmigaDOS, AmigaVision, Bridgeboard and Advanced
Graphics Architecture are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc. MS-DOS (R)
is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Motorola (R) is a trademark of
Motorola Inc.
###
TITLE: Press Release (2 of 6)
Amiga 4000 Technical Specifications
CPU:
- Motorola (R) 68040 series 32-bit processor
- 25 Mhz clock speed
- Removable processor module
MEMORY:
- 2 MB 32-bit Chip RAM
- Up to 16 MB 32-bit Fast RAM
- Easily expandable via standard SIMM units
- Additional standard RAM is supported by the Amiga's proprietary
AUTOCONFIG (TM) capability
SOFTWARE:
- 512 KB 32-bit ROM
- AmigaDOS (TM) 3.0 Multitasking Operating System
- Supports programmable resolutions
- Supports outline fonts
- Localized for multiple language/countries
- CrossDOS MS-DOS (R) file transfer utility
INTERFACES:
- Keyboard
- Mouse/Joystick/Lightpen/Tablet ports (2)
- Serial (RS-232)
- Parallel (Centronics)
- Video (RGB analog or RGBI digital)
- Right and Left stereo audio
- Internal and External floppy disk drive ports
- Internal AT IDE port. Optional SCSI adapter
SYSTEM SLOTS:
- CPU slot (200-pin) supports high-speed memory and advanced processors
- Amiga system bus - Four 16/32-bit Zorro III expansion slots (100-pin)
with AUTOCONFIG
- PC bus - Three PCAT T(M) slots
VIDEO SLOT:
- Extended 24-bit Video slot
- In line with standard 100-pin Zorro slot for easy integration of Zorro
and video boards
Zorro III Slots
____________________________________________
| |
1 | [==========][======] [=================] |
2 | [==========][======] [=================] |
3 | [==========][======] [=================] |
4 | [======][=========] [=================] |
|_ ____ _|
|_________________| |_________________|
1, 2, 3 = PC/AT Slots; 4 = Video Slot
How the Slots Work: If MS-DOS compatibility is desired a Bridgeboard
may be placed in slot 1, 2 or 3. When a Bridgeboard is installed, the
empty PC slots are capable of supporting a wide variety of XT or AT-
style boards. The remaining Zorro III slots support both 24 & 32-bit
Zorro boards.
KEYBOARD:
- Detachable
- 94 keys, including 10 function keys
- Separate numeric keypad
- Separate cursor keys (inverted "T" layout)
MOUSE:
- Opto-mechanical
- 2-button design
DISK DRIVES:
- Built-in 3.5-inch high density disk drive (880 KB/1.76 MB formatted)
- Hard Drive models pre-formatted and pre-loaded with system software
and utilities
- 2 rear and 2 front 3.5-inch drive bays
- 1 front 5.25-inch drive bay
GRAPHIC MODES:
- AGA custom chipset produces resolutions ranging from 320x200 to
1280x400 (more with overscan), including 800x600
- NTSC and PAL video resolutions
- Color palette of 16.8 million colors
- 2 to 256,000 user-definable colors displayable on screen
VIDEO DISPLAY OUTPUT:
- Works with RGB analog VGA or multiscan monitors (not all modes
supported with non multiscan monitors)
- Horizontal scan rats 15 kHz - 31 kHz
- Vertical scan rates 50 Hz - 72 Hz
SOUND:
- Four channel stereo sound, capable of reproducing complex waveforms
- 8-bit D/A converters
- 6-bit volume
DIMENSIONS:
- 15 1/4" deep x 15" wide x 5" high
WEIGHT:
- Approx. 20 pounds
POWER REQUIREMENTS:
- 110 volt/60Hz 150 watt power supply
A4000 CONFIGURATIONS:
A4000-040/120
- Amiga 4000 with Motorola 68040 Processor, 6 MB RAM, internal 3.5"
1.76 MB Floppy Drive and 120 MB IDE Hard Drive
- 94-key Keyboard
- 2-button Mouse
- AmigaDOS Release 3.0 System Software and Utilities
- Gold Service Warranty Package
AmigaDOS (TM) Release 2.1 System Software Upgrade Technical
Specifications
NEW FEATURES:
- Dynamic Localization of Programs to different languages and locales
- Includes CrossDOS for easy transfer of MS-DOS (R) and Amiga (R) files
- Includes Postscript (R) Printer Driver
- Supports Multiple Serial and Parallel Printer Preferences
- New Preferences Editing
- Motorola (R) 68040 compatible
- Screen mode requester added for selection of screen mode or video
mode
FONTS:
- Supports Agfa Compugraphic Intellifont scalable typefaces
- Includes CG Times, CG Triumvirate and LetterGothic typefaces
- Supports scaling of bitmap fonts
- Better control of font rendering for Desktop Publishing applications
AREXX PROGRAMMING:
- Includes ARexx, a powerful inter-process communication language
- Can be used to control applications which support ARexx
- Allows the integration of different applications that support ARexx into
a single environment
- Ability to launch applications from within other applications
USER INTERFACE:
- Professional three-dimensional look
- Improved ease of use and consistency
- Extensively configurable through Preferences Editors
- Standard file and font requesters
- Supports scrolling screens larger than the monitor
- Select Locale/Country by clicking on World Map
- Keyboard selection in Input Preferences
WORKBENCH FEATURES:
- All files are accessible from the Workbench
- Files are accessible by name or by icon
- Drag selection of multiple icons
- Includes New Drawer command
- Easier cleanups and positioning of icons
- Icons can be "left out" on the Workbench backdrop for easier access
OTHER FEATURES:
- General purpose installer added with installation activation of Keymaps,
Monitors, Printers and DOS Drivers
- Select keyboard from Preferences Editor
- Printer Drivers for popular printers added
- Spline animations on blanked screens
- Support for European monitors
- Enhanced reliability even under low memory situations
- Faster and more reliable floppy disk access
- Improved Icon Editor
SHELL ENHANCEMENTS:
- AmigaDOS commands are faster, more powerful and require fewer
keystrokes
- New commands handle environment variables and links
- Cut and Paste in shell windows
- Extended wildcard capabilities
- Backtick feature allows embedded commands within commands
- Shell windows have a close gadget
- ARexx scripts can be run directly from the Shell
ECS FEATURES:
Enhanced Chip Set Required
- 640x480 non-interlaced Productivity Mode (requires 31 kHZ-capable
monitor)
- 1280x200 and 1280x400 Super-HiRes Modes
- 800x600 requires Multisync
- New genlock features
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
- Requires any 2.0X ROM-ready Amiga 500, 600, 2000 or 3000 series
computer
- Amiga 2500, A2620 or 2630 requires rev-06 or greater ROMs on the
accelerator card
- ECS features require optional Enhanced Chip Set
- Contact nearest Commodore reseller for details and installation
ORDER INFORMATION:
AS215 AmigaDOS Release 2.1 Software Upgrade includes:
- 6 disks
- 3-manual set
AS216 AmigaDOS Release 2.1 ROM and Software Upgrade includes:
- 2.0X ROM
- 6 disks
- 3-manual set
Contact your Commodore reseller for details. To locate a Commodore
reseller in the U.S., call 1-800-66-AMIGA; in Canada call 1-800-661-
AMIGA.
Amiga 600 Technical Specifications
CPU:
- Motorola (R) 68000, 16/32 bit
- 7.16 Mhz NTSC
- Multi-Chip coprocessor system for DMA, Video, Graphics and Sound
MEMORY:
- Expandable to 2MB Chip RAM
- Maximum RAM expansion 6MB with PCMCIA
SOFTWARE:
- 512KB ROM
- AmigaDOS (TM) Release 2 Multitasking Operating System in ROM
- Workbench 2.X and Utilities software
KEYBOARD:
- Integral 78 Key International
MOUSE:
- Opto-mechanical
- 2-button design
DISK DRIVES:
- Built-in 3.5-inch 880 KB floppy disk
- External 3.5-inch floppy disk
- Internal IDE hard disk drive (optional)
GRAPHIC MODES:
- Color palette of 4096 colors
- Selectable resolutions
- Supports full overscan
VIDEO DISPLAY OUTPUT:
- RGB analog 15 KHz Horizontal Scan Rate
- Color Composite
- RF Modulated
SOUND:
- Four channel stereo sound
DIMENSIONS:
- 14" deep x 9.5" wide x 3" high
WEIGHT:
- Approx. 6 lbs.
POWER REQUIREMENTS:
- Switching power supply 23 watts
INTERFACES:
External:
- Floppy Disk (DB23)
- Mouse/Joystick/Lightpen (2 DB9)
- Serial (RS-232, PC-compatible)
- Parallel (Centronics -- PC-compatible)
- Video RGB analog (DB23 15 KHz)
Color Composite (RCA)
RF Modulator (RCA)
- PCMCIA Card Slot
Internal:
- Internal AT IDE connector
A600 CONFIGURATIONS:
A600 P
- Amiga 600 with Motorola 68000 Processor, internal 3.5" 880K Floppy
Drive, 1 MB RAM
- Integral Keyboard
- Release 2.X Operating System and Utilities
- 2-button Mouse
A600HD
- Amiga 600 with Motorola 68000 Processor, internal 3.5" 880K Floppy
Drive, 1 MB RAM
- Internal 40MB IDE Hard Drive
- Integral Keyboard
- Release 2.X Operating System and Utilities
- 2-button Mouse
Amiga 570 External CD ROM Storage for the Amiga 500
Technical Specifications
FEATURES:
- High Capacity, Read-only CD-ROM
- CDTV Compatibility
- 2MB Fast RAM expansion (internal)
- Rear expansion slot for plug-in cartridges
OPERATING SYSTEM:
- ISO 9660 file system handler
- High-speed decompression for graphics, audio, CD+Graphics and CD
Digital Audio
CD-ROM DRIVE SPECS:
- Data Transfer - Normal : 153 KBytes/sec (Mode 1)
: 171 KBytes/sec (Mode 2)
- Average access time : 0.5s
- Maximum access time : 0.8s
- Soft read error : Less than 1 in 10^9
- Hard read error : Less than 1 in 10^12
- Seek error : Less than 1 in 10^6
- Commands : CD-ROM, CD-Audio, CD+G, CD+MIDI
- Standard supported : ISO-9660
- Data Capacity : 540 MegaBytes (approx.)
- Mechanism : Protective Disk Caddy Type
CD AUDIO SPECS:
- 8x oversampling
- Audio output : External 2.0V p-p, 10K OHM
- Frequency response : 4-20 KHz
- Signal/Noise : -96db
- Channel Separation : -85db
- Harmonic Distortion : 0.02% at 1 KHz
- Maximum audio capacity : about 28 hours - AM quality
- Sample Rates : variable from CD Audio rate (44
KHz)
- Dual 16-bit D/A converter plus 64 levels of attenuation
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Rear Panel:
- Power Supply Connector
- Power Switch
- Amiga Audio In (Left and Right)
- CDTV Audio Out (Left and Right)
Front Panel:
- Stereo Headphone Jack
- Compatibility Switch
- Power-On Pilot LED
- Drive Activity LED
- Disc Loading Slot
Dimensions:
- Approx. 256 x 180 x 68 mm
Weight:
- Approx. 6 pounds
POWER REQUIREMENTS:
- 110 volt/60Hz from external supply
AmigaVision Professional specs
CDTV (R) SUPPORT FEATURES
- Playback of CD-XL Motion Video Files
- Plays CD Digital Audio tracks
- Cursor and Jumping Highlight Modes
- Reads CDTV IR Controller
- Full Support for CDTV Preferences
- Control MIDI out files to MIDI or Amiga
VIDEO CONTROL FEATURES:
- Supports full-motion video
- Supports Genlocks
- On-screen videodisc controller
- Video setup and configuration
- Supports Sony, Pioneer and Phillips laserdisc players, NEC PC-VCR,
Panasonic TQ3032F, Sony Umatic 9 Tape Players
- Supports drivers for custom players
USER INTERFACE:
- Primary Interface(s)
Direct Manipulation of Icons
Requester Boxes
- Presentation in flowchart format
- User input from keyboard, mouse, joystick or touchscreen
- Auto-open and reduced-size icons
GRAPHICS & ANIMATION:
- Combines Text and Graphics on screen
- Uses Amiga standard IFF ILBM files as foreground and background
- Simultaneous playback of Animation and Audio
- 34 Transitions with 4 speeds
17 palette/resolution independent
- Visual Display Elements: Graphics, Text, Animation, Video
SOUND:
- Supports Amiga Stereo Audio
- Supports Amiga standard SMUS files with tempo, dynamics and chord
support
- Digitized sound in standard 8SVX format
- Speech synthesis and text-to-speech conversion
- Pre-loading of audio and streamed-in animation and sound for increased
display and playback speed
- Audio Display Elements: Digitized Sound, Music, Speech Synthesis
DATABASE:
- Integrated into AmigaVision
- dBase III (R) data file compatible
- up to 10 files open simultaneously
- Read and Update functions
- Variable definition and manipulation
- Define data input forms
- String, numeric, data and Boolean operations
VISUAL PROGRAMMING:
- Features:
Flow Control Subroutines
Interrupts AV Engine
Libraries of Events Object Editor
Conditional Statements
- Unlimited Number of Hit Boxes/Buttons per Screen
- Unlimited Text Windows
- Hypertext Browsing
- Runs external programs via ARexx
- Chaining of programs
- Selectable memory constraints
- Create runtime modules
- Relocate applications
- Name, Position and Move objects including animation brushes
- Define Paths and Traversal Options
RUNTIME PLAYER:
- Includes freely distributable Runtime Player
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum Delivery System: Amiga computer with 2 MB RAM
- Suggested Development System: Amiga Computer with Hard Drive and 4
MB RAM
- Runtime Player Requires approx. 270KB, 1 MB RAM recommended
AMIGAVISION PROFESSIONAL (PN: AS251) INCLUDES:
- Program Disk
- Install Disk with printer and video drivers
- Demo Disk with Guided Tour booklet
- Examples Disk
- User's Guide
- Runtime Player
- Requires AmigaDOS (TM) 1.3 or higher
The configurations and prices of the systems discussed in the previous
six releases are for the U.S.A. only. Configurations and prices will
vary in other countries.
--------------------
THE FUTURE OF THE AMIGA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the seminars at the recent WOA show in Pasadena was "The Future of the
Amiga", given by Lewis Ebechbert (sp?). It was recapped on CompuServe by Vic
W. of Metadigm in a conference during the weekend. Here is a summary of that
summary: :-)
1) Commodore is re-doing their chip design tools to conform to the industry
regular 'foundries'...e.g., there are HP chips in the A4000 which were
designed by Commodore.
2) CBM is moving to a CMOS design so that it will be possible, sometime in
the future, to build an Amiga laptop.
3) CBM is working on reducing the total number of special chips to four
(total transistors from between 750,000 and 1,000,000). At this point they
will be able to sport things like a 1k x 1k video resolution using dual-
ported VRAM; 100 MHz 16-bit sound (both in and out) using demand DMA;
24-bit color modes; true bit level blitting (as opposed to the current word
level blitting); SCSI-2; pixel clocks upto 114 Mhz; on-board, high-speed
serial; etc. [Dual-ported VRAM means that add more RAM and get more
resolution.]
4) AmigaDOS 4.0 will have retargetable graphics (CBM was looking for
developers to volunteer for a 'spec' committee). ADOS 4.0 will also have
"full PostScript capability".
5) No exact time frames were given, but Lewis said "more products would be
announced in the next 6 months than anyone would believe"
6) AmigaDOS 3.1 will have network extensions, printer/file sharing and
support the DSP (see item #7).
7) A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) upgrade for the A4000 next spring. This
will be in the form of a CPU board replacement. Since the 68040 is on it's
own daughter board, you can replace it without messing with the motherboard.
The DSP will supposedly reside on this board with the CPU.
8) AmigaDOS 3.0 can double-buffer intuition screens and can swap buffers at
a speed of more than 2000 per second.
9) A tower version of the A4000 is being worked on.
10) Zorro III, SCSI-2 before Christmas; possibly migrating to the motherboard
at a future date.
11) Commodore stated that they will be putting the AGA chipset in the entire
product line inthe future. This seems to include the A600 and CDTV. [Note
that this makes HAM-E, DCTV and Colorburst totally obsolete.]
[Commodore is doing an awful lot of talking. For a company that, for the
last year, has done a fair imitation of a clam, this is a hell of a lot of
information on "future" products. Changing the chips to a CMOS design not
only brings the possibility of an Amiga laptop to light, but it would also
help curb reoccurances of the A500/A3000 (under)power-supply burnout
syndrome.
By announcing a DSP upgrade for the A4000, Commodore is addressing concerns
over upgrades to the Amiga's sound capabilites (which hasn't changed one iota
since 1985 and the A1000). It also answers the questions that arose earlier
this year when it was reported CBM had negotiated with a major manufacturer
for rights to use their DSP (Motorola?, AT&T?...I forget).
Retargetable graphics, and what looks like Display PostScript (ala NeXT)
would justify bumping AmigaDOS version numbers. The A4000 (with a 68040 and
custom chips) should be more than able to handle Display PostScript quick
enough (which the early NeXT machines and their 68030s *couldn't*.)
This bodes very well for the Amiga. Now, if Commodore follows through and
*promotes* the new AGA and Amiga 4000, they could be in a *very* good
position as a "major player" in the computing industry.]
--------------------
OTHER NOTES
~~~~~~~~~~~
While I haven't gotten any first-hand reports on AmigaVision Professional,
the second-hand reports have all been glowing.
AVPro now sports a FREELY-REDISTRIBUTABLE runtime player that consumes only
270K of RAM!
Beefed up device support now includes CDXL, the CD-ROM animation routines for
CDTV. Commodore is pushing AVPro as a development and delivery method for
CDTV.
Speaking of CDTV, Commodore is pushing it as the CD-ROM drive for A2000,
A3000 and A4000 machines. Current Amiga owners can get a CDTV unit; parnet
and a cable for $599. I've had unconfirmed reports of free CDTV's being
given away with new A3000s, but again, that is unconfirmed.
The A570 is Commodore's CD-ROM solution for the A500. List price is $599 and
that includes not only the drive, but installation, some chip changes and an
upgrade to 1 Mb of chip RAM. No mention was made of the A670.
Commodore is supposedly having a contest. "I use the Amiga because..."
Finish it in 25 words or less. First prize is an A4000. More details as I
get them.
To all developers, NDAs on the A600, A4000, AmigaVision Pro, AmigaDOS 2.1 &
3.0, AA and the A570 are lifted. NOTHING ELSE, and this means the Denver
Devcon info and notes are still NDA!
The only (supposed) difference between AmigaDOS 2.1 and 3.0 is that 3.0 takes
advantage of AGA. AmigaDOS 2.1 is for ECS machines (A500, A600, A2xxx and
A3000). AmigaDOS 3.0 is for A4000s only.
The difference between Commodore's 1950 and 1960 monitors is this:
A1950: 800 x 600 resolution @ .31 dot pitch
A1960: 1024 x 768 resolution @ .28 dot pitch
--------------------
DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
The A4000 is a box that measures 15 x 15 1/4 x 5 inches. This is a bit
larger than an A3000. The color is the same "platinum" as the A600 --
brighter than the A3000.
Five drive bays include two externally-accessable 3 1/2" and one external 5
1/4" as well as 2 internal 3 1/2". One of the 3 1/2" external is taken up by
the built-in floppy drive, and I assume the hard drive occupies one of the
internal bays.
Leonard Poma's (Consultron) CrossDOS is now a part of AmigaDOS (2.1 and 3.0)
so the new machines can read/write DOS format disks.
Deinterlacing is done in software/firmware so there is only one RGB-out port
on the back of the machine. I believe the deinterlacer on/off switch is
gone, too. Obviously the external SCSI port is gone.
RAM is now back to SIMM modules, and you don't have to completely disassemble
the machine to get to it (like the A3000). Chip RAM, while still limited to
2 Mb, is fully 32-bit wide, now. The DMA bandwidth is over 4x that of an
A2000 and over 2x an A3000 which allows for super-fast animation at even the
highest of resolutions.
The CPU is on a removable daughterboard, making for simpler replacement and
upgrade.
The list price is $3,699 and a few dealers are already reported to have set
retail price at under $3,000. That is *far* below the introductory price of
the A3000.
Oh, yes. THE NEWTEK VIDEO TOASTER HAS AS MUCH CHANCE OF FITTING IN THE A4000
AS IT DOES IN THE A3000! (In other words, not without a hack.) Besides, the
video slot has been "enhanced". I don't know if it is compatible with the
older A2000/A3000 video slot. Yes, it is still inline with a Zorro III slot.
GRAPHICS
~~~~~~~~
The new AGA chipset supports all of the old and ECS resolutions as well as
adding one of it's own. The major advantage is that AGA really expanded
color support for all resolutions.
All resolutions can display Extra Half Brite and HAM. All resolutions can
display
*true* 6, 7 and 8 bit color (64, 128 and 256 colors) as well as 8-bit HAM
(256,000+ colors). All this from a palette of 16.7 million (24-bit) colors!
This all includes VGA resolutions of 160, 320 and 640 x 480 (non-interlaced)
as well as an 800 x 600 resolution (which requires multisync monitor).
Yes, folks. This means that we can now do *true* VGA and *true* Extended-VGA
(800 x 600), but not quite Super VGA (1024 x 768). No more PC-game writers
whining about having to use 16-colors only or EHB for Amiga games.
There was a demonstration of the new graphics in the way of a HAM-8, Super
Hires (1200 x 480) picture that was supposedly *awesome*.
The new HAM-8 gives you 64-base registers to work with, and since it can be
used in the higher resolutions, fringing will most likely occur only when you
want it to (sort of like Jim Hendrix using feedback on purpose in a concert).
The new AGA chips set *IS NOT* available for current machines. It is not
plug compatible with the A3000 or ECS chips.
Sprites are now changable. They can be the same resolution as the screen,
including interlaced. They can be a maximum of 64 pixels wide. (Hires,
interlace sprites & pointer!)
SOUND
~~~~~
Sound is the same. Nothing has changed. Except....Commodore has said they
will have a 16-bit DSP upgrade for the A4000 by spring of 1993. This allows
for 100% hardware compatibility with existing software as well as some
professional quality sound for those who need it.
DRIVES
~~~~~~
The floppy drives are the new high-density, 1.76 Mb drives. Using CrossDOS
(now supplied with AmigaDOS, like ARexx) you can read/write MS-DOS formatted
720k and
1.44m disks. I suppose it would work with 5 1/4" disks, too.
IDE has replaced SCSI as the hard-drive controller on the motherboard. This
has gernerated the most heat for Commodore, by far. Why replace SCSI (DMA,
7 device support, non-hard drive support) with IDE (non-DMA, 2 device, hard-
drive only)?
Blame has been placed on Bruce Syndes, ex-VP in Charge of Engineering for
Commodore...the same man responsible for the IBM PCjr and the IBM "chicklet"
keyboard. Still, he is only one man, and VP or not, I doubt his will was the
only reason for the change.
There is no doubt that IDE is inferior to SCSI. IDE is not DMA-able, which
means that the CPU has to do all the work. This shouldn't be any real
problem on a machine that uses a 25 MHz 68040 (it will be more noticable on
the A600HD) *unless* you are doing some realtime video work or intensive
multimedia. Then IDE will prohibit realtime video-from-hard drive transfers.
So why?
1) IDE is smaller and cheaper. An IDE controller and supporting hardware
take up much less space on a motherboard than a SCSI one. IDE hard drives
seem to average between $5 and $10 (retail) cheaper [I got that figure by
going through a couple of issues of Computer Shopper and comparing prices on
similar/same drives]. This may mean only pennies per drive to Commodore, but
when you are talking 500,000 to 750,000 drive per year, it adds up.
Reportedly, IDE controllers are costing CBM about $1 each in quantity,
whereas SCSI controllers were costing around $15 each. This can mean
anywhere between $50 and $200 price increase to OEMs and $100 - $500 retail
increase.
2) SCSI doesn't cut it, either. Yes, you read that right. On a machine like
the A4000, with the data transfer rates of the Zorro III bus, SCSI is an
insult. Commodore has announced a Zorro III, SCSI-2 board to be shipping
BEFORE CHRISTMAS (this year, ha ha). SCSI-2 is *fast*. SCSI-2 on a 32-bit
bus like Zorro III will *scream*. Commodore didn't anticipate having SCSI-2
ready by the time the A4000 was ready, so it is possible they chose the
simple, cheap IDE instead. SCSI-2 is going to be a dream come true for
people who want realtime data transfer rates.
So use the included 120 Mb, IDE hard drive for a system drive, where time
critical data and programs aren't. Plug in Commodore's SCSI-2 card and go to
town on time sensative data. Can't wait for the SCSI-2 and need to use all
them SCSI peripherals now? Buy an A2091 card. They are currently selling
for about $100 and I've seen them as low as $75. A drop in the bucket
considering you'll be paying $3,000 for the computer and $600+ for a monitor.
Considering the cost of adding SCSI-1 to the motherboard probably would have
risen the price of the A4000 *higher* than the extra $100 for an A2091,
you're getting a controller (IDE) for free.
SOFTWARE
~~~~~~~~
The graphics modes on AGA are added late in the boot sequence. It is
possible for a program to boot using the ECS modes only.
Well behaved programs should work fine. Compatibility is high, but poorly
written programs, particularly games, will have problems. (Who buys a 68040
based machine with 6 Mb of RAM for *games*???)
WHEN?
~~~~~
Okay, when are all these neat toys actually shipping?
The A600 and AmigaVision Pro are *now*. The A4000, AmigaDOS 2.1 & 3.0, A570
are shipping in limited quantities this week, and in full before October 1
(1992)!
Again, the list prices are:
A600 ..... $ 399
A600HD ... $ 599
A570 ..... $ 599
A4000 .... $3,699
CDTV ..... $ 599 (supposedly free with a new A3000)
THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GigaMem/Innovtronics:
GigaMem virtual memory enhancement system allows your Amiga to utilize its
unused hard drive space as RAM with no additional hardware. This powerful
utility (commodity) allows you to run RAM-hungry programs such as Art Dept.
PRO, DPaint, CanDO, Audiomaster, and Pagestream without running out of
memory. While fully accessible at any time, its unique features are
completely transparent to system software and all sbseqent programs. GigaMEM
works on all Amiga 020/030 based platforms wih MMUs operating under KS2.04 or
higher, ensuring future software compatiblility. If you are in the need of
more RAM but don't need the high price RAM chips, GigaMem provides an
efficient and cost-effective way to expand your machine's memory.
Features Include:
A fully Multi-tasking Environment
Transparent Operation
Seamless integration with system software
Utilize all avaiable Amiga format partitions as contiguous memory.
100% assembly language
Powerful customization tools to suit your specific needs
Utilizes special disk cacheing routines making it significantly faster than
conventional virtual memory system.
Easy to install with automatic installation software provided.
Intro price was $149.95
Call 800 875-8499, INOVAtronics
----------
[The following two paragraphs were written by Rico D. Walker and posted on
CompuServe.]
Softlogik:
Art Expression - Due to be release in two months.
Hotlinks 1.1 - An Update to 1.0. More features in Hotlinks and also BME
is now upgraded to 1.1. This will include a Bitmap tracing
program and save it to DR2D format. Art Expression will not be
Hotlinkable until the next upgrade in PageStream. Also
PageStream has a patch to 2.21. Look for it on CompuServe or
Softlogik bulletin board. Upgrade to Hotlinks 1.1 will be $35
look for infomation in the mail from Softlogik.
----------
Digital Micronics, Inc.:
Digital EditMaster - Uses full-motion JPEG Technology to capture real-time
30 fps Video. Although they do not have a software interface for
the board, they were using to boards to show Terminator 2. One
board was compressing (5-10:1 - 80-90:1) and the other board was
decompressing in real-time. The output was then sent to a big
screen television. Possible outputs are NTSC, PAL, and SVHS.
Real-time compression to a harddrive is possible if you have a
fast enough drive and big enough. 30:1 compression and one
gigabyte drive will hold about 30 minutes of video. This board
is also fully intergrated with the SunRize Industries sound boards
using SMPTE time code for simultaneous digitizing and editing of
both the audio and video track. Suggested List Price: $2495.00
----------
Black Belt Systems was showing an AGA version of ImageMaster at the WOA that,
I'm told, really blew some minds. (Neither ASDG's Morph Plus or GVP's
morphing product were anywhere to be seen, except on video tape.)
----------
New Horizons ProWrite supports AGA, AmigaDOS 2.1 and 3.0, as well as
SoftLogick's Hotlinks. (Commodore was annoyed that New Horizons blabbed a
week early on AGA and 3.0!)
----------
Sunrize was showing their 16 bit soundboard, which was a lot more
interesting when coupled with the second board that they were showing
that had digital I/O. (price for the accessory board not set as yet.)
There will be no 1016 board from SunRize. The combination of the 516 and the
accessory digital I/O board is the substitute.
----------
SCALA, Inc:
SCALA comes with 15 different typeface families, 40 predefined palletes,
and 60 backgrounds by professional designers. An art library consists of
80 symbols and there are 80 different transitions (wipes). MM200 contains
support for sound playback (8SVX, SMUS, Soundtracker) and a sound recorder
(works with most hardware, not supplied). At the demo, they said you
could play anims directly from disk, rather than requiring they be in
memory all at once. I thought the professionally done artwork could set
it apart from similar products and, as they stated (at the demo), free the
user up to focus on the content of their presentation.
The Shuffler shows miniatures of the slides in your presentation, from 6
to 112 pages at a time. The brochure boasts a configurable main menu,
faster loading of pictures/anims, buttons, and SCALA EX for external
program modules. Included are modules to support laserdisk, still video,
MIDI, CDTV, and ECS Denise Genlock. They said more are available for
Impact Vision 24, Opal Vision, V-LAN and VCR's (I presume at additional
cost).
Scripts can be written in their LINGUA language for more sophisticated
applications, and AnimLab provides the advanced animation support. The
package includes 350 page manual and 8 disks. At the show, Creative
Computers put their price for MM200 around $300.
----------
GVP, Inc.:
G - L O C K
Description:
GVP's new low-cost genlock, called "G-Lock", is a highly intergrated, very
flexible external genlock that can be used with all Amiga models in both
NTSC and PAL video standards, as well as SECAM conversion. The G-Lock
offers a video and audio solution to the video ebthusiast or producer.
Required Hardware and Software
The G-Lock works with any Amiga with 512K Chip Memory (1MB recommended),
Amiga-Dos 1.3 or greater (2.0 recomended).
Features:
- Software control panel (Intuition based) with full AREXX and CLI
interfaces.
- Multiple audio and video Setup memory locations.
- Audio Processor with two audio inputs (software switchable or mixable)
with software control of Volume, Bass and Treble.
- Two composite video inputs (software switchable) or one Y/C (S-Video)
input.
- Simultaneous composite, Y/C (S-Video). and RGB output - Transcoder
ability
- RGB output can be software switched to provide YUV (M-II/BetaCam)
output.
- Video Processor (Proc Amp) provides real-time software control of video
attributes such as brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, sharpness,
filtering, gain, etc.
- Special color filter circuit for special effects.
- Can convert most SECAM video sources into PAL video (VCR quality).
European users.
- Keyer modes include Amiga only, External Video only, Overlay, and
Inverse Overlay modes PLUS control of Amiga ECS/IAA special effects.
- Operates as a software controlled and adjustable electronic RGB splitter
for direct operation with the NewTek Digi-View or other slow-scan video
digitizer. AREXX scripts included.
- Works with the Display Enhancer, Flicker-Fixer, FlickerFreeVideo boards
for simultaneous genlocked video and de-interlaced Amiga graphics output.-
Transition controls using AREXX (example AmigaVision flow and AREXX
scripts included).
Release Date - Unknown
====================
PREDICTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~
1) I expect to see a "high-end" AGA machine out in 1993, probably a tower
version of the A4000 but with SCSI-2 and the DSP.
2) I also expect to see a "low-end" machine, probably the replacement for the
A2000, but based off of a Motorola 68030/881.
3) I don't know when it will happen, but I expect to see an AGA version of
the A600 as well as the A3000. I think old Amiga and ECS is history.
4) When #3 happens, expect to see a trade-in program aimed at current A500,
A2000, A3000 and those last hold-out A1000 owners. Commodore will want to
get as many AGA machines on the streets as possible.
5) Expect a "Power-Up" program, similar to the A3000 version. This will
probably happen after Christmas, though it may go slightly before the
holidays. I doubt it, though. Commodore's holidays are going to be
concentrating on selling as many A600s as they can produce.
6) Expect an A600 promotion before Christmas. I expect to see the list price
drop at least $50 on the floppy-version and probably $100 on the HD version.
I am not alone in predicting #1 and #2. A number of people, including some
developers, are expecting the same. Commodore has said that they are
"working" on a tower model and there are rumors of an A3000+ going around.
Prediction #3 has already been stated by Commodore (really playing it safe,
aren't I?) :-)
Numbers 4 and 5 are based off of Commodore's previous trade-in programs.
They've had a couple and I expect to see more.
Number 6 is logical. Price always drops on stuff after it's release
(exception: New Tek Video Toaster) and Christmas makes the most sense. The
A600 is a consumer item and the end-of-year holidays are numero uno for those
items.
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AMReport International Online Magazine
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""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
AMReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" September 14, 1992
32bit Magazine copyright 1992 Expo Special #3
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