SoundTrack: FAST SONG BY RLA/CRG
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(C) Andreev Andrey/Lone Wolf
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AMIGA vs PC
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Before presenting the main point, I want to explain right away what place PC occupies in my life. I work professionally on it. I am engaged in network administration and training personnel at one of the factories in our city. In addition, I work for a private company supplying and setting up personal computers and their peripherals. I know what a PC is not by hearsay. I have quite broad access, one might say unlimited, to many PC models: from the old 486DX/66 to Pentium-II/233 MHz, including models such as P133; P150; P166 MMX. All models have 16Mb of memory except for P-II (which has 64Mb). Each machine is equipped with a CD-ROM drive (from 16x to 24x), and a sound card from CREATIVE (for P-II - SB64 AWE). I assembled all these models myself from the best components (ASUS-T motherboards, MAXTOR and FUJITSU hard drives ranging from 2.1 Gb to 4.3 Gb, VIEWSONIC monitors 14", 15", 17"). As a result, the high price of these PC models.
The most pleasant models to communicate with are P166 MMX and P-II. These are truly "fat" models at a real price: P166 MMX - 8500 rubles, P-II - 17800 rubles. That's how much a truly good PC costs. Welcome, buy! For my work, I use ONLY LICENSED SOFTWARE. This is not so much out of respect for copyright, but rather out of a desire to avoid troubles with the tax police and protect myself from "cracked," often non-working copies. Of course, licensed programs cost quite a bit. The price of at least a somewhat decent game, for example, BLOOD 3D (Russian version), is about 240 rubles. I have had to buy programs costing up to $3000.
As you can see, I use only the best. And what do I get in return, what does such a powerful Pentium-II/233 MHz machine give me??? Nothing!!! Having laid out about 18000 rubles for it, I received the desired acceleration compared to P166 MMX only in a few programs: Photoshop began to move, winWORD hung less due to lack of memory, Norton Commander and the RAR archiver worked pleasantly quickly, and almost all games, except for TOMB RAIDER (which lagged on P133 and P166 MMX, and still does not work properly on P-II), gained speed. That's all the improvements!
Now I have a question. Is it worth buying a Pentium-II??? For a simple mortal, upgrading an old P166 MMX, which just a year ago was considered the height of coolness, will cost $930 ($600 for the "stone," i.e., the processor, and $330 for a new motherboard). Considering that some companies take old components and pay you compensation, the cost of the upgrade will be - $750-800! So is it worth chasing after PC coolness in the hope that one day you will have a perfect computer with an iNTEL processor on your desk?
A careful reader might object: "But what about Pentium-II - it's a super modern technology!" Yes, indeed, it is cutting-edge technology... for iNTEL! An even more attentive reader, who can read not only the advertising brochures from iNTEL but also other useful books, such as a microprocessor reference guide, might involuntarily express outrage towards the aforementioned company and exclaim: "Plagiarism!" And he would be right. The idea of a dual address and data bus, as well as cache memory on the processor, belongs to Motorola. As an example, I can cite the 68040 processor. The element of novelty for iNTEL lies in increasing this CACHE to 512Kb and the clock frequency to 233-300 MHz.
And finally, why have I so long and painstakingly described PC? Yes, now let's move on to AMIGA. Amiga occupies a far from insignificant place in my life. When you come home from work, tired from the futile struggle with WinWord, PhotoShop, NetWare, and the Galaxy, you want at least a little variety. That's when I turn on the Amiga. And it is like balm for the soul of a programmer and user. I will not list all the conveniences of Amiga - many have already written about this repeatedly; instead, I will tell how I tried to "catch" the Amiga, to find serious flaws in it (except for the price).
A friend of mine from Yekaterinburg mentioned in one of our phone conversations that he had a A1200 with a PowerPC 175 MHz accelerator at home. This hit me like a cold shower. I quickly organized a business trip to that city. And the next day at 16:00, I was already knocking on a big iron door. After some time, I was sitting in front of his new acquisition. At first glance - nothing special, Amiga as Amiga: standard A1200, external 16x-speed CD-ROM, sVGA ViewSonic-14" monitor connected via Scandoubler. However, I was a bit wary of the powerful power supply - "Goliath."
To let me feel the computer, Alexander (that's my friend's name) left me alone with his "girlfriend" and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Without hesitating for a second, I turned on the Ammy. The standard hard disk test occurred, and the system began to boot. More precisely, it loaded immediately 15 seconds after the HDD test finished! (Windows 95 is far from that!) Before my eyes appeared the updated Workbench'NG with very beautiful icons, a balanced color palette, an amazing background picture, and completely in Russian with a resolution of 1280 x 512 in 256 colors. This was the first shock. I was used to my Workbench-3.1, to the graphic mode of 640x256. (At home, I have a simple domestic monitor "Electronika 202"). I was pleasantly surprised by the fast-RAM indicator: I had 64 Mb of memory at my disposal! Armed with a mouse, which vaguely resembles a Microsoft mouse, I began to search for "glitches" in the system and non-working programs. I couldn't find the first one, as Workbench'NG recognizes PowerPC and uses special procedures designed for this "stone," which significantly increases the speed of various operations. In the Games directory, I found the old good GLOOM Deluxe. Burning with impatience, I launched setup, setting the screen resolution to 1280x512. My home accelerator with 68030 could not handle such a perversion, and normal movement was achieved in that graphic mode at a detail level of 4x4. Anticipating that I would now find a "flaw," I set the detail level to 1x1 and launched GLOOM. And what do you think happened? The game obediently began its duties, allowing the player, i.e., me, to enjoy fast screen rebuilding and high image quality. This was the second shock! On P-II, I could not squeeze more resolution than 800x600, and the movement speed significantly dropped with the standard ATI Change3D graphic accelerator. The joy of good and fast operation was provided by the Matrox Millenium board, which I borrowed to "check" the program, as even our company cannot afford to buy a video card for 527 bucks. Anticipating another supposed "glitch," I launched GLOOM Deluxe in a window with a resolution of 320x256, occupying a quarter of the 1280x512 screen. And again, there were no problems. The game worked without any difficulties while simultaneously performing another task - generating an image in REAL 3D. I got great pleasure loading ALIEN BREED 3D II. On my Amiga 68030 with 16Mb fast-RAM, this game worked without stuttering at a detail level of 1x1 only in a small quarter-screen window. On the AMMY with PowerPC, it literally flew in full-screen mode! And then I found an old game, written for A600 with a 68000 processor, Lemmings. The game did not start, causing a system restart of the computer. By the way, at that moment, there was a music CD in the CD-ROM that did not stop playing even during the reboot! This trick only works on Amiga when the first wire is cut, initializing the device during a hot start. Unfortunately, the ribbon cable modified in this way is not very suitable for two HDDs when there is a need to rewrite data from one hard drive to another. For this reason, I have not yet recorded Workbench'NG for myself. After the euphoria caused by the widespread loading and launching of any new programs designed for the 68030 processor and above, I fell into almost a depression. But then Alexander entered the room. Assessing my problems, he sighed heavily, turned off the computer with a simple click of the power button, without waiting for the long-awaited message: "Now you can turn off the computer." (On PC, this waiting has already annoyed me. I had to wait up to 10 minutes for P166 MMX to finally perform "preparation for shutting down the computer!"). Then he turned the computer over - it turns out he did not have a hatch for installing the accelerator - and removed one of the three jumpers. (The first two are used to determine the type of EDO memory or not and to copy Kickstart into RAM.) He turned the computer on again. Amiga did not give the message "disk error, start scandisk," it booted again with the same speed as the first time, but now it did not detect either PowerPC or 64Mb of memory. Before me stood the most ordinary A1200 with HDD. Lemmings loaded without any problems! Unfortunately, I did not have time to test the emulators for PC and MAC (time was pressing, and it was time to go home) - I left those for next time. But I’m sure they won't disappoint me. After all, Amiga with a 68040 processor fully emulates Quadra-900, allowing any Macintosh programs to run, and they, especially games, can be found in large quantities without much effort. I will return to the software issue for Amiga later.
And why have I elaborated on all this in such detail? I wanted to show how pleasant it is to work on Amiga with a PowerPC accelerator. I was most pleased with the cost of the accelerator, only $500. As you can see, Amiga can be described not only in the form of "Groundless rulez," but also with facts. Let's talk about rulez. Why has this word become so "overused"? Now some individuals have started to use it disdainfully to mock the AMIGA platform. But with equal success, it can be applied to PC. For example, the magazine "Computer Press" publishes its offspring titled "Microsoft Solutions." Any translator, even a machine one, would translate this title back into English as "Microsoft Rules." So don't think that this word is a privilege of Amiga only.
How to get software for Ammy. If you do not need the services of a professional provider, that is, do not want to pay, then software can be downloaded through friends by mail, and there is no guarantee that you will get what you wanted. Why are there no providers in every city? Because there are no Amiga users in those cities. As soon as they appear, there will immediately be people who can provide you with software for every taste if you are willing to pay for their services. You will receive not only a good software product but also high-quality service. Such trading firms do not ask for much for their work, yet they bring the software right to your home, or you can go to the store and choose what you need. It has already been proven - money can be made on Amigas. Those who realized this are already receiving decent returns on their investments. The lack of strong competition until recently is the result of high prices for Amigas. In conclusion, as an example, I will give the price of a CD with software for Ammy: 50-75 rubles. You pay such money and receive up to 700 programs on one CD. This is a worthy investment of money! For comparison, a cheap PC CD with pirated products costs about 40 rubles, and no more than 100 programs are recorded on it. Calculate what is more profitable.
With this, I conclude my narration about the two platforms. For me, the choice has long been made, back in December 1996. Now the choice is yours...
IBM and others: AVC, DVI
IBM PC computers in their "natural" form are the least adapted for multimedia purposes - the worst (until the advent of SuperVGA) graphic capabilities, primitive monophonic sound, only 640K of directly addressable memory (not even enough to hold one frame of digitized video), and a lack of a convenient user interface. However, thanks to high modularity and scalability of the architecture, an IBM computer can easily be transformed into a specialized station of any orientation by installing additional cards.
The IBM multimedia market began to develop back in 1986, announcing the InfoWindow system, which allows the computer to control analog audio and video devices; a touch screen was used as a dialogue device in InfoWindow.
Another direction of multimedia development supported by IBM is AVC - Audio-Visual Connection, which the company announced in 1989. The system is mainly oriented towards the higher computers of the PS/2 family, with a 386 or 486 processor and at least 2.5M RAM. Graphic images can be obtained using the Video Capture Adapter card. It digitizes individual frames from a video camera, video disk, or video tape, providing a resolution of 640x480 with 16 bits per pixel, and can also display "live" analog video on the screen or combine it with computer images. By mid-1990, the maximum speed of digitized frames was only 3 frames/sec for full-color frames (each sized 614K); however, since VGA can only operate in 4 and 8 bits per pixel modes, the image can be converted and the amount of data reduced.
Audio accompaniment is provided by an additional Audio Capture/Playback Adapter card, built on the basis of the TI 320C25 signal processor with a performance of about 10 Mips, which allows the digitization of data from the line output of various audio devices, editing them, and playing back with very high quality (including stereo).
Recently, IBM's strategy has increasingly shifted towards digital multimedia systems. This is primarily due to successes in developing the DVI (Digital Video Interactive) line, which is being jointly pursued by Intel and IBM. The DVI system was developed by RCA (Sarnoff Research Center) and General Electric; then Intel acquired the rights to DVI technology. Initially, the DVI platform was based on an asymmetric scheme oriented towards CD-ROM. At the end of 1990, the first commercial DVI hardware products were released - two Action Media 750 cards (one by IBM for the Micro Channel architecture, and one by Intel for the ISA architecture).
The core of the DVI cards is a set of video processing chips i750 from Intel. These chips perform real-time compression/decompression of video and audio files during recording or reading from the disk. The main chips in the set are: Pixel Processor 82750PA, operating at a speed of 12.5 Mips, and Output Display Processor (ODP) 82750DA. ODP is capable of reproducing digital video in a resolution range from 256x200 to 1024x512, with 8, 9, or 16 bits per pixel (a version with 24 bits is currently being developed). Additionally, i750 provides various video effects due to the ability to reprogram the microcodes of the chips without interrupting or slowing down operations. The DVI card contains a library of video effects functions, transformations, etc., which can be accessed from programs written in C.
DVI combines television and computer technology, allowing a computer equipped with VGA to reproduce full-motion video. The digital output from Action Media is mixed with the analog output from VGA; the DVI window can be placed anywhere on the screen, compressed, stretched, and moved; text and graphics generated by the computer can be placed in this window or layered over it. According to Intel's estimates, when storing moving video, the compression ratio reaches almost 160 to 1. Thanks to this, a standard compact disc can hold 72 minutes of video and stereo audio data (without compression, it would hold only 28 seconds); the average size of a compressed frame is about 4.5K, and even at a data transfer rate of 150K/sec, the CD-ROM can read 30 frames per second. When storing sets of still images (pictures, photographs), the compression ratio drops to 25 to 1. Since DVI is a digital system, it can, in principle, be adjusted to any resolution, allowing for the creation of DVI systems for HDTV - high-definition television (resolution of 1050 or 1125 lines) and for movies (resolution of about 4000 lines).
Currently, DVI provides "near-VCR" quality (resolution of 240 lines) for products made on Action Media (they are called RTV - Real Time Video). However, prepared data can be sent to Intel, where they will be compressed using the asymmetric PLV (Production Level Video) scheme; when playing back PLV data, Action Media provides VCR quality. By 1992, it is expected to achieve quality above TV broadcasting but below HDTV for PLV products and "almost-TV" quality for RTV.
DVI was the first technology that allowed for full multimedia use not only of factory-produced optical discs but also of the hard drive present in any computer, significantly expanding the circle of multimedia developers and users.
Microsoft, although involved as a co-executor in various multimedia projects (DVI, CD-ROM-XA, etc.), holds annual CD-ROM conferences and is clearly lagging behind in announcing its own line and releasing its own product. Only at the end of 1991 does it plan to release a multimedia extension for Windows, including the MCI-Media Control Interface, which, judging by the announced properties, will represent Microsoft's response to Apple's AMCA (Apple's Media Control Architecture). As a result, companies leading in the development of multimedia tools and products for IBM line computers are forced to act with an eye on possible future moves by Microsoft, so as not to find themselves off the "main road" after Microsoft finally announces its multimedia plans. This Microsoft policy is nothing new - let's recall the long-suffering history of the Windows system, which only last year, in version 3.0, provided users with a service that Macintosh had from birth, from version to version of DOS, promising multitasking.
And in conclusion
Well, dear readers, I believe it is time to summarize all the material presented above. I really hope that this article has sparked your interest, although it essentially is a reprint...
So, there is clearly a multimedia boom in the world. At such a pace of development, when new directions arise, and others, which seemed very promising, suddenly become uncompetitive, it is difficult
Contents of the publication: Deja Vu #05
- Аперативчик - Max
Detailed instructions on managing the DEJA VU interface, highlighting different input methods and navigation commands. Explanation of the new and old interfaces for enhanced user experience. Discussion on additional features like frame scrolling and music management.
- Аперативчик - Max
Discussion on supporting machines with more than 128k memory, leading to separate shells for 128k and 256k systems. Testing was mainly done on Scorpion and Profi, with functionality on other models anticipated. Article includes guidance on unpacking source files and insights on using improved algorithms.
- Тема - M.M.A
This article explores the theory behind digitizing sound on ZX Spectrum, focusing on sampling and quantization processes. It provides practical insights into converting sound files using specific hardware and software. Additionally, it offers methods to enhance sound quality while working within the hardware limitations.
- Theme
The article discusses the Save Our Scene initiative aimed at uniting Spectrum users and developers to promote software distribution and enhance the scene's development.
- Charter of the Amazing Soft Making Association
Discussion of the founding charter of the Amazing Soft Making association, detailing its goals, membership criteria, and operational principles.
- Theory of Magazine Creation
The article provides a detailed guide for aspiring magazine creators, focusing on technical aspects such as interface design, memory management, text formatting, and music integration for ZX Spectrum publications.
- Solder Drop
The article provides a personal account of purchasing and using the General Sound device for ZX Spectrum, detailing installation and sound performance. It discusses the initial issues encountered and praises the enhanced audio experience in compatible games. The author encourages further software adaptation for the device and reflects on multimedia capabilities with simultaneous hardware use.
- Solder Drop
The article discusses the capabilities of Sound Forge 4.0c for professional audio processing on PCs, highlighting its extensive features such as sound editing, effects, and restoration tools.
- SOFTWARE
The article reviews the latest software developments for the ZX Spectrum from Samara, including updates to MAXSOFT SCREEN PACKER, File Commander, and new applications like S-Terminal.
- SOFTWARE - Card!nal
Review and walkthrough of the logical graphic adventure game 'Operation R.R.' with detailed level instructions. Discussion on game elements like music choice and graphic design. Mentions new coder MAX/CYBERAX/BINARY DIMENSION's involvement.
- SOFTWARE
Discussion on the current state and evolution of the demoscene, highlighting the rise of 4K intros and upcoming competitions like FUNTOP'98.
- CODING
Article discusses assembly language coding techniques for optimizing screen scrolling on ZX Spectrum, featuring example code and performance analysis.
- CODING - RLA
The article explores stack manipulation techniques during second type interrupts for graphical effects on ZX Spectrum. It discusses solutions for preserving data integrity when interrupts disrupt graphical operations. Practical examples are provided to handle stack issues efficiently.
- CODING
The article describes the MS-PACK packer and its DEPACKER, detailing usage scenarios and providing BASIC and assembly code examples for handling packed files. It emphasizes optimizing performance by allowing unpacking with interrupts enabled and separating the DEPACKER from packed files. Additionally, it includes insights on programming techniques for loading and executing BASIC files on ZX Spectrum.
- CODING
The article discusses various coding techniques for ZX Spectrum, focusing on sprite rendering, rotation algorithms, and optimization methods to enhance performance.
- ANOTHER WORLD
Discussion on the evolution of multimedia technologies and their impact on various fields, including education and entertainment. It covers advances in computer hardware and software that have facilitated the integration of audio, video, and text. The article reflects on past developments and speculates on the future of multimedia systems.
- ANOTHER WORLD
Comparison of PC and Amiga systems highlighting performance, software costs, and user experience with multimedia capabilities.
- Honor Roll
Interview with PROGRESS discusses their creative journey on ZX Spectrum and AMIGA, addressing challenges in demomaking and the current state of the scene.
- Honor Roll
The article details the activities and future projects of the Eternity Industry team, based in Kovrov, including successful releases and collaborations with other groups.
- Honor Roll
Discussion of the Artcomp'98 festival, focusing on its mail-in format and guidelines for various competitions, including demo, graphics, and music categories.
- Honor Roll
The article provides a glossary of terms used in the demo scene, explaining roles such as musician, coder, and graphician, as well as different types of demos and effects. It serves as a useful resource for understanding the terminology and dynamics of the community. This is a descriptive piece aimed at educating readers about the jargon of the demo scene.
- Honor Roll
The article discusses the issues with mouse support in various ZX Spectrum magazines and the frustrations of users when encountering compatibility problems. It critiques developers for not adhering to standards, leading to poor user experiences. The author expresses the importance of consistent improvements in software for the ZX Spectrum community.
- Honor Board
The article discusses the process of creating tricolor images for ZX Spectrum using Photoshop and a simplified approach. It outlines how to divide an image into RGB channels and convert them for use on the Spectrum. Additionally, it provides tips on how to manage the files for optimal results.
- Honor Roll
The article discusses the comparison and perspectives on various computer systems, particularly emphasizing the strengths of AMIGA over PC and advocating for appreciation of all machines.
- Seven and a Half
Article discusses the humorous absurdities and peculiarities of military training and academia, blending satire with real anecdotes and witty observations.
- Seven and a Half
The article provides a satirical manual on programming methodologies, mocking the rigidity of formal programming practices and advocating for a more creative approach to coding.
- Seven and a Half
Instructions on safe sex practices, including guidelines on eligibility, preparation, and actions during and after the sexual session, along with handling emergency situations.
- Seven and a Half
The article discusses a call for a talented artist in Krasnodar for a ZX Spectrum group, raises concerns about the unethical practices of Scorpion regarding software rights, and critiques a video review of E'97.
- Seven and a Half
The article 'Семь и 1/2' narrates a humorous picnic adventure involving the editorial team of Deja Vu, highlighting their camaraderie and mishaps while preparing a barbecue.
- Trial of the Pen
The article is a humorous take on the fictional adventures of Winnie the Pooh as he interacts with computers and friends, discussing the absurdities of technology and daily life.
- First Pen
The article discusses the new section in Deja Vu dedicated to fantasy and science fiction literature, featuring book reviews and reader participation in content creation.
- Advertisement
The article is an advertisement section from Deja Vu #05, promoting collaborations with designers and musicians for future issues, and offering various software and hardware for ZX Spectrum.
- News
The article announces the launch of a new magazine, AMIGA RULES, focused on the AMIGA computer, addressing the lack of quality Russian-language publications. It aims to provide information on programming, hardware, software, and gaming, while fostering a community among AMIGA enthusiasts. The magazine will include contributions from readers and regular updates on the AMIGA scene.
