From: Roger_Nordin@atb.bbs.bad.se (Roger Nordin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Avoid the Amiga 4000
Date: Fri,  9 Oct 92 18:12:49 +0000
Reply-To: Roger_Nordin@atb.bbs.bad.se (Roger Nordin)
Distribution: world
Organization: ANet Test Bench, Karlstad, Sweden 
OD-Comment-To: Internet_Gateway

> Me and my freinds have a phrase that we use for people like you: "You are
> on BIG DRUGS!".  You're completely clueless.  The A4000 doesnt NEED a
> display enhancer.  The Flicker-Fixer was a HACK!  It was a way of patching
> the system to get around a shortcoming in the original chips, a shortcoming
> that has been FIXED in the AGA chipset.

Not quite. While the AGA chipset does offer flicker-free video via the Double-
NTSC/PAL resolutions, it *requires* applications written specifically with 
support for these modes via the graphics screenmode-database. What about all 
the existing applications (both commercial and freely distributable software) 
that is hardcoded to use Hires with (often optional) Interlace? Those will be 
running interlaced. Flickering. On the A4000, that is. Only the A3000, you 
will get a sharp steady flickerfixed display using the same piece of software. 
Video work can be done with both a flickerfixed 31Khz montior picture and a 
15Khz video/genlocked video signal at the same time.

> I'd say the best feature is the 32 bit CPU bus to chip ram, main ram, and
> the SCSI controler.  Any Amiga can have a flicker-fixer added.

Yes, but that will take up one Zorro III slot in the A4000, as the video slot 
is located in-line with one Zorro III slot. Only three left. And then, you 
probably need that SCSI host adaptor card too. Only two left. What if you have 
three cards already in your A3000, will be pretty hard to upgrade then.

> the A4000 that is inferior compared to the A3000.  Show me ONE MODE that
> the A4000 cannot do that the A3000 can?

The A4000 cannot host a genlock AND a flicker-fixer at the same time, to allow 
you to work with video and still have a flickerfixed monitor picture to work 
with, because although the video slot has improved in the A4000, it is only 
one slot. It cannot host two video slot cards at the same time. Perhaps you 
can find a genlock with builtin flickerfixer...

But the real problem, which Marc is refering to, is that the A4000 cannot 
produce non-interlace hires-interlace resolutions, that the A3000 can, with 
the help of the flicker-fixer. This is a quite important features, considering 
the wast array of applications that use this display mode currently!

> It uses LESS chips (no Amber, or frame-buffer ram needed).

That is a matter of opinion. I think a flicker-fixer for hires-interlace mode 
would be really nice, although I do realise the extra cost of such a device.

> Its not.  You are wrong.  The A4000 is fine.  It does everything the A3000
> does in graphics terms.  Its application software that has a problem.

Sorry, but I disagree. Sure, it would be nice if applications would support 
the displaydatabase and be able to use any screen resolution. But most 
applications does not support this. For instance, I love CygnusEd Pro, but on 
an A4000 it will operate in interlaced mode -- and there is no flickerfixer 
that will convert it to a non-lace display. It would be useless, I'm afraid.

Although I don't agree with Marc in everything he says, I think he was quite 
right this time. For people like me, that wants higher non-lace resolutions 
rather than lots of colours, the A3000 seems to be a better deal. Especially 
as the A3000 prices are dropping steady right now!

                        _       .    __
    Roger Nordin     _ //      /!Net /est Bench
 2:203/602.0@fidonet \X/  Internet: Roger_Nordin@bad.se

--- 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware