From: amuser@cs.curtin.edu.au (Bill Sharp-Smith)
Subject: Re: Amiga and Quicktime
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 04:47:01 GMT

west@ponder.csci.unt.edu (Bruce West) writes:

>In article <35763@cbmvax.commodore.com> kcd@cbmvax.commodore.com (Ken Dyke - Amiga Networking) writes:
>>all of the time.  Well, that's not hard to do considering that the data
>>in the ANIM file is usually A) Completely in memory, and B) already set
>>up for the correct display mode.   QuickTime files are somewhat display-

>   As far as completely in memory - My A3000 has no problem doing 60fps anims
>straight off the hard drive with a little buffering.  So having the entire

That still doesn't account for QuickTime's superior compression ratio,
or its synchronised continous sound track.

>>independent.  I can play the same QT file in 24-bit, 16-bit, 8-bit, 4-bit
>>and 1-bit screens.  That's kindof hard to do with Amiga ANIM's.  Let alone
>>play them in a window on the Workbench screen and arbitrarily scale them.

>   You can play a 24-bit anim in any amount of bits you want -- why you would
>chose to lose detail is beyond me - but it is possible.

How is it possible ? More importantly, you can't assume everyone has a
real 24 bit display. QT means one file can be used on any MacII or
above.
>>
>>One could argue, however, that playing postage stamp sized animations in a
>>window is not very useful, and I might agree. But, it looks slick as hell.
>>
It is useful for interactive presentations. eg. a medical tutorial. You
can bring in video of a real doctor operating on a real patient without
affecting the rest of the screen. Of course, for video work though, it
is useless.
>>Ken

>    Slick?  SLICK?  Let me tell you the story of a guy (me) who went into
>see the new Mac Quadra (some time ago) and LAUGHED SOO hard he couldn't
>control himself.  The speed of an 040, and some nifty new program called
>Quicktime?  Hmmm.  And virtual memory no less -- super System 7.  So,
>I open up a anim that makes has some dog walking.  Everyone tells me how
>this is MULTITASKING. So, I say hmmm.  I click on somthing -- "bark bark
>bark *PASUSE* bark...".  The animation just STOPS as long as I hold the 
>mouse pressed on an icon.  So I gigle.  Well, how about 2 anims?  So I try
>to open up some big "cool anim".  NOT ENOUGH MEMORY.  I guess 4 megs and
>VM can't handle it.  So I say, ok.  How about a simple little earth spinning.
>Now this is when I fell down laughing!  Dog walk, earth spin, dog walk, earth
>spin, etc etc.  Press button both stop, then start.  This is an 040!?!?!
>And this is NOT 256 color mode guys, just so you know.  On my old old old
>A2000 I could have a program graphing a spreadhsheet, run an anim, and use
>the workbench (with the screen layered so you could see em all) with 1
>damn MEG.  This Quadra/Quicktime system is sick.  I'm POSITIVE the A4000 
>with its double A chips could put it to shame.

It's what QT does that is exciting, not how well it does it. Today I was
playing 3 QT movies on a IIfx. They each ran at around 5 fps. not as bad
as your description suggests, and it wasn't a Quadra. Sure, the Amiga
with a QuickTime equivalent would probably thrash it, but we DON'T HAVE
IT, so stop laughing !
>Ciao...



-- 

Gary McGhee 
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