Individual Computers: new product Indivision AGA
Date 25-Jul-2008 23:33:06
Topic: Hardware News
| During the 80s, it was common use to build computers in a way that they can output their picture on a TV set. This was done in order to reduce the overall system cost for the user. TV sets work with lower frequencies compared to today's monitors, therefore the picture flickers. A flickerfixer converts the signal in a way that a modern VGA monitor or TFT-display can be used. The name flickerfixer was mainly created because the problem of a flickering picture is solved. We've already had a very successful product called Indivision in 2002. It was connected to the monitor output of the computer, but it has been sold out in 2006.
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Flickerfixers are in high demand. One unit of our external flickerfixer Indivision has been sold on an internet auction platform for more than 900 US Dollars in march of this year. That's more than four times the last retail price! The popularity and stability of value of our products cannot be proved any better. We have already started development of a new flickerfixer in November 2007, which is finished now.
The first flickerfixers for the Amiga have already been available 17 years ago. Since that time, all flickerfixers - including ours - have been using the same principle: The picture frequency was doubled. This is not enough for most modern VGA monitors and TFT-displays, as the picture of a computer with PAL standard was only displayed at slightly less than 50Hz. Most monitors require 60Hz or more these days.
With Indivision AGA, we're striking a new path. As the name suggests, it's a flickerfixer that is very closely tied to the AGA chipset. This could only be realized by putting the flickerfixer inside of the computer. The product is mounted over the Video-Chip "Lisa". The VGA display is connected directly to the flickerfixer. Further connections are not necessary.
Listing all features of the flickerfixer would go beyond the scope of this news item. You can find the complete technical data in this PDF-overview. The outstanding features are:
* 24 Bit colour resolution in all screenmodes
* support for super hires modes
* Highgfx support up to 1024x768 pixels
* all screenmodes can be displayed at 60Hz or more
* no adjustments necessary
Two options have been added for retro-gaming enthusiasts that allow a step-by-step approximation to the display of an old TV set: Vertical synchronization allows reducing the output frequency down to 49.9Hz, which will eliminate tearing-effects. In addition to that, a scanline-emulation can be switched on. This will emulate the dark lines between the scan lines of a TV screen.
Development and production of this extremely complex product is very expensive. Our trade partners, who have been serving the Amiga-market for many years, have made considerable financial contributions to the production. To account for that, Indivision AGA is exclusively available only from these resellers until January 1st, 2009: (alphabetical order)
* AmigaKit (England)
* GGS-Data (Sweden)
* Software Hut (USA)
* Vesalia (Germany)
Production has already started, the flickerfixer will presumably be shipped to our trade partners during the first week of September. The suggested retail price is 129,- EUR including 19% VAT. Only a version for A1200 computers will be available at first. We're already working on a version for other Amigas with AGA chipset.
The following pictures show the prototype and screenshots where colours are not displayed correctly. The actual product may vary.
   
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