Re:NOT XBA! Display accelerator for mobile devices
on
Bitboys Silicon Sighted
·
· Score: 4, Informative
The demo they showed was indeed an FPGA. It has around 20k-30k gates, and was running at around 25MHz or so. The demonstration animated filled polygons and bezier curves, with various effects such as transparency at around 30-50 fps.
You shouldn't believe everything you're told. The chip was very clearly marked, it's an Altera APEX EP20K400C [altera.com] PLD. The memory chips on the back are Altera EPC SRAM 'configuration devices' [altera.com]. That means it's got between ~400,000 and 1,051,648 [altera.com] gates, not 20-30k.
Just to set the records straight:
When counting gates, FPGA are inherently less efficient that ASIC or full-custom chip, due to the FPGA's fixed structure. A logic design that may take 400,000 gates in an FPGA may fit into 40,000 ASIC gates. This is normal. The fact that ALTERA calls this device a 400,000 gate device doesn't mean it actually is. This is a hard to measure number, just like performance benchmarks.
FPGA's are usually left at 50%-60% utilization if you want to be able to get any decent speed out of them. if you start filling them, routing becomes harder, and the speed drops.
Remember that this is a general purpose prototyping board. They may use a larger device not because they need it but because it allows them more freedom while designing.
Summary: The fact that they use an FPGA that is characterized by it's manufacturer as a 400,000 gate device doesn't mean their graphics core won't fit into 22,000 ASIC gates.
This card quietly does what requires a fast CPU with a large power requirements and fans.
If you want to build a HTPC (Home-Theatre PC), what would you prefer:
1) A 1GHz+ CPU (AMD or Intel) with it's noisy fan and power supply, and a software DivX/DVD player - 30W-70W for the CPU alone.
2) A tiny 17cm x 17cm VIA EITX board with a fanless Eden 500MHz or 1GHz C3 CPU and a $99 hardware playback card? - 3W-9W for the CPU.
If you want to build the ultimete HTPC, you want NO fans or other noisy components. The use of EITX boards allows you to build a system with only passive cooling.
Unless, ofcourse, money is no objection - in this case, try:
1. The UDF spec are there - check here.
2. The MultiPlay specification is nothing more than a Logo certification program, and is concerned with physical CD/CD-R/CD-RW compatibility at the Media level for consumer devices (so if you buy a CD player with a MultiPlay logo you know it plays your home-made CD-RW Audio disk).
3. Apparently the CDA format was not released yet (it's a draft). I assume it would be released just like the UDF spec.
Oh well, I was going to repost this... It seems like this should be posted annually until the end of time (or until Amiga dies, whichever comes first...) ------------------------------------------------ - Subject: Re: Morden on Amiga Format Cover!!!! From: bil@perceived.demon.co.uk (Bil Irving) Newsgroups: uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5
ian@binny.demon.co.uk (Ian Vincent) wrote:
>: Umm... AFAIK, Amiga Technologies GmbH was bought out by Viscorp several >: months ago. >Nope, it fell through. Its still in liquidation. Quikpak is the present >favoutite (they make A4000 motherboards in Canada). BUT the A/Box is on the >way (hopefully).
Damn and damnation.
"Hello, I wish to register a complaint. Hello, miss?"
"What do you mean 'Miss'?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I have Windows '95. I wish to register a complaint about this computer that I bought not five years ago from this very boutique."
"Oh yeah, the Amiga 500. What's wrong with it?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's dead. That's whats wrong with it."
"Naw, its just restin'"
"Restin'?"
"Yeah! Lovely computer, beautiful operating system..." "The operating system don't enter into it. It's stone dead."
"Naw its restin'"
"Alright then, if its restin', I'll wake it up! HELLO MIGGY! I GOT A NICE COPY OF LIGHTWAVE FOR YOU IF YOU WAKE UP! Now that's what I call a dead computer."
"It's probably pining for Commodore."
"Pining for Commodore? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did the software dry up the minute I got it home?"
"Ah well, the Amiga prefers keeping a low profile. Lovely computer, beautiful operating system..."
"Look my lad, I've had enough of this. That computer is definitely deceased. And when I bought it not five years ago you told me that its total lack of grip in the marketplace was due to it being tired and shagged out after a long 16-bit war with Atari."
"It's pining..."
"It's not pining. It has passed on. It has ceased to be. It's expired, and gone to meet Jay Miner. This is a late computer. Bereft of software, it rests in peace. If you hadn't stacked it on your shelf it would be clogging up someone's attic. It's rung down the curtain and joined the 8-bits, this is an ex computer!"
"Well, I'd better replace it then. Sorry squire, I've had a look, we're right out of Amigas."
"I see, I see, I get the picture..."
"I got a PC."
"Does it multitask in 1MB of memory?"
"Not really."
"Well then its scarcely a replacement then, is it."
Sorry. Much apologisings.
-- Moderators accept or reject articles based solely on the criteria posted in the Frequently Asked Questions. Article content is the responsibility of the submitter. Submit articles to ahbou-sub@acpub.duke.edu. To write to the moderators, send mail to ahbou-mod@acpub.duke.edu.
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When counting gates, FPGA are inherently less efficient that ASIC or full-custom chip, due to the FPGA's fixed structure. A logic design that may take 400,000 gates in an FPGA may fit into 40,000 ASIC gates. This is normal. The fact that ALTERA calls this device a 400,000 gate device doesn't mean it actually is. This is a hard to measure number, just like performance benchmarks.
FPGA's are usually left at 50%-60% utilization if you want to be able to get any decent speed out of them. if you start filling them, routing becomes harder, and the speed drops.
Remember that this is a general purpose prototyping board. They may use a larger device not because they need it but because it allows them more freedom while designing.
Summary: The fact that they use an FPGA that is characterized by it's manufacturer as a 400,000 gate device doesn't mean their graphics core won't fit into 22,000 ASIC gates.
This card quietly does what requires a fast CPU with a large power requirements and fans.
If you want to build a HTPC (Home-Theatre PC), what would you prefer:
1) A 1GHz+ CPU (AMD or Intel) with it's noisy fan and power supply, and a software DivX/DVD player - 30W-70W for the CPU alone.
2) A tiny 17cm x 17cm VIA EITX board with a fanless Eden 500MHz or 1GHz C3 CPU and a $99 hardware playback card? - 3W-9W for the CPU.
If you want to build the ultimete HTPC, you want NO fans or other noisy components. The use of EITX boards allows you to build a system with only passive cooling.
Unless, ofcourse, money is no objection - in this case, try:
http://www.signum-data.de/english/index_eng.htm
for an expensive but totally quiet system.
Udi
The Raite series of DVD/MP3 players use the "Special CD-R" technique for Firmware update.
1. The UDF spec are there - check here.
2. The MultiPlay specification is nothing more than a Logo certification program, and is concerned with physical CD/CD-R/CD-RW compatibility at the Media level for consumer devices (so if you buy a CD player with a MultiPlay logo you know it plays your home-made CD-RW Audio disk).
3. Apparently the CDA format was not released yet (it's a draft). I assume it would be released just like the UDF spec.
Oh well, I was going to repost this...- -
It seems like this should be posted annually until the end of time (or until Amiga dies, whichever comes first...)
-----------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Morden on Amiga Format Cover!!!!
From: bil@perceived.demon.co.uk (Bil Irving)
Newsgroups: uk.media.tv.sf.babylon5
ian@binny.demon.co.uk (Ian Vincent) wrote:
>: Umm... AFAIK, Amiga Technologies GmbH was bought out by Viscorp several
>: months ago.
>Nope, it fell through. Its still in liquidation. Quikpak is the present
>favoutite (they make A4000 motherboards in Canada). BUT the A/Box is on the
>way (hopefully).
Damn and damnation.
"Hello, I wish to register a complaint. Hello, miss?"
"What do you mean 'Miss'?!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I have Windows '95. I wish to register a complaint about this computer that I bought not five years ago from this very boutique."
"Oh yeah, the Amiga 500. What's wrong with it?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's dead. That's whats wrong with it."
"Naw, its just restin'"
"Restin'?"
"Yeah! Lovely computer, beautiful operating system..." "The operating system don't enter into it. It's stone dead."
"Naw its restin'"
"Alright then, if its restin', I'll wake it up! HELLO MIGGY! I GOT A NICE COPY OF LIGHTWAVE FOR YOU IF YOU WAKE UP! Now that's what I call a dead computer."
"It's probably pining for Commodore."
"Pining for Commodore? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did the software dry up the minute I got it home?"
"Ah well, the Amiga prefers keeping a low profile. Lovely computer, beautiful operating system..."
"Look my lad, I've had enough of this. That computer is definitely deceased. And when I bought it not five years ago you told me that its total lack of grip in the marketplace was due to it being tired and shagged out after a long 16-bit war with Atari."
"It's pining..."
"It's not pining. It has passed on. It has ceased to be. It's expired, and gone to meet Jay Miner. This is a late computer. Bereft of software, it rests in peace. If you hadn't stacked it on your shelf it would be clogging up someone's attic. It's rung down the curtain and joined the 8-bits, this is an ex computer!"
"Well, I'd better replace it then. Sorry squire, I've had a look, we're right out of Amigas."
"I see, I see, I get the picture..."
"I got a PC."
"Does it multitask in 1MB of memory?"
"Not really."
"Well then its scarcely a replacement then, is it."
Sorry. Much apologisings.
--
Moderators accept or reject articles based solely on the criteria posted
in the Frequently Asked Questions. Article content is the responsibility
of the submitter. Submit articles to ahbou-sub@acpub.duke.edu. To write
to the moderators, send mail to ahbou-mod@acpub.duke.edu.