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640×400 was an interlaced mode. Every other scanline was shown every other frame. This was a NTSC TV signal, remember? There was an add-on called a "Flicker Fi

640×400 was an interlaced mode. Every other scanline was shown every other frame. This was a NTSC TV signal, remember? There was an add-on called a "Flicker Fixer" that cached the video signal and emitted VGA-signals at twice the pixel clock and horizontal refresh rate. The Amiga 3000 had one built in. The ECS and AGA chipsets supported "Productivity mode" that emitted VGA signals but ECS supported only four colours in this mode. All games used the TV modes. "Multisync" monitors that could switch between VGA and television refresh rates were expensive, so few people had them.

leptons 1y ago
A "flicker fixer" cost $100. The macintosh cost $1000 more than the Amiga. The math is rather simple here.
- icedchai 1y ago
  As I mentioned in a previous post, it cost a LOT more than $100. $500 for a Microway flicker fixer + another $400 for the monitor. They may cost $100 "today", but at the time, it was very expensive. Also remember the Amiga was competing with the Mac II line for most of its life. Yes, it was much more expensive... but we are comparing specs, and you could get Mac II displays that supported 256 colors out of 16 million (24-bit.) The Amiga didn't have 24-bit color until 1992.
  - leptons 1y ago
    >As I mentioned in a previous post, it cost a LOT more than $100. Nope, at the time the flicker fixer was about $100. The monitor didn't cost that much either. I had both, I was not rich, I was a kid who saved up some money. >Also remember the Amiga was competing with the Mac II line for most of its life. We're talking about the original Macintosh computer released in Jan 1984, and the original Amiga 1000 released in July 1985. Don't move the goalposts. The Mac II was not released until 1987, and it had a 68020 CPU. The system you should be comparing it to is the Amiga 2000 with 68020 card. The Mac II was released at a ridiculous price of $3700. It really makes the Amiga look like a bargain - the price for an Amiga 2000 with 68020 was $1495, you could easily buy two of them for the price of one Mac II. >The Amiga didn't have 24-bit color until 1992. I don't care? The topic was the original Mac vs the original Amiga 1000. Not wherever you want to take this conversation.
    - icedchai 1y ago
      Which Flicker Fixer? I couldn't find any for that cheap. (I checked some old Amiga magazines from the late 80's.) Fair enough on the Mac II. They were very expensive and a rip off! Also, early Mac OS sucked.

leptons 1y ago

A "flicker fixer" cost $100. The macintosh cost $1000 more than the Amiga. The math is rather simple here.

icedchai 1y ago
As I mentioned in a previous post, it cost a LOT more than $100. $500 for a Microway flicker fixer + another $400 for the monitor. They may cost $100 "today", but at the time, it was very expensive. Also remember the Amiga was competing with the Mac II line for most of its life. Yes, it was much more expensive... but we are comparing specs, and you could get Mac II displays that supported 256 colors out of 16 million (24-bit.) The Amiga didn't have 24-bit color until 1992.
- leptons 1y ago
  >As I mentioned in a previous post, it cost a LOT more than $100. Nope, at the time the flicker fixer was about $100. The monitor didn't cost that much either. I had both, I was not rich, I was a kid who saved up some money. >Also remember the Amiga was competing with the Mac II line for most of its life. We're talking about the original Macintosh computer released in Jan 1984, and the original Amiga 1000 released in July 1985. Don't move the goalposts. The Mac II was not released until 1987, and it had a 68020 CPU. The system you should be comparing it to is the Amiga 2000 with 68020 card. The Mac II was released at a ridiculous price of $3700. It really makes the Amiga look like a bargain - the price for an Amiga 2000 with 68020 was $1495, you could easily buy two of them for the price of one Mac II. >The Amiga didn't have 24-bit color until 1992. I don't care? The topic was the original Mac vs the original Amiga 1000. Not wherever you want to take this conversation.
  - icedchai 1y ago
    Which Flicker Fixer? I couldn't find any for that cheap. (I checked some old Amiga magazines from the late 80's.) Fair enough on the Mac II. They were very expensive and a rip off! Also, early Mac OS sucked.