Vic screen size

Progra · Post by **Progra** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:58 am

I have a project where I need 28 chars in a line, I think this is the max allowed by the VIC hardware. But I need to know if all these chars are visible on a TV or those at the edges will be cut off.

Thanks

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:17 am

If people were to adjust their monitors, 28 is possible on a PAL vic-20:
http://www.soundclick.com/members/defau ... &id=321677

But with a more standard TV setting, I think 26 or 25 would be the maximum:
http://www.soundclick.com/members/defau ... &id=321676
http://www.soundclick.com/members/defau ... &id=321675

http://user.tninet.se/~pug510w/datormuseum/overscan.zip

Progra · Post by **Progra** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:21 am

Thank you so much Boray,

I think I will have to ditch the project then, I would need 28x 24 for it...

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:51 am

Well, I don't know, maybe it isn't much more trouble adjusting your monitor than to plug in a ram expansion cartridge?!

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:53 am

Or your could make it 24x28 instead and have people tilt their monitor (or head) to the side

Progra · Post by **Progra** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:50 am

RJBowman · Post by **RJBowman** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 12:54 am

You could plot 6-pixel-wide characters on a high-res screen, but it would eat a lot of memory and some CPU time.

FD22 · Post by **FD22** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:41 am

RJBowman wrote:You could plot 6-pixel-wide characters on a high-res screen, but it would eat a lot of memory and some CPU time.

Memory is the big issue here rather than CPU - VIC++ plots 40 4x8 characters per line on a 160x200 screen in a shade over 9,000 cycles per line (closer to 13,000 if there are inverse + underscore + strike-through attributes to be applied). So on frames where a line redraw occurs (which is not every frame, only when a line changes) it leaves roughly 50% CPU free for other stuff.

In practice, the code often uses that other 50% for updating another line, so the entire screen can be refreshed in 13 frames (or 25 if all lines need attributes applied). Details: http://vicpp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/in- ... ngine.html