Test reports

6. Test: Retina BLT Z3 (by Uwe Pannecke) and CyberVision 64 (by Carsten Schroeder)

You might ask yourself, why we make test of graphic boards, which are several years old. The reason is easy: Both models should forefill the needs of most users, at least for 2D-applications and are sold quite cheap on the second market, which isn't unimportant due to the lack of new graphics boards.

»Die Grafikkarte RETINA BLT Z3

In the end of 1992 the Amiga market got a graphics board, which offered for a (at that time) low price of 800.00 DEM (approx. 408.16 Euros) and a remarkable power. The graphics board, which was named Retina, of the company MacroSystem [1] (the same company, that developped the digitizer VLab, VLab-Motion and the Draco computer) can be used in any Amiga with Zorro-II bus, which includes any A2000, A3000 and A4000.

But even if this card has been of nearly universal useability, the poswers of the Zorro III bus of the A3000 and A4000 models haven't been used completely.

This was established in early 1994 by the release of the Retine BLT Z3.

This new Retina shows the most important differences to her predecessor in its name: in addition to the exclusive useability for the Zorro III bus the Retina BLT Z3 owns an improved video chip, the 77C32BLT of the company NCR/Symbios [2]. This video chip includes an integrated blitter, which explains the addition BLT in the name of the graphics board and it is supposed to raise the data throughput intensively. For a long period the Retina BLT Z3 was the fastest graphics board for the Amiga.

The video chip 77C32BLT of the Retina BLT Z3 allows a pixel clock of 110 MHz and 32 bit access width on the graphics memory, but the 1 MB version might be too low dimensioned for todays' needs.

According to RAM size of the graphics board, the Retina can show these maximum resolutions:

If you reduce the maximum resolution of the desired screen depth, higher scanrates can be chosen.

But watch out, because not any monitor can process the shown values. Some values, supported by the Retina BLT Z3, estimate too much from a monitor with e.g. a horizontal frequency of 38 kHz. Even a 64 kHz model will find its limits.

The graphics board doesn't offer a built-in monitor switch, so you have to use another monitor or an external switch box for the use of any native Amiga video mode (e.g. the boot menu or the screens of not style-guide-like programmed software). MacroSystem sold an external monitor switch, named V-Code-Switch, that fulfilled this job. If you want to work with high horizontal frequencies (> 57 kHz), you have to watch out, that you use a high-quality cable or with frequencies of 82 kHz or higher to use the two-monitor-method, because else the picture quality will become poor.

The graphics board has a CVBS and Y/C output, which are activated by an additional board, that is plugged backup the Retina.

This module, named V-Code Retina BLT Z3, is plugged into the video-module-slot, which was made for this purpose. So animations created by yourself can be recorded on video, but the Retina BLT Z3 does not support a genlock device.

The Retina BLT Z3 can be operated under CyberGraphX [3] as well as under Picasso 96 or the RetinaEmu software, which is from the same company.

The current revision of the RetinaEmu software is 2.3 and brings many additional tools for best configuration of the graphics board and MakeRace, a software, that adds 24 bit pictures to an animation, PlayRace to play the created 24 bit animations in high speed, AnCos a non-linear 24 bit frame e editor, DigitalImage, a program for the digital picture editing and VDPaint/Xi-Paint, a program, which is well-known to any Amiga user.

But the RetinaEmu software lost its importance, since the availability of CyberGraphX.

The Retina BLT Z3 isn't produced any longer and can be bought second-hand for quite good prices of approx. 200...300 DEM (approx. 102.04...153.06 Euros). But even with that age the Retina BLT Z3 can fulfill most demands of many Amigans, at least those of 2D applications.

This table shows the results of a benchmark test:

Retina BLT Z3 on an A3000 desktop with 68040/40 and CyberGraphX v3

The test were made on an A3000/040 and CyberGraphX v3 using the benchmark program Sysspeed 2.6 [6]. All the speed data are in operations per second.

In the A3000 desktop of the author a Retina BLT Z3 works fine since April 1995.

[1] http://www.macrosystem.de [2] http://www.ncr.com [3] http://www.vgr.com/cybergfx [4] http://wwwcip.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/~etk10317/Picasso96/Picasso96.html [5] http://www.amiga-club.de/kleinanzeigen.html [6] im Aminet unter util/moni/sspeed26.lha verfuegbar

Uwe Pannecke <Uwe.Pannecke@t-online.de>«

»The graphics board CyberVision 64

The CyberVision 64 of Phase 5 digital products wasn't the first true colour graphics board with a 64bit graphics chip for the Amiga, but it came like a bomb, when it was released in the mid of 1995. The reason was, that there never was such a graphics power for the Amiga. The CyberVision 64 overran the first place card, the Retina BLT Z3 in some graphics operations a multiple times. Compared with the AGA chip set it 'has been like a shot'.

Due to its superiority it isn't suprising, that the power of the CyberVision 64 was outrun by the CyberVision 64/3D and even by the Picasso IV just in some partial sections.

Technical data

On it works the 'Trio64' chip, which was a very powerful 2D graphics processor from S3 at that time. In addition the CyberVision 64 contains a special chip called 'Roxxler', that is able to convert the graphic data, which are in the common Amiga planar format to the chunky format, which is used on graphics boards. So this conversion has not to be made by a power consuming software.

Another credit point of the CyberVision 64: The 15kHz video signal of the Amiga can be used without annoying re-plugging, if an adequate monitor is present, due to the electronic switch, that is built-in in the series. Of course, the signal of a scandoubler of flicker fixer can be used.

The CyberVision 64 can show a resolution of up to 1024x768 pixels in 24 bit (16.8 million colours). But this is the top, more ergonomic is this colour depth in 800x600 pixels. Higher resolutions are possible in 16 and, of course, in 8 bit, what means 256 colours, possible. Even 1600x1200 pixels the CyberVision 64 can do without any problems. These possibilities are thanks to its maximum video bandwidth of 135 MHz, a value, which was everything but common, at this time.

Power

The tests were made on an A4000/060 and CyberGraphX v4 using the benchmark program Sysspeed 2.6. All the data are in operations per second!

Conclusion

The CyberVision 64 is one of the most interesting Amiga graphics boards, which have ever been there. Who doesn't need the 3D functions and the high end power and owns a ZorroIII Amiga with OS 3.x is well advised using this board.

Carsten Schroeder <aakt@gmx.de>«