🚀 go-pugleaf

CHAPTER 2:
The Future of DCTV display programs.. and a NEW type of display!
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© copyright 1996 Joey McDonald


PROBLEM:
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Wouldn't it be nice to be able to scroll around huge 1200x1200 DCTV
displays? The DCTV software does not allow the creation of such
large images, and even if you could create such an image... there
is no way to scroll the image due to the fact that DCTV requires
special data on the top and left sides of the display.

SOLUTION:
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I noticed that while using the P.D./Shareware program Rend24 that it is
absolutely possible to create HUGE DCTV displays much larger than the
viewable area (by converting large 24bit/jpeg images to DCTV format).

However when you try to load one of these images into a viewer that
allows scrolling, you will encounter problems. When you scroll.. DCTV
will not be able to decode the image data. The reason; DCTV requires the
top scanline which contains special information, as well as the left
"zipper" lines (2 vertical lines on the left side). When that data is
moved off screen, the image will not register with DCTV.

While tinkering with a p.d. program called Dswitch (that allows you
to do a few odd things with your DCTV.. such as pass video through,
etc.) I noticed that when you select Dswitch's RGB mode that you
can actually scroll from top to bottom of a LARGE DCTV display with
virtually no problems. I am not a programmer and I'm not sure what the
Dswitch program does to allow this (it was not designed for that purpose).
But, when I found this out.. it got me thinking about HOW it would be
possible to scroll a HUGE DCTV image without any problems.

An idea for a new type of DCTV viewer:
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Create a special viewer program that does the following; Upon loading
a DCTV picture.. the viewer "clips" the top line (magic cookie) and
the "zipper" on the left. The data is HELD in position (sort of like
a TOP invisible layer to a parallax scrolling screen). The actual image
is displayed UNDER the HELD lines.. (a 2nd screen) and when you scroll
around.. only THAT screen (the 2nd screen) will scroll, the important
information always remains in the same position on the TOP MOST SCREEN.
The top line is absolutely required for top to bottom (up/down scrolling)
and the left zipper lines are required for sideways (left/right) scrolling.

There may be a much simpler approach to this... but I have at least
presented an idea and a starting place for a NEW type of DCTV display.
Imagine the possibilities of Huge 1200x1200 -SCROLLING- DCTV backdrops!
I can see possibilities for incredible DCTV video titlers with "rolling"
backdrops, etc.

A utility to create HUGE DCTV displays:
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I have already stated that you can create large DCTV images by
converting large 24-bit/jpeg/gif etc. images in a program such as
Rend24. BUT, it would be nice if we had a utility that would allow
us to actually combine several DCTV images into one large super bit-map.
For instance.. combining 4 640x200 images would result in a 1280x400
super bit-map image with a 640x200 scrolling display area. You could
combine as many as you like within the limits of the Amiga display area
(1280x1280 ?). There are many other resolution/screen size options.

I know that this will work. I entered DeluxePaint with two DCTV 640x200
displays and stamped them BOTH down on a 640x400 screen. Both images are
displayable as a single scrolling image (the special viewer would be need
for proper display). I did note that a program that combines many DCTV
images into a super bit-map display might need to clip and remove the top
line (magic cookie) from all images below the first (top image). The zipper
must always be properly aligned upon combining images.

It would also be nice to have a PAINT program capable of scrolling
through a DCTV super bit-map image.

Joey McDonald