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Author Topic: New A-EON Music Card for Classic Amigas  (Read 45646 times)

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Offline gertsy

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #29 on: October 21, 2013, 01:24:05 PM »
OMG. The suspicion and sarcasm is really quite surprising.  Classic hardware for Zorro or clockport is really most welcome. The reason they are making the product is because they have determined there is a market (DEMAND) and a profit (RETURN).  This is how the world works.
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Offline spirantho

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #30 on: October 21, 2013, 02:43:50 PM »
Quote from: Hattig;750649
I wonder if it will be possible to use this to encode to MP3 the audio coming from Paula, as encoding is one of its major features.

The data transfer width (16 for Zorro, 8 for clockport) will merely affect the max bitrate that can be fed into the device.  I have no idea what the A1200 clockport can achieve, bandwidth-wise (1.75MB/s is suggested at http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=24079 - that's enough for several MP3 streams).

I reckon the clockport has enough bandwidth. I'm going to be attempting it fairly soon, but I reckon if a 68000 can pump data fast enough on Z-II, the 68020 on the clockport should cope even with an 8-bit bus. Not sure about a 68000 with a clockport, but there's no harm in trying. :)

As for your first question - the priority of this card is decoding rather than encoding, but yes - the hardware is capable of encoding Paula into OGGs and MP3s and whatevers.

Edit: Incidentally, I think it goes without saying that if the people behind this card (and that includes myself) do well from it, then the chances of future hardware on classic Amigas is much higher than if we do badly.
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Offline magnetic

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #31 on: October 21, 2013, 02:48:43 PM »
Spirantho
I for one am behind the developments and will support future efforts. thanks for your hard work. And thanks to aeon and amigakit.
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Offline yssing

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #32 on: October 21, 2013, 02:51:06 PM »
New hardware for the aging amiga classics are very welcome :)
I so wish for a new and affordable RTG card.

New soundcard and a new netcard (with USB add on later) that is really great.
 

Offline kickstart

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #33 on: October 21, 2013, 04:05:11 PM »
@yssing

Soundcard with usb and ethernet, gfxcard with usb and ethernet... a1200 just have one clockport this is the best solution.

@all

This one at what price? lets make a guess... 200-250€
« Last Edit: October 21, 2013, 04:07:21 PM by kickstart »
a1200 060
 

Offline klx300r

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #34 on: October 21, 2013, 04:11:06 PM »
Quote from: NovaCoder;750642
...
Not sure exactly how this would fit inside an A1200 desktop, I guess big box Amiga's are the target audience.

Nova, looking at my 1200 desktop I've got space for another clockport expansion to fit nicely next to my Subway USB and have no intentions of big boxing it.
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Offline giZmo350

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #35 on: October 21, 2013, 04:19:06 PM »
Quote from: klx300r;750685
Nova, looking at my 1200 desktop I've got space for another clockport expansion to fit nicely next to my Subway USB and have no intentions of big boxing it.

There's a clockport on the new soundcard so you could just plug your Subway USB into that. Shouldn't need a clockport expander.
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Offline Hattig

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #36 on: October 21, 2013, 04:28:41 PM »
Quote from: kickstart;750683

This one at what price? lets make a guess... 200-250€


We're talking about a $5 (max) audio decoder chip and a (probably cheap) CPLD to interface that chip over I2S to Zorro/Clockport. Admittedly CPLD programming and AmigaOS software drivers will be a disproportionate cost, but €200 is still going to be a bit on the high side, IMO.
 

Offline klx300r

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #37 on: October 21, 2013, 04:38:18 PM »
Quote from: gizmo350;750687
There's a clockport on the new soundcard so you could just plug your Subway USB into that. Shouldn't need a clockport expander.

that's great!
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Offline nicholas

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #38 on: October 21, 2013, 04:44:49 PM »
Quote from: Hattig;750688
We're talking about a $5 (max) audio decoder chip and a (probably cheap) CPLD to interface that chip over I2S to Zorro/Clockport. Admittedly CPLD programming and AmigaOS software drivers will be a disproportionate cost, but €200 is still going to be a bit on the high side, IMO.


For fifty quid I'd buy one instantly.  Any more and I'd struggle to justify the cost.

I got given an el-cheapo USB soundcard a couple of years ago and thought I might use it with my Deneb when I eventually get around to it.

Not sure if it's compatible mind you so one of these Prisma cards is looking quite desirable, especially as it supports hardware accelerated decoding.

I'm wondering if it comes with a licence from Fraunhofer for the MP3 decoding?

Not that I give two sh1ts either way but there are some on here that will accuse A-EON/AmigaKit of being theives if they don't. ;)
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Offline Hattig

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Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #39 on: October 21, 2013, 04:55:17 PM »
Quote from: nicholas;750691
I'm wondering if it comes with a licence from Fraunhofer for the MP3 decoding?


There's a version of the chip that excludes mp3 capability, which leads me to conclude that the mp3 licensing cost is included in the chip cost - but of course that would be passed onto purchasers.

I agree that $50/£50 would be an upper bound for reasonable cost.
 

Offline spirantho

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #40 on: October 21, 2013, 05:04:11 PM »
@nicholas
Everybody should be using OGG Vorbis files anyway. :) Completely free, open, smaller and better sounding. Kind of a win-win-win-win situation, really!

For playing music files this will win hands-down over the Deneb sound card. I have one on my A4000 and although it works it takes a lot of CPU time, even on my CS-PPC 060. The Prisma's only workload is feeding the chip the compressed audio stream.
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Offline nicholas

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #41 on: October 21, 2013, 05:11:04 PM »
Quote from: Hattig;750692
There's a version of the chip that excludes mp3 capability, which leads me to conclude that the mp3 licensing cost is included in the chip cost - but of course that would be passed onto purchasers.

I agree that $50/£50 would be an upper bound for reasonable cost.


That's my argument for MPEG playback on Linux.  My video card has hardware decoding support so when I bought it it came with a licence to play stuff as far as I'm concerned so I'm not buying a software codec and paying twice for it. :)
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Offline Erol

I want several please :)
 

Offline nicholas

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #43 on: October 21, 2013, 05:14:06 PM »
Quote from: spirantho;750693
@nicholas
Everybody should be using OGG Vorbis files anyway. :) Completely free, open, smaller and better sounding. Kind of a win-win-win-win situation, really!


Yeah I rip most stuff to FLAC or Vorbis.  The only MP3's I have are the ones I erm "aquired". ;)

Quote
For playing music files this will win hands-down over the Deneb sound card. I have one on my A4000 and although it works it takes a lot of CPU time, even on my CS-PPC 060. The Prisma's only workload is feeding the chip the compressed audio stream.


It sounds really good, I'm just concerned it will cost a fortune and then all the initial stock will get snapped up by hoaders who won't even use it. :/
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Offline matt3k

Re: New A-EON Sound Card for Classic Amigas
« Reply #44 from previous page: October 21, 2013, 05:28:05 PM »
Great news.

Hope it offers something beyond what the used market provides.

I recently bought a new X-Surf 100 and I'm having a real challenge to get it to perform faster than the Ariandne it replaced. The Ariandne via nmi gives 155,000 cps  and the X-Surf using EasyNet gives 60,000 cps (Using Miami I can get between 160,000 and 200,000).  

I already have a Delfina Plus, that only uses 2% cpu to decode, has great sound quality, and is bullet proof in reliability.  My 3k multitask without any perceived slowdown now. If this will offer something better, I'll entertain it (I will probably buy if it as least as good as what I have now for my spare desktop, but it would be nice to offer more).  

The problem, as has always been in Amiga Land, is software and driver development. Hopefully, they will have a good and well tested solution out of the gate.