Use of Compact Flash as A1200's HD substitute.

[awe4k]

Hello,

I am going to install an A1200 in a hotel, as an information channel, with Holliwood from Airsoftwair. One video output will go into the amplifier of the hotel's TV network, so it will be able to be received at all rooms via the existing RF lead. Another will feed a monitor used for programming.

Since I don't want to have a hard disk spinning uselessly inside the Amiga, I have searched the net and I have found a good candidate to substitue the hard disk. I have seen a IDE/Compact Flash adapter that has been specifically designed to substitute a 2'5 hard disk. I know about the limited write-cycles issue, but there is not going to be much writing in the CF, 99% of all accesses will be reading. Writing will be done only when changes must be done to the TV information channel.

Will this IDE/Compact Flash adapter work with the A1200?

Oh, and, by the way... How much do you suggest me to charge for the setup? I will appreciate suggestions about this too.

Thanks!

[awe4k]

Thanks for the replies.

The hotel has its own amplifying system, obviously, since it feeds about 70 TV's. The Amiga's RF output will be connected there, and then amplified and sent to all the rooms. Since the Amiga will be far away from the amplifier, the Amiga's own RF output will certainly need to be amplified in order to get a proper signal after some 30 meters of wire.

Again, thanks for the replies.

[awe4k]

Hello Floid,

Thanks for your advice. Actually, I don't expect the hotel employees to actually use and change the information that Holliwood will display. Rather, I'll do some pages that just will keep passing (like a slide-show). It will all be very static, and it might need a change about twice a year, if prices or schedules change as seasons go by. So, it all comes down to a pretty basic thing.

The reason why I wanted to take the Amiga so far away from the amplifier is because I want to work in comfort. The hotel's TV amplifier is in such a place that you would not want to stay there very long (I would need a ladder, and I should hang the Amiga on the wall, you see). There is no other appropriate space any closer to the amplifier than the front desk, that is, about 30 meters far away.

Well, of course, another solution would be to leave the Amiga near the amplifier, and then bring the keyboard and the mouse far away but... isn't that going to be even more complicated?

The networking solution is ok, but I've never worked with it on the Amiga (besides having setup the internet over FastEthernet & Mediator on my 4000D). I would need a TCP/IP stack, maybe some file sharing system or telnet to transfer files... when exactly I can get a TV amplifier at a local hardware store and get done with it. Even if I know how to transfer files, I don't fully understand how I will program Holliwood scripts remotely and then get them working once they're on the Amiga whose viedo goes to the hotel rooms. Wouldn't that take stopping Holliwood and re-starting it so that it will load the new script into RAM? How can I do that remotely?

I am still inclined for the traditional coax+amplification solution.