GFX9000/Video9000


What is GFX9000?

[GFX9000]

GFX9000

GFX9000 is a cartridge for (theoretical) every MSX computer (first it was meant for Turbo-R only, but nowadays at least MSX2 and 2+ are also supported, I'm not sure about MSX1), and it has a V9990 Video Display Processor as heart. There are rumours that this VDP, as a follow-up to the V9958, was originally going to be used in Turbo-R MSX computers. But, as you probably know, the V9958 was used in the Turbo-R. So, in 1994 Sunrise decided to make this cartridge with the new VDP in it. It has a seperate video-(RGB)-output connector. Henrik Gilvad even wrote a special BASIC for it, called PowerBASIC. It enables you to use the capacities of the GFX9000 in your own BASIC programs.

GFX9000 is delivered with the following software:

What resolutions, colours and other specs does it have?

(Stefan Boer, Sunrise, me)

The V9990 supports the following resolutions:

mode   resolution     remark
 P1     256x212(424)   dualplane patternmode 
			(2 independent planes)
 P2     512x212(424)   patternmode
 B1     256x212(424)
 B2     384x240(480)   overscan (no borders)
 B3     512x212(424)
 B4     768x240(480)   overscan (no borders)
 B5     640x400
 B6     640x480
Resolutions between brackets () are in interlacing mode. These resolutions can be combined with the palette systems below, so a lot of different types of screen modes are possible. Systems using 8 or 16 bits per pixel are not possible for B4..B6, P1 and P2 only work with 4 bits per pixel.

bits/pixel	colours		system
 16		32768		simultaneously (TrueColour)
  8		64		out of a palette of 32768
		256		like SCREEN 8 (fixed palette)
		19268		like SCREEN 12 (YJK)
		19268		YUV
  4		16		out of a palette of 32768
  2		4		out of a palette of 32768
The modes with 19268 colours are optimized to display digitized pictures with a minimum of memory and no remarkable loss of picture-information (JPG and PCD use similar methods).

Other features of the V9990/GFX9000:

More info can be read in the following texts and pages:
V9990 The videochip of the future by Stefan Boer (most info for this FAQ-section was taken from it)
V9990 evaluation board. The first impression by Henrik Gilvad
GFX9000 page of Henrik Gilvad, with the newest specs and some software, and texts with technical info! But this page is officially offline, so it might not work.

What is supported by PowerBASIC?

I don't know if it's changed, but from Stefan's article, I cite the following:
Screenmodes supported in PowerBASIC:

screen	remark
  0	64 column textmode
  1	will be 32 column textmode
  2	P1 mode (256 x 212 dualplane patternmode)
  3	P2 mode (512 x 212 patternmode)
  4	identical to SCREEN 2
  5..12	identical to MSX2/2+ except the sprites,
 	only 2 sprites in one colour are possible
	(this is the cursor-sprites of the B-modes...)
Further, PowerBASIC supports the following BASIC commands for the GFX9000: BLOAD,S, BSAVE,S, CIRCLE, COLOR, COPY, DRAW, KEY ON/OFF, LINE, LOCATE, PAINT, POINT, PRESET, PSET, PRINT, PRINT USING, PRINT#, PUT SPRITE, SCREEN, SET ADJUST, SET PAGE, SET SCROLL, VDP, VPEEK, VPOKE and WIDTH.

What software is made for GFX9000?

As far as I know now, the following software has been released or is being made for GFX9000:

What is the Video9000?

[Video9000]

Video9000 board

The Video9000 is an add-on board for the GFX9000, that allows you to digitize/superimpose on MSX2/2+/Turbo-R in the high-resolution of the GFX9000 video-modes. It is developed by Koen van Hartingsveldt of Sunrise.

As said, Video9000 is an add-on board for the GFX9000. So if you want to order it, you'll have to send your GFX9000 to Sunrise, where they will solder the board on the GFX9000. The new card (including Video9000) will then be placed into a new box that includes the connectors and colour/contrast regulators. This new cartridge has to be connected to the MSX by a primary slot then.

What can I do with a Video9000?

(Club Hnostar/Sunrise)

With this digitizer you can grab pictures from a video in 32768 colours, superimpose parts of it with animations and titles upon video images, mix your own creations with these video images, etc. Furthermore you can switch from the MSX2/2+/turboR screen to the GFX9000 screeen and viceversa just by one simple command. Besides, you can save directly (without graphic conversion programs) your images in several formats (now Koen is working in more image formats), like: BMP, the known PC format, PIC or VGF (that can be showed with any Graphics 9000). And all this in several resolutions (all in 32768 colours): 512x424 interlaced, 384x290 overscan, etc. The Video9000 board includes a lot of connectors (inputs and outputs). It is possible to digitize images from a RGB source (for example, a MSX computer or a VCR with RGB output), CVBS (from a VCR, videocamera, computer, ...) and S-VHS (from some videocameras). The output is RGB.

What are the Video9000's main features?

(Sunrise/Club Hnostar)

Where can I buy this wonderful hardware?

You can buy this hardware from Club Hnostar or at Sunrise. See also the Moonsound section.

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