Date : Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:34:11 +0100
From : Thomas Harte <thomasharte@...>
Subject: Re: Rotoview
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>If any of you have an unprotected version that can be used under
>emulation, or have a way of displaying the frames again, please let me
>know.
On the off chance the software is Electron compatible and you have
access to a DOS/Win95/98/ME machine with two floppy drives, then you
can use Disk2FDI (http://www.oldskool.org/disk2fdi/) to create an
image of your floppy which will work with the WIP release of my Electron
emulator, ElectrEm (http://electrem.emuunlim.com/). The WIP version
has slogger Master RAM Board and Mode 7 emulation, so it should be
possible to make it act reasonably like a (64kb) BBC provided your
software isn't doing any straight to hardware access and, as you imply,
the application isn't so concerned with multi-channel sound. Just ignore
the dire health stuff on the WIP page, I'm fully recovered now...
The FDI file format supports arbitrarily formatted discs, and the WIP
version of ElectrEm includes WD1770 emulation (the Plus 3 was 1770
based, only third parties used the 8271, and I can't think of a reason to
support it when both DFS and ADFS ROMs are available for the 1770)
that works at the bit level rather than thinking directly in terms of
sectors ala other emulators. It exactly duplicates the behaviour of the
1770 according to its datasheets, but oddly the ADFS format command
doesn't, so I guess the datasheets are not perfect and therefore
neither is my emulation. In case anyone who knows anything is
watching: the format command stores '0' to the track and data
registers, initiates a seek which ends instantly because the track
register indicates that track 0 is already reached, then finds that the
relevent track 0 status bit isn't set (because the drive head isn't at the
outer edge) and repeats the process. Ad infinitum.
When it was discussed on this list, the general opinion amongst other
authors was that SSD/DSD/ADF/ADL was 'good enough', so I don't think
any other emulators support this or any other 'extended' format.
Unfortunately the FDI format is supported only for reading, but you can
theoretically chuck a regular ADF/ADL/SSD/DSD in the second drive and
write to that. Unfortunately there seems to be some bug in the WIP
version that I wasn't able to trace which causes changes to such discs
not to be saved in restricted circumstances. So you might want to
instead save emulator state for the purpose.
ElectrEm is available for DOS, Windows and UNIX and includes a built
in 'save image' function that produces a PCX, or (in the WIP) will run in a
Window so that Windows can capture the display for you with print
screen without the usual DirectX/palette issues.
If you take this route, good luck, and feel free to email me directly with
any problems (I'm ThomasHarte@... nowadays, which the WIP
emulator may or may not have correct - excite.co.uk closed down).
-Thomas
When words aren't enough - Vodafone live! A new world of colour, sounds,
picture messages and information on your mobile. <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;4909903;7724245;q?http://www.vodafone.co.uk/live">
Click here</a> to find out more.
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Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:51:09 +1300
From: Michael Foot <mjfoot@...>
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Subject: [BBC-Micro] Rotoview
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Have any of you ever some across a peice of Videotext editing software called
Rotoview? It was produced for the BBC Micro by a company called Information
Technology & Marketing.
I have a copy here that I am trying to retrieve some stored frames from
but anm having no luck due to the fact that the BBC disc is copy protected
and that the data disc uses it's own format. When I say copy protected, I
mean it can be copied but uses non standard track and sector lengths to make
it difficult.
If any of you have an unprotected version that can be used under emulation,
or have a way of displaying the frames again, please let me know.
Thanks,
Mike.
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Michael Foot <mjfoot(at)paradise(dot)net(dot)nz> *
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mjfoot/
* Replace letters between () with @ and . when replying
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