The system ultimately failed to oust its competitor, but has enjoyed over a decade of life in secondary markets, especially Brazil.
Graphics: VDP (Video Display Processor) derived from TexasInstrumentsTMS9918
Up to 32 simultaneous colors available (16 for sprites, 16 for background) from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks)
# Graphics: VDP (Video Display Processor) - Derived from TexasInstruments
Up to 32 simultaneous colors available (16 for sprites, 16 for background) from a palette of 64 (can also show 64 simultaneous colors using programming tricks.) Screen resolutions 256x192 and 256x224.
The original TMS9918 has a similar problem with other table registers, however this is not apparent in the TMS9918 modes of the SMS2 and GG VDP.
This is opposed to the SMS2 which forces TMS9918 graphics to be shown using a hardwired palette that is independant of the colors defined in CRAM.
In Sean Young's TMS9918 document, he describes a problem where the unused bits in some VDP registers that define a table address work like an AND mask over the high order address bits of a pattern index.
As a byte is written, the TMS9918 increments its internal address register, so that the CPU can quickly write a block of data.
The graphics have to be drawn such that the 8×8 pixel borders are not too obvious, an art where Konami was particularly well known for their excellence.
This is the TMS9918 screen mode 2 challenge: every 8×1 pixel area has two colors, foreground and background.
The TexasInstruments TI-99/4A was an early home computer, released in June of 1981, originally at a price of $525 USD.
It is worth noting that TexasInstruments and Commodore each owned their own IC fabrication facilities, allowing creation of custom ICs to combine functions of smaller ICs.
TexasInstruments never followed suit, electing instead to continue to use the highest quality components and materials with the unfulfilled hope that the marketplace would recognize it.
Texas Instruments TMS9918 - Biocrawler(Site not responding. Last check: )
The graphics have to be drawn such that the 8x8 pixel borders are not too obvious, an art where Konami was particularly well known for their excellence.
This is the TMS9918 screen mode 2 challenge: every 8x1 pixel area has two colors, foreground and background.
So the TMS9918 was suited for colorful 256x192 resolution backgrounds, where a high fraction of the 16 colors were actually used.
The SN76489 Programmable Sound Generator (PSG) is a TTL compatible four-channel sound chip from TexasInstruments.
Each channel's frequency is arrived at by dividing the clock by 32 and then dividing the result by N. The SN76489 is included 'on-chip' in SEGA's Video Display Processors (VDP) for their Master System, Game Gear, and Megadrive (Sega Genesis in North America), game consoles.
The SEGA VDP is in fact based on the TexasInstrumentsTMS9918 VDP.
The SN76489 is a TTL compatible, 4 channel Programmable Sound Generator (PSG) IC from TexasInstruments.
It's main application has been entertainment and it has been used to provide music and sound effects in games consoles, arcade hardware and home computers.
The SEGA VDP is in fact based on the TexasInstrumentsTMS9918 VDP.
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TMS9918(Site not responding. Last check: )
The difference between the TMS9918A and TMS9928A is that the '1' version outputs NTSC composite, while the '2' versions basically outputs a form of RGB.
All these chips are usually generically referred to as TMS9918.
Globaly the graphics were less colorful (although the 3 colors could be redefined every scanline to make a rainbow effect and similar).
TexasInstruments announces the impending release of UCSD Pascal for the 99/4 Home Computer.
The TI-99 appears on The Mike Douglas Show the week of July 6th when TexasInstruments employees Ralph Oliva, Alecia Helton and Diane Musha, and students Niky Murphy and Susie Murphy from the Lamplighter School in Dallas, Texas, demonstrate TI Logo and other educational applications that are supported by the Home Computer.
TexasInstruments announces the Course Designer Authoring software package for the TI-99/4 Home Computer that also has the TI Video Controller.
