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Loading color bitmap images

Pedro SantosPedro Santos Posts: 3
edited 2006-08-26 00:10 in Propeller 1
Hello

I'm new here and very intersting in propeller chip and have some questions

It's possible to save color bmp images in external eeprom and load it to the propeller chip and show it in the vgalcd or video lcd?
It's possible to store voice messages in the chip and played it?

who can I get the syntax from the SPIN language?


Thank You

visitac

Post Edited By Moderator (Chris Savage (Parallax)) : 8/25/2006 2:09:09 PM GMT

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2006-08-25 14:21
    It is possible to do both things, but you would have to write your own program to do it. There are routines that can read and write to EEPROM and these can be used to copy the image from the vga video display buffer. It takes perhaps as much as 15-30 seconds to do this, so it may not accomplish what you want. It's also possible to store voice messages, but the only development work done so far is copying sound from the Demo Board's microphone to its audio output (as a demonstration of A/D and D/A conversions) and some experimentation in sound synthesis. There are no existing programs to record and playback sound.
  • Pedro SantosPedro Santos Posts: 3
    edited 2006-08-25 15:42
    Hello Mike

    What is the time handicap? the read from the eeprom or to fill the video display buffer

    1)
    I have a application with a lcd 128x64 that i can read a black and white bmp from the eeprom
    (the 1024 bytes = 128x64 pixel) and show it instantanly on the lcd, what I want is to substitute
    the lcd with the propeller chip and the vbga/video lcd solution to do that
    Must I forget the propeller chip solutions to doe this or is it possible?

    2)
    Is possible to read one mpeg4 or other video from a MMC card and show it on the vga/video lcd with the propeller chip?

    Thank You

    Regards

    Pedro
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2006-08-25 17:13
    1) The video display buffer is simply an area in the main 32K RAM. Theoretically, you could read from EEPROM at about 40Kb/sec. I haven't timed the maximum rate using assembly language, but it's at least 20Kb/sec. If you have to do any processing at all to prepare the data for display, like if it's compressed or has to be rearranged, the rate slows way down because you're not just reading the data into the buffer. With the small image you're talking about, there shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking in terms of 16K or more data with some color information.

    2) There were some routines posted here some weeks ago for reading from an MMC card. I don't know their maximum transfer rate. The main problem with SD/MMC cards is supporting a standard FAT file structure. There is some 3rd party hardware that completely handles this at fairly low cost (approx $40) and low power, but I don't know the maximum data transfer rate possible (see <http://www.saelig.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FF003&Category_Code=FF>).
    Video decompression (like MPEG4) is a whole other area. I'm not familiar enough with the details to say whether the Propeller can do this. Given the small images you're talking about, it seems likely. You'd have to write your own decompression routines.
  • HarleyHarley Posts: 997
    edited 2006-08-25 17:33
    Mike,

    Why are your comments, answers, etc. so often NOT displayed on these forums, yet your name appears as last one who commented (on the main forum page)?

    Don't be shy! Let others be helped by your responses. It is very frustrating to see something of interest only to find your responses are not shown. Do you realize how selfish this appears?

    I've even seen this happen once to my query. Your name appeared as if a response would be listed, yet NOTHING appears.

    Does anyone else also find this happening? roll.gif Wouldn't you also like to view what might have helped someone?

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Harley Shanko
    h.a.s. designn
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-08-25 18:42
    Harley,

    This sounds more like a caching issue with your browser than anything that's happening on the forum. Next time this happens, try doing a page refresh, and I'll bet new posts will appear. Also, if you click the little "last post" icon ( lastpost.gif ) instead of the thread link, you'll be taken right to the next post that you haven't yet read, and no page refresh should be necessary.

    -Phil
  • HarleyHarley Posts: 997
    edited 2006-08-25 20:44
    Thanks Phil for the suggestion, but it didn't help. confused.gif

    I looked at several which had Mike's name for last reply; none of his messages showed up!!!

    Phil, look at Rich M's post yesterday. It shows Mike Green posted at 2:02 pm, yet the 'Replies" column show '0' replies and I find no reply to Rich M's question. Do you also see a '0' reply entry?

    I'd not noticed anyone else's reply not being displayed. Maybe this has been happening unnoticed; me thinking 'private messages' were taking place out of sight. Could it be my 'old' iMac Internet Explorer (5.1) doesn't see something some people's computer posts? (Time for a new iMac, eh? hop.gif )

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Harley Shanko
    h.a.s. designn
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-08-25 21:03
    Harley,

    No problems here. The main screen show one reply, and Mike's shows up when I click the thread. This is with Opera on an iMac, BTW. The only other thing I can think of is that your ISP may be caching pages. Mine did that for awhile, and I had the same kinds of problems you're reporting. It may be worth checking with them about it.

    -Phil
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-08-25 23:37
    Harley,

    Here's another possibility: You (or your cat, if you have one -- always blame the cat if you can smile.gif ) may have accidentally put Mike on your "ignore list" by clicking the "thumbs down" logo on one of his posts. To fix it go to your member control panel, and click "Edit Ignored Users". If his name shows up in that window, follow the instructions to remove him from your ignore filter.

    -Phil
  • HarleyHarley Posts: 997
    edited 2006-08-26 00:10
    Thank you again Phil.

    Apparently at some time I'd clicked on a wrong spot; found I'd 'ignored' two people. nono.gif

    First, apologies to Pedro Santos for 'butting in' on your part of the forum. redface.gif

    And, apologies to Mike Green also; all of a sudden I noticed many references to you, but no messages were appearing, even a '0 for your reply not appearing. With so much NEW STUFF to get acquainted to (Propeller, manuals, IDE, Emoticons, etc.) it takes a while to absorb the many details. blush.gif

    Hopefully, this embarassing exercise will also be helpful to others. OK, let's all get back to the fun work. jumpin.gif

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Harley Shanko
    h.a.s. designn
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