The Atari Falcon

What is the Atari Falcon? Well... this is what Atari sent me when I asked them for information about it. Enhanced models are also produced by C-lab, and also by tecnation.

Design Features

The Atari Falcon030 is the first of a new generation of Personal Computers designed to deliver a level of speed and power usually associated with workstations. Based on the powerful Motorola 68030 32-bit processor, the Atari Falcon030 also incorporates a specialized 32 MHz Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip. This means that in addition to the processing power generated by the 68030, by incorporating the DSP we have an architecture which allows two powerful processors to work together each doing the task to which it is best suited, so delivering up to 10 times more power than today's popular home computers.

The DSP chip is already a standard feature in some workstations and is especially valuable for sound and video manipulation. Capabilities include graphic equalization, surround sound and special effects such as flange, chorus and reverb, as well as many other features other than sound manipulation. In addition the DSP makes voice recognition and speech synthesis possible.

The Falcon030 can display more than 65,000 colours and has a palette of over one quarter of a million colours. The graphics co-processor is built in as standard removing more of the strain from the main processor. There are three video modes, Composite video, VGA and TV modulated output. the top screen resolution in true colour is 768x480.

Another Atari Falcon030 advantage is its direct memory access (DMA). As well as being used to communicate with standard peripherals (Hard Disks, CD-Roms, tape streamers etc), DMA is also utilized by the complete sound system. It is possible to record 8 channel 16 bit stereo data and play back a different 4 channels of 16 bit stereo data simultaneously using the sound DMA. All this is independent of any other processor or task. (It is possible to do something else at the same time!!)

Performance Objectives

Atari designed the Falcon030 specifically for use as a personal communications tool, to enable the development of the personal media market and to enhance Atari's reputation as a provider of entertainment/leisure systems.

Having produced the hardware we are completing exciting new software applications in the following areas :-

Personal Communication

Voice and data communications have been revolutionized in the last decade and more changes are on the way. The Atari Falcon030 can make new technology available to users at a fraction of the previous cost. From graphically enhanced bulletin-board communications and Fax engines to personalised voice mail messages and interactive video phone systems. The DSP is capable of acting as a software modem, and so, modems need no longer be purchased.

High Quality Audio

MIDI is the worldwide standard that allows technology products to communicate with today's musical instruments, recording devices and stage lighting. Atari made the first computers to offer a built in MIDI interface. Now we have added the next logical step: Integrated, high quality, digital audio. Whether you are a musician who requires the ultimate sound track for a video production or a speech therapist rehabilitating children, the Atari Falcon030 digital audio capabilities can provide the answer to your needs.

Movie Quality Desktop Video

With the Atari Falcon030 users can explore new avenues in home video, from inserting titles and credits, to professional quality editing. They can create music videos, cartoons and school presentations. The Super VGA graphics and true colour 16-bit mode provide innumerable colour options and accepts external video sync for high quality genlocking. Falcon030 also uses a unique overlay mode for effortless titling and special effects.

Animation

Animated messages or full cartoons can be created quickly and easily on Falcon030, ideal for attention grabbing or simplified learning or just for fun.

Text and Business Presentations

The speed and power of the Falcon030 alone make it a superb machine for simple monochrome business applications, but add the audio, video and animation facilities together with the telecommunication opportunity and you could achieve business presentations beyond belief to anywhere in the world. The Falcon030 has a VME bus, for which 286 and 486 PC emulators are being produced open up the wide range of PC software available to Falcon030 users.

Better Than Arcade Quality Games

Of course, it goes without saying that all that power, all those colours, all that speed, all the animation and speech possibilities make for the most impressive games you will have ever seen, but....we'll say it anyway.

Personal Media

Multi Media, the presentation of various sources of information on screen and the ability to merge and output them as one document or transmission, has become an important part of business administration. This type of application has previously be unavailable to the home computer user, but the Falcon030 now allows these same facilities to be applied to personal use. With Personal Media applications the opportunity for personal expression becomes unlimited and the Falcon030 becomes a genuinely useful domestic tool.

Operation System Features

The Falcon030 has built in ROM chips containing the Operating System - it need not be loaded in from (hard) disk on boot up. This latest version of TOS (4.0) is a high powered mouse driven interface which is comparable to the Apple Macintosh's environment (only more powerful). Also supplied with the Falcon030 is MultiTOS which allows pre-emptive multitasking (the ability to run more than one program at once.)

Atari Falcon030 Technical Specifications System Architecture

Digital Signal Processor

Expansion Bus

Graphics Sound

Standard Ports

Data Storage

User Interface

Internal Expansion

System software

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Anthony Jacques : jacquesa@zetnet.co.uk