I got all excited yesterday. My Speech & Sound pak arrived, well packed, from the eBay seller. Got it home last night powered up the PC, the re-pack and the 512k CoCo3 and MPI. On the PC I was running Keil's emulator and MESS, making some floppies to test out the SS/C. This combined with the repack and 'The Beast' as I call the 512k machine with all accessories on, looked cool as hell. (Think The Matrix in 8-bit). I probably don't have to mention how disappointed I was in the SS/C. Briza tried to warn me. He even talked me into doing an article on the CoCo3 vs. TI-99/4A computers and their speech capability. In this area I'm sad to say the CoCo3 got it's ass handed too it by the TI. That's all I'll say for now as the article is still being written.
So, if anybody out there in the CoCo 'verse has one of the better speech cartridges (Super Voice, Real Talker or whatever), and would be willing to be a contributer to an article for Mary's CoCoNutz e-zine, please contact me. I'm pretty much wrapped up with the TI vs. SS/C comparison, so I need some info on the other devices. I am not asking to be sent the device (unless you are willing to part with it, of course). Just asking for someone willing to do a review of one of the alternatives vs. the Tandy/RS SS/C that I can add to my article.
Later,
Brian
So, if anybody out there in the CoCo 'verse has one of the better speech cartridges (Super Voice, Real Talker or whatever), and would be willing to be a contributer to an article for Mary's CoCoNutz e-zine, please contact me. I'm pretty much wrapped up with the TI vs. SS/C comparison, so I need some info on the other devices. I am not asking to be sent the device (unless you are willing to part with it, of course). Just asking for someone willing to do a review of one of the alternatives vs. the Tandy/RS SS/C that I can add to my article.
Later,
Brian
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5 comments:
Alas, the TI's speech is considerably better than Tandy's offering. I do have Real Talker pak, but no manual and no software to go with it, so I haven't heard it chatter yet. If someone has the manual (and programing examples) perhaps they'll share it. :) Looking forward to the article. Perhaps something better can be put together for our little friend.
Angel's Luck,
Capt.
I've got briza looking for the docs for the Real Talker. I'd be surprised if he didn't have it. Listening to Sinistaar, I know the CoCo can do better. I'm envisioning two parts to this article. One is a basic comparison of the two computers and their strengths and weaknesses, and the other is a comparison of the speech capabilities. I'd like to have something other than 'got it's ass handed to it' to say about the CoCo...
Brian
Oooohhh! Debate!!!! :) Are you going to try to compare a TI 99/4A to a CoCo 3? Or the contemporary CoCo 1/2?
Pretty sure one could argue fairly certainly, box-to-box, that a CoCo 3 monkey stomps a 99/4A. :) The 1/2, on the other hand, is going to degenerate into a "design philosophy" debate. I mean really, a hobbled TMS 9900 vs a shiny new, super slick, utterly unfettered 6809E? Seriously. [insert evil grin here.]
(Ok, technically there's the better sound, the 16 color graphics, an impressive expansion capability, and Car Wars for the 99/4A... but... well.. ok, those ARE pretty good. ahem. Um, didn't it max out at 48K, though? heh...)
Angel's Luck,
Capt
Hehe.. your right on all counts. The TI-99/4A NEEDS all 3.3Mhz to keep up with even the CoCo 1/2 cycle for cycle.In order to get that TMS 9900 to play with the 8-bit architecture, it takes two cycle plus an added wait state to complete a cycle (there was a hardware hack to aleviate this by about 30%, but if we're going to do that, I'll call in the 6309 and NitrOS-9). This certianly helps the CoCo 1/2 compete, but, I don't think it's enought to top the TI until the CoCo3 comes to the ring. Then it's a slobberknocker with the CoCo3 coming out on top.
Had Tandy included a better VDG and hardware sound, then thing would certainly be different. Artifact colors and a 1-bit DAC just do not make up for 16 colors and 3 voice sound.
Overall, I feel the CoCo3 is far superior to the TI, in part due to TI themselves. I'll wait until the article is complete to let you know how the CoCo 1/2 compare. You'll get to proof it since you're a defacto part of the literary community ;-)...
Later,
Brian
Hi Guys.
Yeah we were short changed by Tandy when it comes to the SSC pack. If it had been built into the coco 3, then it would have been bug free.
But Tandy sold it in a pack for the Coco 1,2 and it was just plain useless. SO far the voice still sounds the same . It sounds like someone is talking thru a rolled up newspaper. It is that flat.
But then I was lucky. I got my Pack from a old time coco user. Plus a whole heap of other stuff.
And none of it cost me 1 cent
laters
Briza
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