Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news
From: sceetech <ps_yaroze@interactive.sony.com>
Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.freetalk.english
Subject: Re: Transfers to video mem
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 10:45:37 +0100
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Jim wrote:
> 
> *Warning*
> Bone head question coming up!
> 
> I really don't know if I am missing something here, but...
> 
> When I upload my code/data via siocons I have to transfer all tims/vabs
> to main memory first essentially creating a huge foot print of unused
> memory once it has been transferred to video/wave memory.  Can I
> directly transfer tims to video memory? Saving myself some main ram?
> 


You're definitely right about the potential for saving
lots of memory space; and not just TIMs.
Of the main resource file types, TIM, TMD, SEQ, VH, VB,
only TMD and VH need to stay in main memory (I think),
hence the space used by the others can be reclaimed as soon
as an initialiser function has transferred data into a
specific buffer (eg VRAM, SRAM).


> Alternatively I thought I could upload my code and start it off first,
> and get that to assume the role of mon.exe thereby accepting all data
> and shifting it to its respective location and then loading the tmd data
> over the tim upload area.  How does this sound?  Am I missing something
> really simple?  From what I can see is if I have .5mb of tims this area
> would also be wasted in main ram even though it is not require to be
> there.
> 
> Now to do this I guess I will need to know how siocons communicates with
> mon.exe and how it creates the checksums.  In what format does siocons
> store its info on the memory card.  So I could set the tty at the same
> speed without having a menu etc..
> 
> These are just idle ramblings, what do you think?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Jim



Don't know what you mean by 'mon.exe' at all.

Have much better news for you: the direct binary downloading
which can be invoked by program code under CodeWarrior,
is soon to be built into the siocons setup.
Hence, Yaroze program code will soon be able to say

(context: many things loaded into main RAM by siocons batch file)

load all the TIMs onto frame buffer
(calls to LoadImage and DrawSync(0))
load more data files into newly vacated space ....



We are awaiting news of developments, will let everyone know
with sample code as soon as we have it working.



Lewis