Re: This can't be true...

[bieling@terra.es]

>This is not so.  In all graphics modes, a color burst is present
>(though it may not of "perfect" position or duration).  Almost
>every NTSC device is *extraordinarily* sensitive to this color
>burst, which is gated and used to phase lock a crystal oscillator
>for chroma decoding.
>In fact, there was an early change to the Apple II circuit to provide
>more isolation when the color burst was switched off (in text mode)
>so that TV monitors wouldn't pick up the tiny leak-through burst and
>go into color mode!

>As Don points out, only a *very* picky video processing system would
>fail to lock to the Apple color burst.

As Don points out, "snob" "broadcast quality" equipment may not even
try to understand when they hear "toe-may-toe"... :-)

But then Apple technical writers could have better said something like
what you said : "the Apple IIe color burst is not of "perfect"
position/duration".
Instead, they say that "The Apple IIe does not contain the color burst
element of the NTSC video signal".

Furthermore, a *black and white* video signal can be fully
"NTSC-Compliant" *without* the color burst.

The phrase: "By modulating other portions of the video signal, the
Apple IIe simulates this missing information and allows an image to be
produced on a television". What does this mean ? this phrase is a
nonsense. It is not true either. What "other portions of the video
signal" can be "modulated" to "simulate this missing information" (the
color burst) ?

(this article could have been written much better by the csa2 staff)