Texas Instruments TMS9918-derived VDP
E739775
The Texas Instruments TMS9918-derived VDP is a video display processor used in early home computers and game consoles that expanded on the original TMS9918’s tile- and sprite-based graphics capabilities.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | video display processor ⓘ |
| basedOn | Texas Instruments TMS9918 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| busInterface | 8-bit host interface ⓘ |
| colorPaletteSize | 16 colors (typical, TMS9918 family) ⓘ |
| controlInterface | control registers ⓘ |
| designedFor | low-cost home systems ⓘ |
| feature |
character tiles
ⓘ
color tables ⓘ graphics mode ⓘ hardware scrolling support (model-dependent) ⓘ hardware sprites ⓘ multicolor mode ⓘ multiple screen modes ⓘ name tables ⓘ pattern tables ⓘ text mode ⓘ |
| generation | 8-bit era ⓘ |
| graphicsArchitecture |
sprite-based graphics
ⓘ
tile-based graphics ⓘ |
| influenced |
MSX VDP architecture
ⓘ
later tile/sprite-based console GPUs ⓘ |
| introduced | early 1980s (family timeframe) ⓘ |
| limitation |
fixed 16-color palette (family characteristic)
ⓘ
limited sprites per scanline ⓘ no hardware bitmap scrolling in base design ⓘ |
| manufacturer | Texas Instruments NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| maxSpritesOnScreen | 32 sprites (typical, TMS9918 family) ⓘ |
| maxSpritesPerScanline | 4 sprites (typical, TMS9918 family) ⓘ |
| memoryAccess | indirect register-based VRAM access ⓘ |
| optimization | efficient 2D graphics rendering ⓘ |
| outputSignal |
NTSC or PAL (variant-dependent)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
composite video (typical, TMS9918 family) ⓘ |
| supports |
hardware sprite priority
ⓘ
interrupt generation on vertical blank ⓘ sprite collision detection flag ⓘ |
| targetCPUPlatforms |
TMS9900-based systems (e.g., TI-99/4A)
ⓘ
Z80-based systems (e.g., MSX, ColecoVision, SG-1000) ⓘ |
| technology | NMOS integrated circuit ⓘ |
| usedIn |
ColecoVision game console (TMS9928A-derived VDP)
ⓘ
MSX home computers (TMS9918A-derived VDPs) ⓘ Sega SG-1000 game console (TMS9918A-derived VDP) NERFINISHED ⓘ TI-99/4A home computer (TMS9918A VDP) NERFINISHED ⓘ early game consoles ⓘ early home computers ⓘ |
| vramInterface | separate video RAM ⓘ |
| vramSize | 16 KB VRAM (typical, TMS9918 family) ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.