8-bit Computer TV Channel Use

[Christopher Parish]

> ...
> His mention of a line buffer is already my "Oh, duh!" moment 
> about how to use cheaper external SDRAM instead of on-FPGA 
> dual-port memories for the frame buffer. The dual-port memories 
> are very convenient, but having enough to form a frame buffer 
> pushes the design up into over-$100 FPGAs.
> 
> Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> http://www.nf6x.net/

Don't forget that most FPGA block RAMs can be accessed in a dual ported manner even if they aren't physically laid out that way.  Depending on the color space and resolution, most FPGAs should be able to satisfy the RAM requirements for a framebuffer.  I know the Xilinx ones provide the required IP for free, and I'm sure other manufacturers do as well.  Depending on how much RAM you need, external memory could be the most cost effective approach anyway.

Christopher