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General Category => Emulators => Topic started by: Devilmarkus on 13:56, 06 June 09

Title: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Devilmarkus on 13:56, 06 June 09
Hi together,
as I was searching for CPC-emulators, I found a website for the GP2X emulator (http://zx81.zx81.free.fr/serendipity/index.php?/categories/42-Amstrad).

This emulator uses compressed .SNA files (.SNZ)

These files are GZip compressed.

Now I coded a bit in JavaCPC and found out, that also WAV and DSK files could be easily GZip compressed.
So I decided to create compressed .DSK (.DSZ) and also compressed .WAV tapes (.TAZ)

JavaCPC can read and write these formats.

Now my suggestion is:
Include this feature in other emulators, too...
(Or does this already exist???)

I will attach 3 files as zip:
- cybernoid.snz (compressed 64k snapshot, 27k instead of 64k)
- deathwish3.dsz (compressed dsk, 46k instead of 192k)
- gryzor.taz (compressed WAV tape, 265k instead of 13mb)

Would be great, if other emulators could support these files, too.

Cheers,
Markus
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: mahlemiut on 16:00, 06 June 09
Not really much different from simply putting the relevant file in a ZIP file.  Most emulators support ZIP files, at least for disk images. 

MESS, for example, treats ZIP files as folders, and can be used for all device types (DSK, WAV, CDT, CPR, BIN, SNA).
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Devilmarkus on 17:50, 06 June 09
Quote from: mahlemiut on 16:00, 06 June 09
Not really much different from simply putting the relevant file in a ZIP file.  Most emulators support ZIP files, at least for disk images. 

MESS, for example, treats ZIP files as folders, and can be used for all device types (DSK, WAV, CDT, CPR, BIN, SNA).

In reading zipped DSK you are right...
But I am talking about writing these media to harddisk.
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Octoate on 23:03, 06 June 09
Quote from: CPC-Live on 17:50, 06 June 09
In reading zipped DSK you are right...
But I am talking about writing these media to harddisk.
Where is the difference with writing to the DSK Images? You can changes files within a ZIP file, too.
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Devilmarkus on 00:17, 07 June 09
Quote from: Octoate on 23:03, 06 June 09
Where is the difference with writing to the DSK Images? You can changes files within a ZIP file, too.

Sorry, I don't know an emulator writing disc.zip as disk image... ;-)
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Octoate on 12:55, 07 June 09
Quote from: CPC-Live on 00:17, 07 June 09
Sorry, I don't know an emulator writing disc.zip as disk image... ;-)
That's a question of the implementation of an emulator. If you would allow it, then it is definitively possible to do that. That's why I don't see the advantages of a new compressed file format.
And what about games which contain more than one disk? In a ZIP container, I can combine them - with the compressed DSK you have all those files seperatly on the HDD.
Title: Re: Suggestion for emu-coders: GZip compression
Post by: Gryzor on 18:38, 13 June 09
Indeed, I tend to agree; it's not about the format, it's about the functionality. When you've got hundreds and hundreds of dsk images, they tend to eat up quite some space needlessly. ZIP, Gzip or RAR would all do...
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