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computer science

RealMagic

RealMagic is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RealMagic rather than just read about it. In short: RealMagic (or ReelMagic), from Sigma Designs, was one of the first fully compliant MPEG playback boards on the market in the mid-1990s. RealMagic is a hardware-accelerated MPEG decoder that mixes its video stream into a computer video card's output through the video card's feature connector.

RealMagic — main illustration
RealMagic — illustration

Key takeaways

  • RealMagic belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect RealMagic to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of RealMagic from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RealMagic (or ReelMagic), from Sigma Designs, was one of the first fully compliant MPEG playback boards on the market in the mid-1990s. RealMagic is a hardware-accelerated MPEG decoder that mixes its video stream into a computer video card's output through the video card's feature connector. It is also a SoundBlaster-compatible sound card.

Sigma Design's Realmagic superseded by

Realmagic Hollywood+ Realmagic XCard Realmagic NetStream2000 - 4000 Several software companies in 1993 promised to support the card, including Access, Interplay, and Sierra. Software written for RealMagic includes:

Under a Killing Moon Gabriel Knight Return to Cyber City King's Quest VI Dragon's Lair Police Quest IV Return to Zork J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I The above titles were on a REELMAGIC demo CD that came with the hardware. The CD also contained corporate promotion videos, training videos, and news footage of John F. Kennedy and the Apollo Moon mission. Also included in the bundle was a complete version of The Horde, published by Crystal Dynamics in 1994. Another compatible game, released separately, was Merit Software's The Psychotron.

References

Illustrations

RealMagic: The Sigma Designs RealMagic ISA MPEG decoder card
The Sigma Designs RealMagic ISA MPEG decoder card
RealMagic: Hollywood Plus with EM8300
Hollywood Plus with EM8300

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RealMagic

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RealMagic claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RealMagic before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RealMagic ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RealMagic

In research
RealMagic appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses RealMagic in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
RealMagic is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer graphics stubs, Computer hardware stubs, Graphics cards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for RealMagic outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RealMagic in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what RealMagic means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain RealMagic out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RealMagic in simple terms?

RealMagic (or ReelMagic), from Sigma Designs, was one of the first fully compliant MPEG playback boards on the market in the mid-1990s. RealMagic is a hardware-accelerated MPEG decoder that mixes its video stream into a computer video card's output through the video card's feature connector.

Why does RealMagic matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RealMagic?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RealMagic.

Tags

  • Computer graphics stubs
  • Computer hardware stubs
  • Graphics cards

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