When you send a picture to your calculator via TI Connect CE, it super-reduces the quality to the point you can't make out much detail at all. In 2018 I discovered that the ICE coding language could display images at much higher quality! I successfully finished v1.0.0 of HD Picture Viewer using ICE in 2019. Unfortunately it was difficult to maintain and only supported up to 320x240 resolution images.

I started re-writing the entire project in C in 2020 despite knowing nothing about C. However, this broadened the program's features significantly! I added zx0 compression which unlocked support for 1080p+ pictures. I also added zooming, panning, and deleting pictures. In late 2023 I switched to C++ and pushed out v2.0.0 of HD Picture Viewer in early 2024.

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It's finished!

• Download v2.0.0! Github | TI-Planet
  
  
  
• Download v1.0.2! Github | TI-Planet | TIcalc
  Tutorial Video (v1.0.0): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1-g8oSueQg
  Teaser Video (v1.0.0): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfrK-aNWzPU
  

Want the source code?
Check out the GitHub Repository.

Need to send images from calculator to computer?
View data recovery instructions.


Example images:

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v2.0.0 C++ Rewrite ToDo:

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Higher Priority:

Add a converter for PC
Set up C++ coding environment
Add custom palette support
Add picture detection
Add zoom abilities
Add pan abilities
Add compression
Clip only edge of image
Add thumbnails
Get this into a GUI program
Make tutorial
Release

Lower Priority:

Add alphabetic sorting
Add double buffering

Long Term Features:

Add 16bpp
Add GIF animations
Allow other programs to launch images
Allow multiple compression methods
Access pictures from USB
Cache sub-images

v1.0.0 ICE ToDo:

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Get this into a GUI program
Add a converter for PC
Add custom palette support
Fix the thumbnails
Make tutorial
Add alphabetic sorting
Add double buffering
Release into Archives

Example images (v1.0.0): here and here.

v0.0.1 ICE Proof of Concept:

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This is the code for the convPNG.ini file
Note: your picture MUST be exactly 320 pixels wide and under 196 pixels tall!

Code:


This is the code to display an app var:

Code:

As I understand it, the code switches to 8bpp mode. Then it reads through the AppVar and treats every byte as a color defined by the xlibc palette. PT_ can explain how the code works better.

Example images (v0.0.1): here and here

TLM 600th post!

Wow, that is a really impressive difference. Will it just take pre-existing images sent to my calc, or will I need to resend them?

The quality is amazing! How big is the program? (And the appvar?)

From the ConvPNG code, I take that it converts the image to an appvar. I wish we could somehow make a linking program that would automatically do that since If I have to use ConvPNG every single time, it's kind of annoying.

Just a quick question. If I send an image to the calc and store it as an image (background), is it completely messed up already? As in the quality is reduced?

Is it possible at all to make a new type of image file that doesn't destroy anything, or change how saving images works, to break it down into code, to then be recalled?

This will not accept imagevars or backgroundvars. You must take an image on your computer, convert it to an app var(like jcgter said) using convPNG and the provided code for the .ini file, then send the program and app var to your calculator. Next you need to edit the uncompiled source code so it is using the correct app var, then you need to specify the width and height. I thought this would be common knowledge.
***TheLastMillennial ruuuuns
I'm kidding of course, you're good : )


Same here, I'm sure it's doable, just not worth the effort right now. Besides, you can compile multiple images at once so it's not too bad.

Sadly, yes. The quality is already messed up. :\
Um, this isn't my area of expertise, but I'll throw in what I think is possible. (Take it with a grain of salt though ) I think You could probably make a new image file, but
1. TI Connect would refuse to send it since the file extension would be different
2. Even if it did send, the calculator would have no idea what to do with it.
1.5. Also you couldn't send the file from your calculator to another calculator unless you had some ASM wizardry going on on both ends.
3. If you made a program that let the calculator view the image... what else can you do with it? (look at it's prettiness, duh)
4. Making a complex program filled with hooks to allow you to easily view and use the image and overlay a graph on it would be extremely difficult (I would think) and probably not worth the effort since the whole point would be to just use a higher quality image.

I'll try to get a tutorial up as soon as possible. Which may be in a week, or in several months.

How about the code in a program that gets converted and stored into an appvar and then deleted?


EDIT: That won't work since to get the code, I'd still have to use ConvPNG.

I think SC3 has a nice converting tool that makes nice images. It also gets the code, so maybe...

That was what I thought at first too, just use SC3! Unfortunately, SC3 doesn't convert images in the correct way for ICE to use it. Only convPNG does right now.

EDIT: It appears PT_'s code isn't ideal for this type of program. Unfortunately it only works when the width of the image is 320 pixels. Any more or less than that and it'll skew the image. Is there a piece of code that will allow any size image (within the 320x240 boundary) to be properly displayed?
The code that isn't working the way I'd like it is here:

Code:

I'm excited for a tutorial on how to get these high-quality images, as when it comes to knowledge of coding, in any language, I am a peon on the hierarchy of knowledge!

It's actually quite easy. In TLM's case, you convert an image to an appvar, send that to your calc, and use a program to display it. You can also just make your sprite your image, and display that sprite.

Happy Valentines day everybody!

Has this program been released anywhere

As you can see, the regular graph screen background has some random pixels on the top few rows.
Does anyone know why it does that?

I think it's just a lesser-known side effect of running ICE, C or ASM programs. I've seen that after running an ICE program. Just run ClrDraw to erase the pixels.

timedia: Nope, I want to make the program look and work better before I release it.

Although that may be true some of the time SM84CE, when I was browsing my storage, I was in the Yvars section and I saw 4 variables that were something like Xτ₁ through Xτ₅ that were ~21000 bytes each. They were in the RAM which didn't make any sense because I still had 130000 bytes of free RAM left, the math didn't add up. I tried to delete them but my calculator suddenly jumbled up the screen and displayed unmapped memory at the bottom, then it froze. I have no idea if that's due to the program (it hasn't happened since), due to ICE, or just a random bug, but it was weird.

uhh... the last time that happened for me, I was using a new version of Cesium with an old save file, which was what caused the corruption. Try reinstalling Cesium, and deleting the AppVar. If that doesn't work, try ICE next...

This is amazing! I've been wondering if it was possible to display HD images like that and I never realized it even though I code with ICE almost everyday! I'm looking forward to using this in my next program!

I'm glad you're excited for it! I'll have a beta out as soon as possible! My best guess is I'll have a (mostly) stable release in 2 months max.

This is a nice program. Before, if I wanted to display hi-def images, I'd convert the image into ICE compatible sprite data, and copy that to my calc in an ICE program to display. This is a much better way to do it. TLM++!!!

Sweet! I'll be looking forward to it! I think this would be great to use as a GUI background. I've been making clones of apps using ICE so having this will be an amazing upgrade.

I'm suppose to be in bed, but I have to post this before I forget.

So due to ICE and Appvar limitations, the maximum picture can only be under 64kb and within a 255x255 boundary for normal display routines. The screen is only 240 pixels tall so that makes the max picture size 255x240. I could do that size, or I could make the max image size a square 240x240.

Here is a picture of the comparison between a 255x240 (orange line) size and a 240x240 (red line) size. I overlayed it on Cesium just for comparison sake.

What would you guys like? I'm personally leaning towards the square 240x240 size since I think it'll be easiest to work with and it's not that much of a difference from 255x240.

I think the square's also the best choice. (I'm also supposed to be in bed )