Can you summarize the significant differences between the Intel® Embedded Graphics Drivers and the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (formerly known as the Intel® Extreme Graphics Driver)?
The Intel® Embedded Graphics Drivers (IEGD) were created specifically for embedded platforms, offering an adaptable alternative to drivers designed for the desktop and mobile market segments. IEGD offers Intel's embedded customers extended life support that correlates with the extended life support of Embedded IA-32 silicon products. IEGD differentiates itself through its configurability and support of unique embedded market segment requirements, including an unprecedented support of advanced display combinations and non-standard display dimensions (Intel® Dynamic Display Technology) and embedded operating systems such as Microsoft* XP Embedded and WinCE, while delivering comparable 3D performance to that of the GMA graphics solution, and performance advantages to open source graphics solutions. The Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) driver is designed for mainstream desktop and laptop usage models focusing on 3D performance and ease of use.
What are the enhancements added to the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers? Release 8.0:
The IEGD 8.0 release contains the following new features and capabilities in addition to those in 7.0:
Additional stability and reliability through the closure of known errata
Improved 3D performance
Intel(R) Q35 Express chipset support (2D only)
Windows CE software Vertex processing support
D3DM on Windows CE 5.0 and 6.0 for Q965 and GME965
Second Overlay support added for Q965, GME965 and Q35
Text Enhancement/Tuning option for SDVO
VGA Bypass for second CRT with CH7021 (+HD TV) and CH7317
Preliminary HDMI support with CH7315 (no HDCP or AUdio Sync)
Dual DVI with CH7319/CH7320 (no HDCP)
SETUP "silent install" option with "setup -s"
OS Support Changes:
Adds Fedora Core 6 and 7
Adds SUSE 10+ (SP1 and others)
Adds IEGD Kernel Module for Linux (kernel agnostic GART and DRM interface)
Drops Windows 2000 (no longer validated)
Release 7.0:
The IEGD 7.0 release contains the following new features and capabilities in addition to those in 6.1:
Greatly improved stability, reliability, and performance
Adds support for Mobile Intel® GME965 chipset
– 2D, D3D, and OpenGL 1.5
Adds OGL 1.5 on Q965
Adds support for Mobile Intel® 910GMLE chipset
Internal LVDS 24 bit support for chipsets that support it
D3D Mobile for Microsoft Windows* CE 5.0 & 6.0
– Vertex Processing is currently not supported
Module/configuration file names changed to better identify the driver as "IEGD"
New configuration format (see the User's Guide for details) expands the versatility of the configuration format (backwards compatibility is maintained)
Drops Intel® 845 family chipsets
Drops PCF2IEGD utility and PCF file configuration method
OS Support Changes:
Adds Microsoft Windows* CE 6.0
Adds Novell* Linux Point of Service (POS) 9
Adds Damn Small Linux (DSL) for all supported chipsets
Drops validated support for Windows CE 4.2, Red Hat 9, and Fedora Core 2
Release 6.1
The IEGD 6.1 release contains the following new features and capabilities in addition to those in 6.0:
New Configuration Editor (CED) that allows easier pre-installation configuration and generation of the drivers and VBIOS
Adds D3D support on Intel® 945G Express chipset and Mobile Intel® 945GM Express chipset
Three display capability
Render scaling
Adds Rotation support for Microsoft Windows CE*
OpenGL 1.4 support for Mobile Intel 945GM Express and Intel 945G Express chipsets
OS Support Changes:
Adds Support for Linux* Fedora Core 5
Release 6.0
The IEGD 6.0 release contains the following new features and capabilities:
Support for the Intel® Q965 chipset (Gen4 graphics support)
New Configuration Editor GUI (Beta version, available to qualified OEMs through your Premier Support account: premier.intel.com) that allows pre-installation configuration of the IEGD
OS Support Changes:
Support for Damn Small Linux (DSL)
Release 5.1
The IEGD 5.1 release contains the following new features and capabilities:
New Configuration Editor GUI (Beta version, available to qualified OEMs through your Premier Support account: premier.intel.com) that allows pre-installation configuration of the IEGD
Support for Texas Instruments* TFP410 encoder
Triple Independent Display with External PCI Device
Overlay Support through new PCF parameter
Centering & Scaling enhancements for the following:
- Upscaling support for Chrontel* CH7017 & 7308
- EDID LVDS
- Alignment in Clone Mode
- DVO as Primary
New No_DFB PCF parameter that improves performance in certain situations
Color Control API on Internal LVDS and External Encoder
GangDVO (for NS387R encoder)
OS Support Changes:
Support for Microsoft Windows* Embedded for Point of Service OS (WEPOS)
Support for SUSE Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 with kernel 2.6.13.15 and XFree86 6.8.2 X-Server with KDE
OpenGL functionality for all Linux: OGL 1.3 for Intel 845, 852 and 855 family chipsets and OGL 1.4 for Intel 915 family chipsets
Release 5.0
The 5.0 release contains the following new features and capabilities:
Support for the Intel® 945G and 945GM Chipsets (2D capabilities only)
Support for the Intel® 852GM Chipset
Support for the Silicon Image* Sil 1362 and Sil 1364 Serial SDVO transmitters
Dual Digital Transmitter Support on Serial DVO
Enhanced Clone mode support for use with different sized displays
Ability to use PCI based graphics as the primary display and integrated graphics as a secondary display
Ability to configure port names used in the Runtime GUI
Ability to change resolution/refresh rates for Clone displays in the Runtime GUI
Expanded 2D Acceleration in Microsoft Windows CE.NET (4.2 and 5.1)
Support for SUSE Enterprise Server (SLES) 9
Support for Microsoft * Windows* XP SP2
Release 4.1
The IEGD 4.1 release has the same features and capabilities as the 4.0 release, with numerous errata corrected, primarily focused on issues with Microsoft Direct3D support. The 4.1 release primarily contains fixes to errata in the 4.0 release. See the errata document included with the release packages for details on specific fixes.
Release 4.0
This release contains the following new features and capabilities:
Support for Intel® 915GV and 915GM Chipsets
Support for Chrontel* CH7307 and CH7308 Serial SDVO transmitters
Improved 2D and 3D Performance
Advanced configuration options for support of EDID and EDID-less displays
Driver control of default VGA modes
Auto-enabled Bus Mastering system BIOS setting
Support for Microsoft* Windows* CE .NET version 5.1
Vertically extended display support in Microsoft* Windows* CE. NET
What is the difference between the 3.2.1 VBIOS and the current new VBIOS? Which should I use?
Both the 3.2.1 VBIOS and the latest released VBIOS are supported with the current version of the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers. The latest VBIOS is a new video BIOS that has been developed from the ground up and reuses much of the same foundation implemented for the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers. The 3.2.1 VBIOS utilizes legacy assembly code that has been supported for many years. Intel continues to support this legacy VBIOS for customers who do not need the new capabilities of the latest VBIOS and only want to upgrade the driver. For new designs, Intel recommends using the new VBIOS. It has the following updated capabilities:
An improved User Build System. It is fully configurable with the GUI based Configuration Editor (CED) which now uses Open Watcom* compiler version 1.3 or later.
Additional support of DVO devices. It supports all DVO devices that are supported in the driver, where the 3.2.1 VBOIS only supports a subset of devices.
Concurrent driver and VBIOS feature enhancements. Since the new VBIOS utilizes the same code as the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers, features that are implemented and supported for the driver are ensured to also be available for the VBIOS. NOTE: Future enhancements will be made to the new VBIOS versions, and not the 3.2.1 legacy VBIOS.
Expanded support for multiple display configurations. The new VBIOS now supports similar display combinations that are available in the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers. The expanded DVO device support provides additional options for multiple digital display configurations. The new VBOIS also has the similar multi-platform configuration capabilities as the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers. There are some configuration limitations due to the size restriction of the VBIOS. Contact your Intel representative for the details of those limitations.
Is there an errata or Spec Update available?
Yes. Starting with the IEGD 7.0 release, the errata doc has been expanded to be a Software Spec Update format adding additional details on any known issues. It is also simplified to contain just the known open issues. It is available from the Intel Download Center along with the driver release, or from your IEGD enabled Premier Support account in the downloads section.
What is the Configuration Editor (CED)?
CED is a Graphical User Interface "Point and click" configuration editor for the IEGD. It replaces the more cumbersome and manual PCF configuration method of configuring and building IEGD. It helps make setting up and building the various driver elements including VBIOS much easier. It replaces the PCF / PCF2IEGD configuration process. Online help and logically grouped features, plus error checking assure your configuration is right the first time built.
Will this driver work on regular Desktop/Mobile platforms with the same chipsets?
Yes, but the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers are not replacements for the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers were specifically designed to address the unique needs of the embedded graphics market segment, thus offer a unique functionality that may be different than that of the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator.
Where can I get detailed roadmap information (dates, features, etc.)?
Roadmaps and future releases are forward looking plans subject to adjustments for new technologies and customer/market requests. Contact your Intel representative for more information.
I need support for a chipset or O/S not listed as being supported by the current driver, what can I do?
If the chipset or O/S is an older one, there may be an older IEGD version that supports it. If the chipset is in the same family as one currently listed as being supported, please contact an Intel representative to discuss your "on-roadmap" vs. "off-roadmap" chipset support options.
How long will this driver be supported?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers will mirror support shown in the Intel Embedded Division roadmap for GMCH chipset solutions. This roadmap is available by contacting your Intel representative.
Does this Driver support OpenGL*?
YES! OpenGL 1.3 is provided for Intel 845, 852 and 855 family chipsets, OGL 1.4 for Intel 915 and Intel 945 family chipsets, and OGL 1.5 for the Intel 965 family chipsets. Please see the User's Guide for details.
Can I get source code for this driver?
No, the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers were designed so that Intel graphics chipset customers would not need access to the source code.
Where can I get user documentation in the form of users manual, data sheet, product brief, etc?
Intel has developed a comprehensive user's manual as well as a product brief, which are available at Intel® Embedded Graphics Drivers.
What features and panels are supported? Can you differentiate between VBIOS and driver capabilities?
Detailed information is available in the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide. For an overview, please reference the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers Software Product Specification or the Technical Product Specification. The Product Specifications include a complete listing of supported features, and can be found on the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers website, Intel® Embedded Graphics Drivers. Additional detailed information is available through your Intel representative.
How can the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers help with hard coding problems for flat panel displays?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers were designed to enable the customer to configure the driver to support the platform. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers can support many flat panel configurations without driver changes.
What is EDID?
Extended Display Information Data, one of the VESA standard body of standards that allow for a display to provide information to the driver for setup and configuration.
Will the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers work for EDID-less panels?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers achieve EDID-like support for EDID-less panels via configuration (via CED) and .inf files. More information is available in the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide.
Can the drivers be configured during run time of the operating system?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers have run-time APIs that allow for configuration changes in both Windows and Linux versions of the driver. Intel can also provide on request an IEGD API document / sample code that utilizes these APIs. Contact your Intel representative to request details.
How will the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers team support us?
We will be supporting our customers through the traditional Intel® Premier Support mechanism.
Will the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support multiple generations of chipsets so customers won't have to change driver with a new chipset?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support multiple generations of Intel chipsets, from the 852 chipset forward, based on the Embedded Intel® Architecture roadmap and special customer needs.
Does the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support earlier generations of Intel chipsets?
The earliest chipset with integrated graphics that is supported by the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers is the Intel® 815 chipset. The last release that supports the Intel 815 chipset was the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers release 5.1, which remains available for download. The last release that supports the Intel 845 chipset was the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers release 6.1, which also remains available for download. Please use the most recent release of the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers for later Intel chipsets with integrated graphics.
What are some of the high level differences between the Intel open source Linux graphics driver and the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers driver for Linux?
The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers:
Has Dual Independent Display capability on supported chipsets.
Has Render extension acceleration.
Has Xinerama* support on supported chipsets.
Supports image rotation
Supports advanced 3D performance
Supports an extended lifecycle support
Technical Questions
When I attempt to run CED it errors with a message indicating there is already a copy of CED running, but there is not – what do I do?
This condition can occur if CED is not properly shut down. It will leave a semaphore lock file that is designed to prevent multiple copies running. Go to the folder of the IEGD that you are running and go into the \workspace folder and delete the ".lock" file you will find there. IEGD will run after you remove that lock file.
CED takes a long time to start – what is going on?
You probably have a virus scanner set to operate at run time. CED has many files involved in loading and the virus scan will greatly slow down the launch of CED. You can either live with the delays (safest), or instruct your virus scan program to ignore everything in the IEGD directory but that should be done only at your own risk.
How do I get extended desktop on my Microsoft* Windows 2000* system?
As of IEGD 8.0 Windows 2000 is no longer validated. For older versions of IEGD, to get extended desktop on a Windows 2000 system, you should have a dual-pipe GMCH chipset for example, 83x, 85x. Ensure that "Func1" is enabled in SysBIOS. This option is available either under "Video Parameters" or "Intel GMCH settings". Configure the .inf file according to the directions in the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide and install the driver for two display adaptors. After installing and rebooting, go to "Display properties". There you will see two displays. Enable the second display for extended desktop.
Do I need to enable "Func1" of GMCH to get extended desktop?
On a Windows XP*/eXP system it is optional. But if you enable on an XP system, you have to install the driver on both adaptors.
How do I get integrated LVDS display on my system?
Integrated LVDS ports are available on the Mobile Intel chipsets. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support the following Intel Mobile chipsets: Intel 852GM chipset, Intel 852GME chipset, Intel 855GME chipset, Intel 910GMLE, Intel 915GME chipset, Intel 945GME chipset, and Intel GME965. You can get this display by properly setting the "PortOrder" to include the value for LVDS port. Based on your settings, LVDS display can be either primary display or secondary (known as extended desktop). Refer to the Intel® Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information. The new Configuration Editor also allows you to easily select and configure the integrated LVDS ports on the Intel Mobile chipsets.
Does Internal LVDS support both SPWG and OpenLDI data formats?
No, internal LVDS in all current mobile chipsets only support SPWG data formats. Other transmitters that support LVDS can support both via port driver attribute 49.
Can I configure a dual-DVO system with the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers?
Yes. GMCH drives DVO-output via DVO-ports. Based on the chipset type, the numbers of available DVO-ports are different. If your GMCH chipset has multiple DVO ports, these DVO ports can drive multiple DVO devices (for example TV encoder, DVI encoder, LVDS controller, etc.). For dual SDVO, it is necessary to specify the addresses of the two devices in your configuration.
What third party DVO and Serial DVO (SDVO) devices does IEGD support?
Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers supports a variety of DVO and SDVO devices for DVI encoding, TVOut encoding, and LVDS control. Refer to the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide and IEGD Product Brief for a specific list of supported devices.
Does Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support sharing of I2C bus across multiple DVO/SDVO devices?
Yes, but the "Data Address Byte" of the DVO devices should be different. Check the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information how to configure them. Please note that for two transmitter support it is critical to specify the I2CDAB hardware address option in the configuration for each one. Typically DVO/sDVO devices will be found on port 70h and 72h but your hardware may vary. In CED, the configuration option will be found on the DVO or sDVO Configuration page under the "I2C Settings" button an the I2C Bus Configuration section. Specify your addresses in each device's "Device Address Byte" box.
Can I configure two displays with different timings but with the same display?
Yes. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support this configuration if the GMCH has two pipes. Each pipe drives a different timing and eventually outputs to a display device. Check CLONE sections of the configurations in "Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide".
How is TWIN display different from CLONE display?
TWIN display is a display configuration in which two displays are driven by the same set of timings. Both display devices should support those timings (resolution, refresh etc), where CLONE display is a display configuration in which 2 displays can have a different set of timings; that is, each display can have different timings. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers support both TWIN and CLONE modes. See the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information.
Can I get an overlay surface on every display?
Yes, starting with IEGD 7.0 on certain chipsets, a second overlay is available as a driver feature. Note: GMCH has only one dedicated hardware overlay surface. This overlay can be attached to either one of the displays but not to both. The one exception is if you are running in TWIN, you can see the overlay image on both displays. This is because the TWIN displays share the same timings and a single pipe is driving both displays. The latest IEGD drivers simulates the hardware overlay capability on a second independent or clone display.
What drawing functions are accelerated in the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers?
See the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information.
How do I change/increase the memory graphics used? Do the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers allow runtime changes?
On a Windows XP/eXP system, this can be done from SysBIOS. For XServer* this should be done from XFree86Config or X.conf file. See the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information.
I installed the graphics driver for dual-display configuration, and it does not appear in the correct configuration (e.g., the primary and secondary display appear to be swapped). How do I fix this?
When installing or re-installing the graphics driver, switch off the extended display mode.
The default graphics driver keeps selecting the CRT to be the Primary display and the internal LVDS as the secondary display. How do I change the CRT to be the secondary display?
The .inf file needs to be configured to select which display to be used as the primary display. Refer to the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for configuration instructions.
Why do I get a green/grey window instead of the video playback on the cloned display?
This hardware limitation was eliminated starting with the 7.0 release. This used to occur because Intel chipsets have only one overlay surface to be able to display the XVideo overlay on one graphics pipe at a time. The XFree86 driver allocates the XVideo overlay to the primary display when operating with a cloned display enabled. With 7.0 driver and up, a second overlay capability has been added such that XVideo should be able to display on multiple displays. Another solution is that the XVideoBlend overlay does support multiple graphics pipes and will work when in a cloned display. In your XF86Config file, you can disable XVideo with the line 'Option "XVideo" "No"' in the driver device section. Enable XVideoBlend with the line 'Option "XVideoBlend" "Yes"'. The same restrictions apply when using a dual-independent head configuration. XVideoBlend can be enabled and display an overlay on both displays.
What is EDID-x.bin file? How is it used?
This is an older configuration capability that was available for configuring the Linux version of the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers. Although this is backwards compatible with the newer releases, it is recommended that you use more current configuration mechanisms. See the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information on the most current ways to configure the Linux version of the driver.
Why I am not getting the display attached to DVO device (for ex: Sii164)?
This is typically a configuration issue. The DVO port must be properly configured prior to installation of the driver. There also are settings that allow you to specify certain attributes, depending on what DVO device you are using. See the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers User's Guide for more information.
Can I use the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers in conjunction with a standard desktop video BIOS?
Yes, this is possible. The Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers provide the capability using the Configuration Editor to configure both the OS level driver and the Video BIOS with the same settings. Although the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers will utilize settings of the embedded Video BIOS, the OS level drivers are not dependent on the Video BIOS settings. This allows users that may not have the ability to update their system firmware to install and use the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers with their operating system. Note that the Configuration Editor will not create settings for the standard desktop Video BIOS. If you require specific capability in the Video BIOS, and want to use the standard desktop Video BIOS in conjunction with the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers, you must configure both the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers for the OS, as well as the use the BIOS Modification Program (BMP) to configure the desktop Video BIOS. Contact your Intel representative for more details.
Can I use the new Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers in conjunction with an older IEGD video BIOS?
Although not always required, it is generally a good idea to upgrade both the VBIOS and driver when an update occurs. We only test using the latest of both VBIOS and driver so there may be surprises that occur. Often there are code changes that you will want. Sometimes there are new features that require both to be updated. If you see a negative change in operation of the driver after updating just the driver and not the VBIOS, it is a good idea to try the new VBIOS also to see if there is an unexplained interaction between the old and new code.
Can I use the Intel® Extreme Graphics drivers or Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator drivers with the Intel Embedded VBIOS?
No, the standard desktop drivers are dependent on the settings in the Video BIOS, and must use the associated desktop video BIOS. The Intel Embedded VBIOS will only work with the Intel Embedded Graphics Drivers.
