This chapter presents the requirements and recommendations for display monitors, DVD playback, and video input and capture devices under the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems.
Requirements for graphics adapters and TV output capabilities are defined in the "Graphics Adapters" chapter in Part 4 of this guide. For requirements related to digital cameras and other digital image input devices, see the "Scanners and Digital Cameras" chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
This section presents the key design issues for video components under Microsoft Windows. New applications that require MPEG and other video playback for games or advanced graphics applications require high-performance support in the video hardware.
Key design issues for basic video requirements:
Key design issues for Entertainment PC 97:
This also means support for large-screen VGA monitors that offer higher resolution and better image quality than televisions offer. Large-screen VGA monitors will ensure a high-quality user experience for family-oriented and multiplayer computer entertainment applications.
For PCs at Entertainment PC 97 price level, customers expect that software should be capable of multitasking while providing more functionality and dramatically better content. Windows-based PCs can't deliver this if the CPU and PCI bus are overused. Therefore, the end-to-end video subsystem, from input source to rendering, must be capable of sustaining full quality playback and display for complex applications.
This section summarizes the requirements for video components for PC 97 system designs.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required | Required | Required |
A monitor designed for or included with a PC 97 system must be compliant with Display Data Channel Standard version 2.0, Level B (DDC2B), which defines the communication channel between the display and host system. Also, the monitor must transmit an Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) structure containing unique ID Manufacturer Name and ID Product Code identifiers, plus all required fields defined in Section 3 of Extended Display Identification Data Standard 2.0 (or higher).
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required | Required | Required |
Windows provides operating-system playback support for MPEG-1 through Microsoft ActiveMovie. To support this capability, system manufacturers are required to implement arithmetic stretching and color space conversion in their PC 97 graphics subsystems as defined in the "Graphics Adapters" chapter in Part 4 of this guide. For more information about performance and hardware requirements, see "MPEG1 Playback Requirements" later in this chapter.
If the device supports MPEG-2 acceleration, the requirements are defined in this chapter as part of the requirements for PC 97 DVD playback.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required with DVD-Video | Required with DVD-Video | Required |
All PC 97 systems that include DVD-Video support must also provide PC 97 playback support for DVD content, as defined in "DVD Playback Requirements" in this chapter.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
If implemented in a PC 97 system, video input and capture devices must meet the requirements defined in "Video Capture Requirements" in this chapter. All video input and capture devices must have WDM Imaging minidrivers that have passed WHQL testing.
This section summarizes both the basic hardware design features for video components and the specific features for PC 97.
Required |
These include the standard requirements for a Plug and Play device identifier, automated software-only settings for device configuration, standard device drivers and Windows-based installation, and icons for external connectors. For more information see the "Basic PC 97" chapter of this guide.
Note To ensure proper connection by the user between VGA monitor, SVideo, and composite cables and connectors, an icon must be added to any external connector, using vendor designs or any appropriate designs provided in Appendix A, "Icons."
This section summarizes requirements related to the design initiatives for PC 97 defined in Part 1 of this guide.
The items in this section summarize requirements for Plug and Play and other resource- and bus-related capabilities.
Required |
Each device must have a Plug and Play device identifier as required for the bus it uses, as defined in Part 3 of this guide. For example, a PCI device must comply with PCI v. 2.1 requirements and also provide a Subsystem ID and Subsystem Vendor ID, as defined in the "PCI" chapter in Part 3 of this guide.
Required |
The operating system must be capable of automatically assigning, disabling, and relocating the resources used by this device when necessary, using the method required for the related bus class. All configuration settings must be capable of being made through software, with no system reboot required. Changing or adding this device to the PC system must not require changing jumpers or switches on either the adapter or the system board to set resource assignments. In the event of an irreconcilable conflict with other devices on the system, the operating system must be able to disable the device to prevent the system from stalling. The device must not claim any resources while disabled.
Required |
If an MPEG device is implemented as a dependent device on a multifunction adapter, it must not be enumerated independently. Instead, its parent must be responsible for installing and loading its MPEG driver and updating the registry on its behalf.
This section summarizes the specific power management requirements for graphics and display devices.
Required |
The "Device Class Power Management Reference Specification" for the display device class provides definitions of the OnNow device power states (D0 - D3) for graphics adapters and monitors. The specification also covers device functionality expected in each power state and the possible Wakeup event definitions for the class, if any.
Optional |
For PC 97, the ability to cause a Wakeup event as defined in the "Device Class Power Management Reference Specification" for the display device class devices is an optional feature.
This section summarizes the requirements for video components.
Required |
The manufacturer does not need to supply a driver if a standard driver provided with the operating system can be used. If the manufacturer supplies drivers, the requirements for installation include the following:
For complete details about standard installation requirements for drivers, see "Basic PC 97" in Part 2 of this guide.
Note Monitor support for Windows is installed using a Monitor INF file, as defined in the Windows 95 and Windows NT DDKs.
Required |
Any Windows-based applications provided with the device must meet Microsoft requirements for software compatibility as indicated by the "Designed for Microsoft Windows" logo. Applications installed with the device must use a standard Windows-based installation method, as defined in the Win32 SDK.
This section summarizes the minimum requirements for all desktop systems to support MPEG-1 playback.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required | Required | Required |
MPEG-1 audio and video decode performance with ActiveMovie must be greater than or equal to 30 frames per second (fps) as measured by the Average Frame Rate Achieved property of the ActiveMovie Video Renderer.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required | Required | Required |
To support accelerated software playback of motion video, the graphics subsystem must support the following capabilities:
For Basic PC 97 and Workstation PC 97, the minimum requirement is linear or better horizontal, up/down arithmetic stretching to any size window.
For Entertainment PC 97, the minimum requirement is linear or better horizontal and bilinear or better vertical, up/down arithmetic stretching to any size window.
For more information about these requirements and other hardware acceleration requirements for the graphics subsystem, see the "Graphics Adapters" chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
Note These capabilities are not required for mobile PCs.
The items in this section are requirements related to video and audio playback capabilities for a PC system that includes a DVD-ROM device and software support for DVD-Video playback. For more information about DVD requirements, see the "Storage and Related Peripherals" chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Required with DVD | Required with DVD | Required |
All PC 97 systems that include DVD-ROM drives and support for DVD-Video playback using software or hardware audio/video decodes must provide DVD data format audio/video decoding and rendering using the Microsoft ActiveMovie multimedia architecture, according to the following guidelines:
For Entertainment PC 97, the full 15 megabit/second rate specified by the MPEG2 industry standard is required for forward compatibility with future MPEG2 streams, such as digital satellite broadcast.
DVD audio must be mixed with other PC audio streams. Microsoft recommends digital mixing.
The system must support MPEG-2 audio decode and output as follows:
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Recommended | Recommended | Required |
No MPEG-2 video frames can be dropped or duplicated during full-screen playback. This implies that the video frame rate and VGA refresh rate are locked. This requirement guarantees a user experience equivalent to lower cost, dedicated consumer-electronics devices such as DVD players and VCRs.
It is generally accepted in the video broadcast industry that any level of frame slippage will be noticeable to viewers and will be considered an annoyance compared to the smooth viewing experience provided by standard broadcast television, VCRs, and so on.
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
Recommended | Recommended | Required |
Normal background tasks that occur during foreground, full-screen DVD playback should not interfere with the audio or video playback. This applies to background tasks initiated by applications included with the PC, such as home control, and so on.
This is a critical requirement for Entertainment PC 97 designs, whose users will rely on the PC to perform normal day-to-day operations simultaneously with non-interactive (linear) movie playback. Some specific examples of operations that must not interfere with DVD playback are the following:
Note Programs that make intensive use of system resources or that are designed for interactive foreground operation are excluded from this requirement. This includes games, video and audio playback, speakerphone, and disk utilities, such as error checking, defragmentation, and virus protection.
Required |
Because of possible legal requirements to support closed captioning, DVD-Video - enabled PCs must fully support "subpictures" as defined in the DVD specification. This includes the ability to overlay an animated bitmap with the correct pixel aspect ratio onto the decoded active video with alpha blending. This might be implemented with a display adapter that has two overlay surfaces (one of which must be alpha blended), or it might be implemented by compositing in the MPEG decoder subsystem.
Required |
These are defined in the "Video Components Basic Requirements" and "PC 97 Design for Video Components" sections earlier in this chapter.
This section summarizes both the basic hardware design features for video capture and the specific features for PC 97. Video capture and playback are not required for PC 97. However, if this feature is implemented, the requirements in this section must be met.
For requirements related to digital cameras and other digital image input devices, see the "Scanners and Digital Cameras" chapter in Part 4 of this guide.
Recommended |
If the video capture device supports wave audio capture, it must support the waveform audio command set defined in the Win32 SDK.
Recommended |
Genlock capabilities are recommended to prevent problems that occur when there is no clock communication between video and audio cards. Notice that in professional video, the audio clock is usually derived from the video clock.
Recommended |
Time code is a standard representation of time developed for the video and film industries. Time code is an absolute time format expressed in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames as required by frame-accurate video editing applications.
Required |
Each video input or capture device must have a WDM imaging minidriver that has passed WHQL testing.
Required |
These are defined in the "Video Components Basic Requirements" and "PC 97 Design for Video Components" sections earlier in this chapter.
This section lists the hardware requirements and PC 97 features for desktop monitors.
Required |
With the following higher resolutions, a larger desktop area can be displayed, more applications can be shown on the display at once, individual windows can be larger, applications can be fully displayed side by side, and so on.
Note These specific monitor sizes are not listed as recommended or required, but included merely to show the resolution rates expected from various monitor sizes.
Required; recommended for LCD |
The Image Color Matching (ICC) APIs and functionality for Windows 95 are described in the Windows 95 SDK and DDK on MSDN. Windows supports using color profiles that comply with the ICC Profile Format Specification. For information, see the International Color Consortium web site at http://www.color.org.
Minimum implementation of ICC color matching requires one or more ICC profiles to be installed. Providing a monitor color calibration utility is recommended for generating, editing, and installing ICC profiles.
Eastman Kodak, the supplier of the default color matching method for ICM in Windows 95, has a wide array of advanced color management technology and products including device profiles which can be used to optimize your system. For contact information, see the "References for Video Components" section at the end of this chapter.
For PC 97, this is a recommendation for LCD, color plasma displays, or other flat panel devices. This will become a requirement.
Required |
Recommended: 85 Hz for 1024x768.
The monitor must, at a minimum, support the ergonomic timings documented in VESA and Industry Standards and Guidelines for Computer Display Monitor Timing v. 1.0, revision 0.6 or higher, for all resolutions supported by the monitor (based on monitor size, as cited earlier in this section). The standards ensure a clear, flicker-free monitor display for traditional PC computing.
Required |
This requirement is based on the Display Data Channel Standard v. 2.0, Level B (DDC2B), which defines the communication channel between the display and host system, and Extended Display Identification Data Standard 2.0 or higher, which defines data formats for configuration information. This requirement includes the following standards:
Required |
These are defined in the "Video Components Basic Requirements" and "PC 97 Design for Video Components" sections earlier in this chapter.
Note Monitor support for Windows is installed using a Monitor INF file, as defined in the Windows 95 and Windows NT DDKs.
A large monitor for use with an entertainment PC system requires a picture tube ideal for both PC graphics and television/movie video. This section defines the requirements for large-screen entertainment monitors.
Although an entertainment monitor is not required for Entertainment PC 97, a large (20" or greater) monitor that is sold with an Entertainment PC 97 system must meet the requirements defined in this section.
Required |
Recommended: 31" or 33" (measured on the diagonal).
Required |
DVD movies and typical satellite digital broadcasters provide main level/main profile MPEG-2 streams, which is the middle level of the five possible levels of MPEG-2 - encoded video data. This translates to 720x480x30 fps for NTSC. For PAL, this translates to 720x576x25 fps. Consequently, 800x600 is the optimal resolution.
Recommended refresh rate: An integral multiple of the video frame rate, for any mode in which video is displayed full screen.
For PAL, this is an integral multiple of 25 Hz. For NTSC, this is an integral multiple of 30 Hz, with an ideal rate of 120 Hz to support 24 - 30 fps content. Because most broadcast video content (such as NTSC or satellite MPEG2 video and film) is created or adjusted through temporal rescaling or pulldown (at a 3:2 ratio) expressly for 60-Hz television monitors, further pulldown to other refresh rates (such as 72 Hz) will introduce unacceptable motion artifacts, such as non-linear screen motion.
Required |
This is the same requirement as for desktop monitors.
Required |
The host control of the monitor should be managed using DDC2B-compatible adapters and drivers. This requirement is based on the Display Data Channel Standard 2.0, which defines the communication channel between the display and host system.
Geometry control is necessary for adjustment of PC-TV images, and includes these controls: skew, pin cushion, size, brightness, contrast, and position. Geometry control must be provided through a software application, rather than through dials on the monitor case. Controls must be revealed through a driver with a remote-controllable user interface.
Required |
This is the same requirement as for desktop monitors.
Dot pitch requirements are not specified in this version of PC 97, because dot pitch depends on resolution and size. Also, design features other than dot pitch contribute to usability for PC applications, such as focus and phosphor. However, the following table defines limits depending on monitor size.
Microsoft might add a dot pitch requirement based on image tests in a later version of these specifications.
800x600 Dot Pitch Limits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Monitor size (inches) | Actual size (inches) | Horizontal size (inches) | Vertical size (inches) | Maximum dot pitch (mm) |
13.00 | 11.74 | 9.39 | 7.04 | 0.30 |
14.00 | 12.72 | 10.18 | 7.63 | 0.32 |
15.00 | 13.70 | 10.96 | 8.22 | 0.35 |
17.00 | 15.66 | 12.53 | 9.40 | 0.40 |
21.00 | 19.58 | 15.66 | 11.75 | 0.50 |
25.00 | 23.50 | 18.80 | 14.10 | 0.60 |
27.00 | 25.46 | 20.37 | 15.28 | 0.65 |
31.00 | 29.38 | 23.50 | 17.63 | 0.75 |
33.00 | 31.34 | 25.07 | 18.80 | 0.80 |
35.00 | 33.30 | 26.64 | 19.98 | 0.85 |
37.00 | 35.26 | 28.21 | 21.16 | 0.90 |
This section lists some of the publications, services, and tools available to help build hardware that works with Windows operating systems.
Windows NT DDK, Windows 95 DDK, and DirectX DDK
Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN)
Display Data Channel Standard 2.0 (includes VBE/DDC)
Extended Display Identification Data Standard 2.0 (or higher)
VESA and Industry Standards and Guidelines for Computer Display
Monitor Timing
Video Electronics Standards Association
2150 North First Street, Suite 440
San Jose, CA 95131-2029 USA
Phone: (408) 435-0333
Fax: (408) 435-8225
http://www.vesa.org
International Color Consortium
ICC Profile Format Specification
Eastman Kodak, Attn: Color Management Group
164 Lexington Road
Billerica, MA 01821 USA
Phone (North America only): (800) 752-6567
Device Class Power Management Reference Specification
http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/onnow.htm
Basic PC 97 | Workstation PC 97 | Entertainment PC 97 |
| ||
System Requirements for Video Components | ||
---|---|---|
1. DDC 2.0 Level B-compliant color display with unique EDID identifier | ||
Required | Required | Required |
2. System supports MPEG-1 playback | ||
Required | Required | Required |
3. PC 97 DVD playback requirements, if PC system includes DVD-Video | ||
Required with DVD-Video | Required with DVD-Video | Required |
4. Video input and capture | ||
Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
Video Components Basic Requirements | ||
5. General device requirements | ||
Required | ||
PC 97 Design for Video Components | ||
Plug and Play and Bus Design for Video Components | ||
6. Plug and Play device identifier | ||
Required | ||
7. Conflict resolution and dynamic disable capabilities | ||
Required | ||
8. Dependent MPEG device is not enumerated independently | ||
Required | ||
Power Management for Display Devices | ||
9. Compliance with Device Class Power Management Reference Specification | ||
Required | ||
10. Support Wakeup Events defined in "Device Class Power Management Reference Specification" | ||
Optional | ||
Device Driver and Installation for Video Components | ||
11. Device driver and installation meet Windows and Windows NT standards | ||
Required | ||
12. Applications provided with device meet Windows standards | ||
Required | ||
MPEG-1 Playback Requirements | ||
13. Audio and video decode performance: 30 fps, minimum | ||
Required | Required | Required |
14. Graphics support for color space conversion and arithmetic stretching | ||
Required | Required | Required |
DVD Playback Requirements | ||
15. PC 97 DVD playback requirements | ||
Required with DVD | Required with DVD | Required |
16. No dropped or duplicated frames | ||
Recommended | Recommended | Required |
17. Background tasks do not interfere with DVD playback | ||
Recommended | Recommended | Required |
18. Subpicture compositing, if DVD drive supports video discs | ||
Required | ||
19. All general device requirements for video components | ||
Video Capture Requirements | ||
20. Wave audio capture | ||
Recommended | ||
21. Synchronized audio and video capture clocks | ||
Recommended | ||
22. Time code reading | ||
Recommended | ||
23. WDM imaging minidriver | ||
Required | ||
24. All general device requirements for video components | ||
Required | ||
Desktop Monitor Requirements | ||
25. Minimum graphics resolution, based on monitor size | ||
Required | ||
26. ICC color matching support | ||
Required | ||
Recommended for LCD | ||
27. Ergonomic timing standards: 75 Hz for 1024x768, minimum | ||
Required | ||
28. External monitor meets DDC 2.0 Level B and EDID standards | ||
Required | ||
29. All general device requirements for video components | ||
Required | ||
Entertainment Monitor Requirements | ||
30. Large-screen monitor size: 20" or larger, if present in PC system | ||
Required | ||
31. Support 800x600 at 60 Hz refresh rate | ||
Required | ||
32. Monitor meets current DDC2B and EDID standards | ||
Required | ||
33. DDC2B-compliant host control and digitally controlled geometry | ||
Required | ||
34. ICC color matching support | ||
Required | ||
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