intel(4)intel(4)NAMEintel - Intel integrated graphics chipsets
SYNOPSIS
Section "Device"
Identifier "devname"
Driver "intel"
...
EndSection
DESCRIPTIONintel is an Xorg driver for Intel integrated graphics chipsets. The
driver supports depths 8, 15, 16 and 24. All visual types are sup‐
ported in depth 8. For the i810/i815 other depths support the True‐
Color and DirectColor visuals. For the i830M and later, only the True‐
Color visual is supported for depths greater than 8. The driver sup‐
ports hardware accelerated 3D via the Direct Rendering Infrastructure
(DRI), but only in depth 16 for the i810/i815 and depths 16 and 24 for
the 830M and later.
SUPPORTED HARDWAREintel supports the i810, i810-DC100, i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 852GM,
855GM, 865G, 915G, 915GM, 945G, 945GM, 965G, 965Q, 946GZ, 965GM,
945GME, G33, Q33, Q35, G35, GM45, G45, Q45, G43 and G41 chipsets.
CONFIGURATION DETAILS
Please refer to xorg.conf(5) for general configuration details. This
section only covers configuration details specific to this driver.
The Intel 8xx and 9xx families of integrated graphics chipsets have a
unified memory architecture meaning that system memory is used as video
RAM. For the i810 and i815 family of chipsets, operating system sup‐
port for allocating system memory is required in order to use this
driver. For the 830M and later, this is required in order for the
driver to use more video RAM than has been pre-allocated at boot time
by the BIOS. This is usually achieved with an "agpgart" or "agp" ker‐
nel driver. Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Solaris have such
kernel drivers available.
By default, the i810/i815 will use 8 MB of system memory for graphics
if AGP allocable memory is < 128 MB, 16 MB if < 192 MB or 24 MB if
higher. Use the VideoRam option to change the default value.
For the 830M and later, the driver will automatically size its memory
allocation according to the features it will support. Therefore, the
VideoRam option, which in the past had been necessary to allow more
than some small amount of memory to be allocated, is now ignored.
The following driver Options are supported
Option "ColorKey" "integer"
This sets the default pixel value for the YUV video overlay key.
Default: undefined.
Option "CacheLines" "integer"
This allows the user to change the amount of graphics memory
used for 2D acceleration and video when XAA acceleration is
enabled. Decreasing this amount leaves more for 3D textures.
Increasing it can improve 2D performance at the expense of 3D
performance.
Default: depends on the resolution, depth, and available video
memory. The driver attempts to allocate space for at 3 screen‐
fuls of pixmaps plus an HD-sized XV video. The default used for
a specific configuration can be found by examining the Xorg log
file.
Option "FramebufferCompression" "boolean"
This option controls whether the framebuffer compression feature
is enabled. If possible, the front buffer will be allocated in
a tiled format and compressed periodically to save memory band‐
width and power. This option is only available on mobile
chipsets.
Default: enabled on supported configurations.
Option "Tiling" "boolean"
This option controls whether memory buffers are allocated in
tiled mode. In most cases (especially for complex rendering),
tiling dramatically improves performance.
Default: enabled.
Option "SwapbuffersWait" "boolean"
This option controls the behavior of glXSwapBuffers and glXCopy‐
SubBufferMESA calls by GL applications. If enabled, the calls
will avoid tearing by making sure the display scanline is out‐
side of the area to be copied before the copy occurs. If dis‐
abled, no scanline synchronization is performed, meaning tearing
will likely occur. Note that when enabled, this option can
adversely affect the framerate of applications that render
frames at less than refresh rate.
Default: enabled.
Option "DRI" "boolean"
Disable or enable DRI support.
Default: DRI is enabled for configurations where it is sup‐
ported.
The following driver Options are supported for the i810 and i815
chipsets:
Option "DDC" "boolean"
Disable or enable DDC support.
Default: enabled.
Option "Dac6Bit" "boolean"
Enable or disable 6-bits per RGB for 8-bit modes.
Default: 8-bits per RGB for 8-bit modes.
Option "XvMCSurfaces" "integer"
This option enables XvMC. The integer parameter specifies the
number of surfaces to use. Valid values are 6 and 7.
Default: XvMC is disabled.
VideoRam integer
This option specifies the amount of system memory to use for
graphics, in KB.
The default is 8192 if AGP allocable memory is < 128 MB, 16384
if < 192 MB, 24576 if higher. DRI require at least a value of
16384. Higher values may give better 3D performance, at expense
of available system memory.
Option "NoAccel" "boolean"
Disable or enable acceleration.
Default: acceleration is enabled.
The following driver Options are supported for the 830M and later
chipsets:
Option "VideoKey" "integer"
This is the same as the "ColorKey" option described above. It
is provided for compatibility with most other drivers.
Option "XvPreferOverlay" "boolean"
Make hardware overlay be the first XV adaptor. The overlay
behaves incorrectly in the presence of compositing, but some
prefer it due to it syncing to vblank in the absence of com‐
positing. While most XV-using applications have options to
select which XV adaptor to use, this option can be used to place
the overlay first for applications which don't have options for
selecting adaptors.
Default: Textured video adaptor is preferred.
Option "ModeDebug" "boolean"
Enable printing of additional debugging information about mode‐
setting to the server log.
Default: Disabled
Option "FallbackDebug" "boolean"
Enable printing of debugging information on acceleration fall‐
backs to the server log.
Default: Disabled
Option "ForceEnablePipeA" "boolean"
Force the driver to leave pipe A enabled. May be necessary in
configurations where the BIOS accesses pipe registers during
display hotswitch or lid close, causing a crash. If you find
that your platform needs this option, please file a bug (see
REPORTING BUGS below) including the output of 'lspci -v' and
'lspci -vn'.
Option "LVDS24Bit" "boolean"
Specify 24 bit pixel format (i.e. 8 bits per color) to be used
for the LVDS output. Some newer LCD panels expect pixels to be
formatted and sent as 8 bits per color channel instead of the
more common 6 bits per color channel. Set this option to true
to enable the newer format. Note that this concept is entirely
different and independent from the frame buffer color depth -
which is still controlled in the usual way within the X server.
This option instead selects the physical format / sequencing of
the digital bits sent to the display. Setting the frame buffer
color depth is really a matter of preference by the user, while
setting the pixel format here is a requirement of the connected
hardware.
Leaving this unset implies the default value of false, which is
almost always going to be right choice. If your LVDS-connected
display on the other hand is extremely washed out (e.g. white on
a lighter white), trying this option might clear the problem.
Option "LVDSFixedMode" "boolean"
Use a fixed set of timings for the LVDS output, independent of
normal xorg specified timings.
The default value if left unspecified is true, which is what you
want for a normal LVDS-connected LCD type of panel. If you are
not sure about this, leave it at its default, which allows the
driver to automatically figure out the correct fixed panel tim‐
ings. See further in the section about LVDS fixed timing for
more information.
Option "XvMC" "boolean"
Enable XvMC driver. Current support MPEG2 MC on 915/945 and G33
series. User should provide absolute path to libIntelXvMC.so in
XvMCConfig file.
Default: Disabled.
OUTPUT CONFIGURATION
On 830M and better chipsets, the driver supports runtime configuration
of detected outputs. You can use the xrandr tool to control outputs on
the command line. Each output listed below may have one or more prop‐
erties associated with it (like a binary EDID block if one is found).
Some outputs have unique properties which are described below. See the
"MULTIHEAD CONFIGURATIONS" section below for additional information.
VGA
VGA output port (typically exposed via an HD15 connector).
LVDS
Low Voltage Differential Signalling output (typically a laptop LCD
panel). Available properties:
BACKLIGHT - current backlight level (adjustable)
By adjusting the BACKLIGHT property, the brightness on the LVDS output
can be adjusted. In some cases, this property may be unavailable (for
example if your platform uses an external microcontroller to control
the backlight).
BACKLIGHT_CONTROL - method used to control backlight
The driver will attempt to automatically detect the backlight control
method for your platform. If this fails however, you can select
another method which may allow you to control your backlight. Avail‐
able methods include:
native
Intel chipsets include backlight control registers, which on some plat‐
forms may be wired to control the backlight directly. This method uses
those registers.
legacy
The legacy backlight control registers exist in PCI configuration
space, and have fewer available backlight levels than the native regis‐
ters. However, some platforms are wired this way and so need to use
this method.
combo
This method attempts to use the native registers where possible,
resorting to the legacy, configuration space registers only to enable
the backlight if needed. On platforms that have both wired this can be
a good choice as it allows the fine grained backlight control of the
native interface.
kernel
On some system, the kernel may provide a backlight control driver. In
that case, using the kernel interfaces is preferable, as the same
driver may respond to hotkey events or external APIs.
PANEL_FITTING - control LCD panel fitting
By default, the driver will attempt to upscale resolutions smaller than
the LCD's native size while preserving the aspect ratio. Other modes
are available however:
center
Simply center the image on-screen, without scaling.
full_aspect
The default mode. Try to upscale the image to the screen size, while
preserving aspect ratio. May result in letterboxing or pillar-boxing
with some resolutions.
full
Upscale the image to the native screen size without regard to aspect
ratio. In this mode, the full screen image may appear distorted in
some resolutions.
TV
Integrated TV output. Available properties include:
BOTTOM, RIGHT, TOP, LEFT - margins
Adjusting these properties allows you to control the placement of your
TV output buffer on the screen. The options with the same name can also
be set in xorg.conf with integer value.
BRIGHTNESS - TV brightness, range 0-255
Adjust TV brightness, default value is 128.
CONTRAST - TV contrast, range 0-255
Adjust TV contrast, default value is 1.0 in chipset specific format.
SATURATION - TV saturation, range 0-255
Adjust TV saturation, default value is 1.0 in chipset specific format.
HUE - TV hue, range 0-255
Adjust TV hue, default value is 0.
TV_FORMAT - output standard
This property allows you to control the output standard used on your TV
output port. You can select between NTSC-M, NTSC-443, NTSC-J, PAL-M,
PAL-N, and PAL.
TV_Connector - connector type
This config option should be added to xorg.conf TV monitor's section,
it allows you to force the TV output connector type, which bypass load
detect and TV will always be taken as connected. You can select between
S-Video, Composite and Component.
TMDS-1
First DVI SDVO output
TMDS-2
Second DVI SDVO output
TMDS-1 , TMDS-2 , HDMI-1 , HDMI-2
DVI/HDMI outputs. Avaliable common properties include:
BROADCAST_RGB - method used to set RGB color range(full range 0-255,
not full range 16-235)
Adjusting this propertie allows you to set RGB color range on each
channel in order to match HDTV requirment(default 0 for full range).
Setting 1 means RGB color range is 16-235, 0 means RGB color range is
0-255 on each channel.
SDVO and DVO TV outputs are not supported by the driver at this time.
See xorg.conf(5) for information on associating Monitor sections with
these outputs for configuration. Associating Monitor sections with
each output can be helpful if you need to ignore a specific output, for
example, or statically configure an extended desktop monitor layout.
HARDWARE LVDS FIXED TIMINGS AND SCALING
Following here is a discussion that should shed some light on the
nature and reasoning behind the LVDSFixedMode option.
Unlike a CRT display, an LCD has a "native" resolution corresponding to
the actual pixel geometry. A graphics controller under all normal cir‐
cumstances should always output that resolution (and timings) to the
display. Anything else and the image might not fill the display, it
might not be centered, or it might have information missing - any man‐
ner of strange effects can happen if an LCD panel is not fed with the
expected resolution and timings.
However there are cases where one might want to run an LCD panel at an
effective resolution other than the native one. And for this reason,
GPUs which drive LCD panels typically include a hardware scaler to
match the user-configured frame buffer size to the actual size of the
panel. Thus when one "sets" his/her 1280x1024 panel to only 1024x768,
the GPU happily configures a 1024x768 frame buffer, but it scans the
buffer out in such a way that the image is scaled to 1280x1024 and in
fact sends 1280x1024 to the panel. This is normally invisible to the
user; when a "fuzzy" LCD image is seen, scaling like this is why this
happens.
In order to make this magic work, this driver logically has to be con‐
figured with two sets of monitor timings - the set specified (or other‐
wise determined) as the normal xorg "mode", and the "fixed" timings
that are actually sent to the monitor. But with xorg, it's only possi‐
ble to specify the first user-driven set, and not the second fixed set.
So how does the driver figure out the correct fixed panel timings?
Normally it will attempt to detect the fixed timings, and it uses a
number of strategies to figure this out. First it attempts to read
EDID data from whatever is connected to the LVDS port. Failing that,
it will check if the LVDS output is already configured (perhaps previ‐
ously by the video BIOS) and will adopt those settings if found. Fail‐
ing that, it will scan the video BIOS ROM, looking for an embedded mode
table from which it can infer the proper timings. If even that fails,
then the driver gives up, prints the message "Couldn't detect panel
mode. Disabling panel" to the X server log, and shuts down the LVDS
output.
Under most circumstances, the detection scheme works. However there
are cases when it can go awry. For example, if you have a panel with‐
out EDID support and it isn't integral to the motherboard (i.e. not a
laptop), then odds are the driver is either not going to find something
suitable to use or it is going to find something flat-out wrong, leav‐
ing a messed up display. Remember that this is about the fixed timings
being discussed here and not the user-specified timings which can
always be set in xorg.conf in the worst case. So when this process
goes awry there seems to be little recourse. This sort of scenario can
happen in some embedded applications.
The LVDSFixedMode option is present to deal with this. This option
normally enables the above-described detection strategy. And since it
defaults to true, this is in fact what normally happens. However if
the detection fails to do the right thing, the LVDSFixedMode option can
instead be set to false, which disables all the magic. With LVDSFixed‐
Mode set to false, the detection steps are skipped and the driver pro‐
ceeds without a specified fixed mode timing. This then causes the
hardware scaler to be disabled, and the actual timings then used fall
back to those normally configured via the usual xorg mechanisms.
Having LVDSFixedMode set to false means that whatever is used for the
monitor's mode (e.g. a modeline setting) is precisely what is sent to
the device connected to the LVDS port. This also means that the user
now has to determine the correct mode to use - but it's really no dif‐
ferent than the work for correctly configuring an old-school CRT any‐
way, and the alternative if detection fails will be a useless display.
In short, leave LVDSFixedMode alone (thus set to true) and normal fixed
mode detection will take place, which in most cases is exactly what is
needed. Set LVDSFixedMode to false and then the user has full control
over the resolution and timings sent to the LVDS-connected device,
through the usual means in xorg.
MULTIHEAD CONFIGURATIONS
The number of independent outputs is dictated by the number of CRTCs
(in X parlance) a given chip supports. Most recent Intel chips have
two CRTCs, meaning that two separate framebuffers can be displayed
simultaneously, in an extended desktop configuration. If a chip sup‐
ports more outputs than it has CRTCs (say local flat panel, VGA and TV
in the case of many outputs), two of the outputs will have to be
"cloned", meaning that they display the same framebuffer contents (or
one displays a subset of another's framebuffer if the modes aren't
equal).
You can use the "xrandr" tool, or various desktop utilities, to change
your output configuration at runtime. To statically configure your
outputs, you can use the "Monitor-<type>" options along with additional
monitor sections in your xorg.conf to create your screen topology. The
example below puts the VGA output to the right of the builtin laptop
screen, both running at 1024x768.
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Laptop FooBar Internal Display"
Option "Position" "0 0"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Some Random CRT"
Option "Position" "1024 0"
Option "RightOf" "Laptop FoodBar Internal Display"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Driver "intel"
Option "monitor-LVDS" "Laptop FooBar Internal Display"
Option "monitor-VGA" "Some Random CRT"
EndSection
TEXTURED VIDEO ATTRIBUTES
The driver supports the following X11 Xv attributes for Textured Video.
You can use the "xvattr" tool to query/set those attributes at runtime.
XV_SYNC_TO_VBLANK
XV_SYNC_TO_VBLANK is used to control whether textured adapter synchro‐
nizes the screen update to the vblank to eliminate tearing. It is a
Boolean attribute with values of 0 (never sync) or 1 (always sync). An
historic value of -1 (sync for large windows only) will now be inter‐
preted as 1, (since the current approach for sync is not costly even
with small video windows).
XV_BRIGHTNESS
XV_CONTRAST
REPORTING BUGS
The xf86-video-intel driver is part of the X.Org and Freedesktop.org
umbrella projects. Details on bug reporting can be found at
http://www.intellinuxgraphics.org/how_to_report_bug.html. Mailing
lists are also commonly used to report experiences and ask questions
about configuration and other topics. See lists.freedesktop.org for
more information (the xorg@lists.freedesktop.org mailing list is the
most appropriate place to ask X.Org and driver related questions).
SEE ALSOXorg(1), xorg.conf(5), Xserver(1), X(7)AUTHORS
Authors include: Keith Whitwell, and also Jonathan Bian, Matthew J Sot‐
tek, Jeff Hartmann, Mark Vojkovich, Alan Hourihane, H. J. Lu. 830M and
845G support reworked for XFree86 4.3 by David Dawes and Keith
Whitwell. 852GM, 855GM, and 865G support added by David Dawes and
Keith Whitwell. 915G, 915GM, 945G, 945GM, 965G, 965Q and 946GZ support
added by Alan Hourihane and Keith Whitwell. Lid status support added by
Alan Hourihane. Textured video support for 915G and later chips, RandR
1.2 and hardware modesetting added by Eric Anholt and Keith Packard.
EXA and Render acceleration added by Wang Zhenyu. TV out support added
by Zou Nan Hai and Keith Packard. 965GM, G33, Q33, and Q35 support
added by Wang Zhenyu.
X Version 11 xf86-video-intel 2.9.1 intel(4)
