Basic PC 98 Graphics Adapters, Video, and Broadcast Services

This section summarizes the PC 98 requirements for graphics adapters and monitors. For complete details, including recommendations for hardware acceleration, see the “Graphics Adapters” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.

38. Graphics adapter meets PC 98 minimum requirements
Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Required Required Required

The following list summarizes the key requirements for PC 98 graphics adapters:

For the primary graphics adapter, the video bus must not use ISA or any other legacy local bus. Possible implementations that meet this requirement can include PCI 2.1 or the AGP 1.0 interface. For Entertainment PC 98, AGP is required.


Whether implemented using PCI or AGP, the video bus must meet the requirements defined in the “Graphics Adapters” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.


The default VGA driver is required for operating system installation. The adapter must support 4-bit planar VGA mode as described in the Windows DDK.

This support ensures that the end user has guaranteed automatic support in the hardware and driver to allow the operating system to correctly configure use of multiple monitors or multiple graphics adapters.

For information about requirements for the built-in display adapter on a mobile PC, see the “Mobile PC 98” chapter in Part 2.

39. Adapter supports television output if system does not include a large-screen monitor

Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Recommended Recommended Recommended

The ability to connect and use a standard NTSC or PAL television as a large display surface is key to the ability to deliver realistic television, movie, and game experiences. For complete information about the television output requirements, refer to the “Graphics Adapters” chapter in Part 4 of this guide. For information about large-screen monitor requirements for Entertainment PC systems, see the “Monitors” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.

40. Color monitor is DDC-compliant with unique EDID identifier
Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Required Required Required

A monitor designed for or included with a PC 98 system must be compliant with Display Data Channel Standard, Version 2.0. It also must transmit an Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) structure containing unique Manufacturer Name IDs and Product Code IDs, plus all required fields defined in Section 3 of the Extended Display Identification Data Standard, Version 2.0 or higher. This requirement does not apply to liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

For complete PC 98 requirements for monitors, including requirements for image color matching (ICM), ergonomic timing standards, and DDC support, see the “Monitors” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.

41. System meets PC 98 DVD-Video and MPEG-2 playback requirements
Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Required Required with DVD-Video Required

Under Windows and Windows NT, operating-system playback support for MPEG-1 is provided through Microsoft DirectShow. This requirement refers to built-in system support for DVD-Video playback or any other MPEG-2 playback capabilities, whether provided as a hardware decoder, a software decoder, or a combination of the two. This requirement does not apply for Office PC 98 systems that provide DVD-ROM drives for storage purposes only.

For PC 98, the graphics adapter requirements in support of MPEG-2 and DVD-Video playback are described in the “Graphics Adapters” chapter in Part 4 of this guide. Software requirements and hardware capabilities for MPEG-2 and DVD-Video playback are defined in the “Video and Broadcast Components” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.

These capabilities are recommended for mobile PCs, as described in the “Mobile PC 98” chapter in Part 2 of this guide.

42. System supports PC 98 analog video input and capture capabilities
Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Recommended Recommended Required

If video-capture capability is implemented in a PC 98 system, it must meet the requirements defined in the “Video and Broadcast Components” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.

Support for video input and capture is recommended for Consumer PC 98and Office PC 98 systems, implemented as an add-on device or a direct interface on the system board. Systems with USB or IEEE 1394 support are capable of supporting the new low-cost digital video cameras entering the Office PC 98 market. It is strongly recommended that systems include more than one USB or IEEE 1394 port if the PC comes bundled with a USB or IEEE 1394 video conferencing camera.

For PC 98, all video input sources and capture devices must implement driver support as defined for Still Image architecture in the Windows NT 5.0 DDK.

43. System includes analog television tuner
Consumer PC 98 Office PC 98 Entertainment PC 98
Recommended Recommended Required

Recommended: Digital broadcast or satellite television tuner.

If this capability is implemented in a PC 98 system, it must meet the requirements defined in the “Video and Broadcast Components” chapter in Part 4 of this guide.