This section summarizes the Net PC requirements for the graphics adapter and monitor.
56. Display adapter meets PC 97 and Net PC minimum requirements
Required
Recommended: PCI 2.1 or AGP
A Net PC system must contain a graphics adapter that permits a color depth of 16 bits per pixel (bpp), minimum. The following are the minimum requirements:
Display RAM requirements are tied directly to the minimum graphics resolution supported by the adapter. The requirement to support double buffering implies 1.5 MB of display RAM. However, PC 97 requirements do not specify minimum display RAM support; rather, the adapter designer can implement any solutions for supporting the minimum resolution requirements.
For the graphics adapter, the video bus must not use ISA. A higher-performance solution is required to optimize performance of the packed-pixel frame buffer. Possible implementations that meet this requirement can include PCI 2.1 for all system types or the Intel Accelerated Graphics Port version 1.0 (AGP) interface for systems that have Pentium Pro processors. If the graphics adapter uses the PCI bus, it must comply with PCI 2.1 and additional requirements as defined in the “PCI” and “Graphics Adapters” chapters in PC 97 Hardware Design Guide.
The default VGA driver is required for installing the operating system.
The adapter must support 4-bit planar VGA mode as described in the Windows 95 DDK.
For complete information, see items #1 – 16 in the “Graphics Adapters” chapter of PC 97 Hardware Design Guide.
57. Support for NTSC or PAL television output meets PC 97 requirements, if present
Required
Implementing this support is optional. If implemented, this functionality should meet PC 97 guidelines as defined in item #34 in the “Graphics Adapters” chapter of PC 97 Hardware Design Guide.
58. Monitor supports DDC 2.0 Level B, EDID, 800x600 minimum, and PC 97 requirements
Required
A monitor designed for or included with a Net PC 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. In addition, the monitor must transmit an Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) structure containing unique ID Manufacturer Name and ID Product Code identifiers, and all required fields as described in Section 3 of EDID Standard 1.0, revision 1.0.
For implementation guidelines, see item #28 in the “Video Components” chapter of PC 97 Hardware Design Guide and the changes and clarifications on http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/desguid/pc97faq.htm.
59. System supports MPEG-1 playback requirements for PC 97 if system has CD-ROM plus multimedia audio and video capabilities
Required
For Net PC systems that include device support for multimedia, operating system support is provided through Microsoft DirectShow™ (formerly ActiveMovie™). The minimum system requirements to support MPEG-1 playback include:
60. PC 97 DVD playback requirements, if system includes DVD-Video
Required
All Net PC systems that include DVD-Video support must provide PC 97 playback support for DVD content, including:
For implementation guidelines, see item #15 in the “Video Components” chapter of PC 97 Hardware Design Guide.
61. Audio support meets PC 97 requirements, if present
Required
Recommended: USB or host-based digital audio
If audio capabilities are implemented in a Net PC system, audio must meet PC 97 requirements, whether implemented as baseline audio (items #3 – #7) or advanced audio (items #8 – #11), as defined in the “Audio Components” chapter of PC 97 Hardware Design Guide.