Intel DRM Driver Prepping For HDMI 2.0 With Geminilake

Written by Michael Larabel in Intel on 1 February 2017 at 08:55 AM EST. 1 Comment
INTEL
Intel's forthcoming Geminilake hardware has a native HDMI 2.0 controller and as such the open-source Intel Linux driver developers are working on proper HDMI 2.0 support within their kernel driver.

Geminilake is the successor to Apollo Lake for low-power Atom/Celeron/Pentium SoCs. Geminilake hardware should be shipping later this year. Details are still limited on Geminilake SoCs, but now at least we know (thankfully) there will be native HDMI 2.0 support.

Six patches posted today are for enabling HDMI 2.0 scrambling in the DRM layer. Scrambling though, fortunately, isn't DRM related as it may sound. Shashank Sharma of Intel explained, "HDMI 2.0 spec defines a method to reduce the RF footprint while operating at higher pixel clocks, which is called Scrambling. Scrambling can be controlled over a new set of I2C registers which are accessible over existing DDC I2C lines, called SCDC register set."

The 500+ lines of new code add the HDMI 2.0 scrambling support along with allowing HDMI 2.0 clock rates (up to 594Mhz) for Geminilake. These patches are presumably too late for Linux 4.11 but should be material for Linux 4.12.

HDMI 2.0 increases the TMDS throughput, supports 4K video @ 60Hz, support for up to 32 audio channels, support for more audio streams, greater 3D support, and other new functionality.
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