[English]
PDREADME.TXT                MATROX GRAPHICS INC.              1999.05.19

                      Matrox PowerDesk for Windows 95/98
                             Revision 5.11.012


Contents
========

- Description of this release
- Installation
- More information
- Notes, problems, and limitations
- Matrox TV output


Description of this release
===========================

Matrox PowerDesk software includes a display driver and display utilities.
With this software, you can take full advantage of your Matrox graphics 
hardware and you can access additional Matrox display-related features.


Installation
============

To install Matrox PowerDesk, start the "setup" program included with it, 
then follow the on-screen instructions.

The setup program will only install software if a Matrox graphics card model
supported by the setup program is installed in your computer. 


More information
================

For more information on Matrox PowerDesk, see the help file included with it. 
For information specific to your Matrox graphics card, see your Matrox or 
system manual.


Notes, problems, and limitations
================================

- DirectDraw, Direct3D and DirectVideo support

  The DirectDraw driver we provide is compatible with DirectX 2 (and
  later) and includes Direct3D support. For our DirectDraw/Direct3D
  driver to be called, and benefit from hardware acceleration,
  Microsoft DirectX 2 (or later) MUST be installed, even for programs
  originally made for DirectX 1.

  Also, if a recent version of DirectX isn't installed, some Matrox 
  PowerDesk features may not be available.

  We provide DirectX on the Matrox CD-ROM. The latest DirectX is
  available from the Microsoft Web site, and is included with many 
  DirectX programs.

  IMPORTANT: If the DirectX setup program prompts you to replace the
  existing display drivers, click "No". Otherwise, the setup program 
  installs display drivers which are not as optimized as the Matrox 
  drivers and which do not support PowerDesk software.

  Note that depending on the origin of your Microsoft DirectX software, 
  it may not include DirectVideo support. For faster playback of Indeo 
  and Cinepak AVI files, you should install Microsoft DirectVideo 
  support. 

- Matrox bus mastering

  This driver supports bus mastering. Bus mastering is a feature that 
  allows expansion cards to perform tasks at the same time as your 
  computer's CPU. If you have a fast Pentium computer (faster than 
  166 MHz), the display performance of most programs is improved when 
  bus mastering is used.

  To use bus mastering with 3D (DirectX) programs, your graphics card 
  needs an interrupt request (IRQ). Most computers automatically assign 
  an IRQ to graphics cards, but some do not. If your graphics card hasn't 
  been assigned an IRQ, programs that use Matrox bus mastering may not 
  work properly. For more information, see your Matrox or system manual.

- Adobe Type Manager limitation

  With Adobe Type Manager installed, you cannot run the driver if
  the "Advanced Graphics Acceleration Settings" is set to none. Note
  that ATM is installed as part of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is an
  Adobe problem documented in the Windows 95/98 "display.txt" file.

- Monitors in interlaced mode

  Some older monitors such as the NEC 3D and many "SuperVGA" monitors
  do not support non-interlaced mode in all resolutions. The Matrox display 
  driver does not properly handle interlaced mode with the Windows 95/98 
  monitor selection method. If you have one of these monitors, please 
  use the Matrox Monitor selection method.

- DirectDraw and Automatic Power Management

  As stated in "Microsoft DirectX release Notes", September 30, 1995, a 
  DirectDraw game may be unable to restore properly if it is suspended 
  by Automatic Power Management utilities.

- Installation in different language versions of Windows 95/98

  If you install software in a language different from the language of 
  your operating system (for example, English software on a Japanese 
  system), you may have problems with text and dialog box controls being 
  cut off. This is because of differences in system fonts.
 
- Matrox AGP 2x and 4x cards

  On the Matrox PowerDesk "Information" property sheet, Matrox G400-based 
  graphics cards are listed as "AGP 2x" or "AGP 2x-4x". All Matrox G400
  graphics cards are slot-compatible with all AGP computers. 
  (However, cards with an ATX form factor will only fit on ATX-type 
  motherboards -- most cards and motherboards use an ATX design.)

  "AGP 2x" cards use 2x mode with AGP 2x or 4x computers. "AGP 2x-4x" 
  cards use 4x mode with 4x computers, and 2x mode with 2x computers.

  Because of new AGP specifications, Matrox G200-based AGP graphics cards 
  may not be slot-compatible with some AGP 4x computers.

- Matrox "DualHead Zoom" feature with digital video

  If your Matrox graphics card has DualHead support and you're using Windows
  95/98, the "DualHead Zoom" feature doesn't display digital video that is 
  using the video overlay feature of your Matrox graphics card. Programs that 
  use the video overlay feature include Microsoft Media Player, Zoran SoftDVD 
  and other programs that use ActiveMovie or DirectX Media. If the "DualHead 
  Zoom" feature is used on a region that's using hardware-based video 
  overlay, that region will appear as a solid color on your secondary display.
  (If your secondary display is a TV, you can use the "DualHead DVDMax" 
  feature to view this type of video full-screen on your secondary display.) 


Matrox TV output
================

Certain models of Matrox graphics cards support TV output. With TV output 
support, you can view or record your computer display with a TV or video 
recorder connected to your graphics card.

Recommendation
--------------
- While playing games using TV output, we recommend you use a 640 x 480 
  display resolution. This is because the resolution capabilities of TVs are 
  lower than most computer monitors. If you use a higher display resolution 
  (800 x 600 or 1024 x 768), the display on your TV may not look as sharp as 
  the display of your computer monitor -- that is, some of the extra detail 
  may be harder to see on your TV.

- For Matrox G100/G200 cards with TV output support --
  Matrox default advanced TV output settings are good for viewing most 
  computer graphics (for example, computer games or your Windows desktop) on
  most TVs. Based on broadcast standards, there are advanced TV output 
  settings that are better suited for viewing full-screen video (for example,
  from a video file). These settings are:

  NTSC
     Brightness : 180
     Contrast   : 234
     Saturation : 137
     Hue        : 0

  PAL
     Brightness : 167
     Contrast   : 255
     Saturation : 138
     Hue        : 0

  Note: For ideal settings, you may also need to adjust the settings on your 
  TV. The default brightness, contrast, saturation and hue settings on most 
  consumer video devices are higher than broadcast standards. These settings 
  are usually OK for viewing video but may not look OK with computer graphics.
  (This is why Matrox default TV output settings are lower than what's ideal
  for video.) For more information on how to adjust settings on your TV, see 
  your TV manual.
