6-Bit Depth in HD Graphics 620

[BCarc]

Hello.

I've found that it shows in the Windows 10 Advanced Display Settings that I have a color depth of 6 bit and when I check the adapter properties and list all modes, it shows 32 there. I've also read somewhere else that windows should mention that is not 6, but 6 per channel or something like that, and there would be 4 channels so i would make a 24bit color depth, still not 32 as it shows in the device properties.

I found some similar threads and tried to follow the solutions given to them but in the end it's mentioned that the issue is corrected in newer versions of the driver for their system. I've updated to the latest driver to no avail.

I own a laptop that has this HD Graphics 620 along with an Nvidia GT940MX and it's from ACER.

I'll attach the dxdiag file so that can be checked up.

Thank you in advance.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello BCarc

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

Regarding the behavior described with 6-bit depth color, we would like to gather the following details to check further your environment:

1- Did this configuration work fine before? If yes, was there any software, driver, or hardware change?

2- Is the issue present on the built-in display or on external display? If on an external display, please provide the brand and model and details on how you are connecting it: Video ports, cables types, adapters, etc.

3- For testing purposes, are you able to test on (a different) display to see if the behavior is the same? Please provide details.

4- Please provide a Report for Intel® Graphics Drivers following the steps on the below link:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005848/graphics-drivers.html

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[BCarc]

Hello Andrew.

Thanks for your answer.

1. I'm not sure if it ever worked fine before. I happened to check those settings because of a program I had downloaded and thought it could not run because of color depth settings, which was not the issue, but I had the doubt.
2. The issue is present on the built-in display.
3. I plugged it into a 32 inch Sony Bravia TV via HDMI and it's curious because here it displays 8bit. On the List all Modes tab it shows other settings and resolutions that indicate 32 bit depth like with the built in display.
4. Here's the report made from the command center.

Report Date: Thursday, 30 April 2020

Report Time [hh:mm:ss]: 07:23:55 PM

Operating System: NA

Language: en-US

Physical Memory: NA

Current Resolution: 1366x768

Processor: NA

Processor Speed: 2712 MHz MHz

GFX Driver Name: NVIDIA GeForce 940MX

Shader Version: NA

OpenCL* Version: NA

* Microsoft DirectX* *

Runtime Version: NA

Hardware-Supported Version: NA

Vulkan* Version: NA

Vendor ID: NA

Device ID: NA

Device Revision: NA

GFX Driver Version: 26.21.14.4587

GFX Vulcan: 

GFX Driver Name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 620

Shader Version: 5.1

OpenCL* Version: 2.1

* Microsoft DirectX* *

Runtime Version: 12

Hardware-Supported Version: 12

Vulkan* Version: 1.2.131

Vendor ID: 8086

Device ID: 5916

Device Revision: 02

GFX Driver Version: 26.20.100.7985

GFX Vulcan: 1.2.131

GFX Video BIOS: 1040

* Devices connected to the Graphics Accelerator *

Active Displays: 2

* Digital Display 1 *

Display Name: Built-In Display

Display Type: Digital

Serial Number: -

DDC2 Protocol: Supported

Gamma: 2.2

Connector Type: Built-In Display

Maximum Image Size

Horizontal - 12.2 inches

Vertical - 6.69 inches

Supported Modes

1366 x 768 (60p Hz)

Power Management Support

-

Raw EDID:

00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 09 E5 98 06 00 00 00 00 

01 19 01 04 95 1F 11 78 02 24 10 97 59 54 8E 27 

1E 50 54 00 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 

01 01 01 01 01 01 3E 1C 56 A0 50 00 16 30 30 20 

36 00 35 AD 10 00 00 1A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 FE 00 42 

4F 45 20 43 51 0A 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 FE 

00 4E 54 31 34 30 57 48 4D 2D 4E 33 31 0A 00 49 

* Digital Display 2 *

Display Name: SONY TV

Display Type: Digital

Serial Number: -

DDC2 Protocol: Supported

Gamma: 2.2

Connector Type: HDMI

Maximum Image Size

Horizontal - 62.99 inches

Vertical - 35.43 inches

Supported Modes

640 x 480 (60p Hz)

640 x 480 (75p Hz)

720 x 480 (60p Hz)

720 x 480 (60i Hz)

800 x 600 (60p Hz)

1024 x 768 (60p Hz)

1280 x 720 (60p Hz)

1360 x 768 (60p Hz)

1440 x 480 (60i Hz)

1920 x 1080 (24p Hz)

1920 x 1080 (60p Hz)

1920 x 1080 (60i Hz)

Power Management Support

-

Raw EDID:

00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 4D D9 02 46 01 01 01 01 

01 15 01 03 80 A0 5A 78 0A 83 AD A2 56 49 9B 25 

0F 47 4A 21 08 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 

01 01 01 01 01 01 66 21 50 B0 51 00 1B 30 40 70 

36 00 40 84 63 00 00 1E 01 1D 00 72 51 D0 1E 20 

6E 28 55 00 40 84 63 00 00 1E 00 00 00 FD 00 3A 

3E 0F 44 0F 00 0A 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 FC 

00 53 4F 4E 59 20 54 56 0A 20 20 20 20 20 01 AC 

02 03 25 F0 49 10 04 05 03 02 07 06 20 01 26 09 

07 07 15 07 50 83 01 00 00 68 03 0C 00 10 00 80 

1E 0F E2 00 7B 01 1D 80 18 71 1C 16 20 58 2C 25 

00 40 84 63 00 00 9E 02 3A 80 18 71 38 2D 40 58 

2C 45 00 40 84 63 00 00 1E 8C 0A D0 8A 20 E0 2D 

10 10 3E 96 00 40 84 63 00 00 18 8C 0A D0 8A 20 

E0 2D 10 10 3E 96 00 B0 84 43 00 00 18 8C 0A A0 

14 51 F0 16 00 26 7C 43 00 B0 84 43 00 00 98 2F 

* Other names and brands are the property of their respective owners.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello BCarc

We would like to know if you were able to check our previous post. If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello BCarc

Thank you for your response.

After checking the information you provided, we noticed that the laptop is using one of the generic Intel® Graphics drivers, version 26.20.100.7985.

It is worth mentioning that the driver or software for your Intel® component might have been changed or replaced by the computer manufacturer and what we recommend is using the driver your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM, in this case, Acer*) provides so you don't lose features or customizations and in dual-graphics systems, (like your laptop with Intel + NVIDIA®) they may require specific drivers from the OEM since we only provide generic drivers for general purposes.

Also, we noticed that an external display "Sony Bravia TV" connected via HDMI does show 8-bit color, and as we understand, you just connected this display without making important changes (like updating drivers or Windows). Based on the report, this external display is connected through the Intel® integrated graphics and it is using the same graphics driver capabilities that the built-in display uses and does not seem like a driver issue. This would point out that the issue with 6-bit color could be a hardware limitation of the built-in display.

Nevertheless, there are some testings we can try, however, before going through them, we highly recommend contacting ACER® support team* and confirming if your built-in display supports 8-bit color.

You may try a clean installation of the graphics driver, we understand that driver from ACER® website could be old, however, it is the latest one available and customized for your system:

1-  Download the graphics VGA driver* 22.20.16.4708 from ACER® website and save it on the computer.

 https://www.acer.com/ac/en/ID/content/support-product/6762?b=1

2- Disconnect from the Internet so no new drivers are automatically installed by Windows Update.

3- Uninstall any graphics driver and the Intel Graphics Control Panel and/or Intel Graphics Command Center (if they are present) from Windows® >> Apps & Features.

4-  Restart the computer.

5-  Confirm in Device Manager > Video Adapters the controller is listed as "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" >> if not, repeat steps 2 through 4.

6- If the adapter continues to be listed as "Intel HD Graphics" or similar in Device Manager, and no other Intel Graphics driver is listed under "Programs and Features" for removal, then it means Windows has switched to a previously installed Legacy driver. At this point we can remove Legacy drivers from Device Manager:

6.1- Right-click on 'Intel HD Graphics' or similar, and select 'Uninstall Device'

6.2- In the pop-up window make sure 'Delete the driver software for this device' is checked.

6.3- Click on 'Uninstall'.

6.4- Restart. (Repeat steps 6.1 through 6.4 until the device gets listed as "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter")

Note: At this point, before installing the graphics driver, please test if using the "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" shows a 6-bit or 8-bit color.

7- Install the graphics driver that was downloaded in step 1.

8- Restart the computer.

9- Reconnect to the Internet.

If the issue persists, as additional testing you may repeat the previous steps using our latest generic graphics driver 26.20.100.8141:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29530/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers

And you may also check for Windows® updates, your system is currently running Windows® 10 1903, however, there is now available Windows® 10 version 1909:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027667/windows-10-update

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

*Links to third-party sites and references to third-party trademarks are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, Intel® is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of Intel® or any of its products is implied.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello BCarc

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you were able to check with ACER® support team regarding color depth support of the panel of the built-in display on your laptop. Should you have additional inquiries, please let us know.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello BCarc

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this inquiry. If you have additional inquiries, please post a new question.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician