New Features

This section provides information on new features found in this release of the Radeon Display Driver. These include the following:

• ATI CrossFireX Enhancements
• HydraVision Support for Windows XP
• New Display Enhancements
• Performance Improvements

ATI CrossFireX Enhancements

This release of ATI Catalyst enables users to verify whether an application is running in ATI CrossFireX mode. The new option found in the ATI Catalyst Control Center system tray, will allow users to verify whether a Direct3D or OpenGL application is running in ATI CrossFireX mode. (The "ATI Cross- FireX" logo will be shown on screen when the application is running).

HydraVision Support for Windows XP

This release of ATI Catalyst introduces HydraVision support for the ATI Catalyst Control Center under Windows XP. HydraVision enables users to more efficiently organize multiple applications across single or multiple displays. Highlights include:

• HydraGrid – A new feature found in HydraVision that divides the Windows desktop into user definable areas. This helps users to more easily move and organize multiple applications.
• HydraVision Hotkeys – The ATI Catalyst Control Center Hotkey Manager can assist users to quickly setup and define their HydraVision specific hotkey commands.
• HydraVision Virtual Desktops – Users can configure up to 9 different virtual desktops. This enables users to manage and group multiple applications across each user defined desktop. Application positions, desktop associations and display settings can be saved for every virtual desktop.
• HydraVision Wizard – Using the ATI Catalyst Control Center Wizard, users can configure their HyrdaVision settings with ease.

New Display Enhancements

This release of ATI Catalyst Linux introduces support for display scaling to resize the display devices that support TV timings (480i/p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p) through either digital (DVI or HDMI) or analog (component) interfaces.

Performance Improvements

The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst FarCry 2 – performance gains of 3 to 10% for Single card mode and 8 to 14% in Crossfire mode, with some specific configurations showing even greater improvements. Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and Radeon HD3xxx products. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky – performance gains of 6 to 18% in single card settings and 10 to 30% in CrossfireX mode. Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD04xxx and Radeon HD3xxx products.

Resolved Issues for the Windows Vista Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows Vista. These include:

• During game play for "Age of Conan", DirectX 10 may cause the screen to blank
• Resizing video during playback may intermittently cause desktop video corruption
• Video playback tearing may occur under Windows Vista 32 or XP
• Hardware acceleration is not enabled when playing HD content using Cyberlink
• Catalyst Control Center, Overdrive options missing under Graphics settings
• Some OpenGL content may not align to the Hydravision preset grid
• Catalyst Control Center 'ShowGrid' does not display the correct grid settings for the attached displays
• "Gratitude{EF25BC.....}" or HydraGrid.exe executables will be shown under process tab after launching Hydragrid

Resolved Issues for the Windows XP Operating System

This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows XP. These include:

• "Lower Resolution" message displayed when attempting to play HD content using winDVD
• Running certain OpenGL applications may intermittently cause the system to stop responding
• Some desktop corruption may be noticed when playing standard definition video while exiting full screen DOS
• Overlay rotation failing under Windows XP
• Hot unplugging the secondary device with Clone Mode enabled may cause video playback instability
• With Clone Mode and Overlay Theater Mode enabled some video playback may fail to render properly
• Some corruption may be noticed during video playback on Cyberlink winDVD7 and rotate desktop
• Midway "Stranglehold" may become unstable when run in 800x600 and Dynamic Shadows is turned off

Known Issues Under the Windows Vista Operating System

This section provides information on known issues that may be experienced under the Windows Vista operating system with the latest version of Catalyst. These include:

• Some screen corruption may be noticed after enabling 1080p HDMI support and adjusting the scaling options from Catalyst Control Center
• "Age of Conan" DirectX 10, may intermittently become unresponsive during gameplay
• Full screen OpenGL applications may cause a system with CrossFire enabled to become unresponsive
• Video corruption may occur when playing back 1080i MPEG2 content
• Display driver "Configuration Change" warning message is not displayed after removing secondary CrossFire adapter
• Video corruption may occur when playing HD/SD content while concurrently running a Direct 3D application
• Mode switching during gameplay may cause system to stop responding while "Show CrossFireXtm Status Icon" and CrossFire are enabled
• Restoring to factory default, Catalyst Control Center may become unresponsive when multidesktop is enabled
• Playing back MPEG2 files may fail to respond when task switching between virtual desktops in extended desktop mode

Known Issues Under the Windows XP Operating System

The following section provides a summary of open issues that may be experienced under the Windows XP operating system in the latest version of Catalyst. These include:

• Protection message is displayed when playing DVD using WINDVD v9.609
• No overlay when playing MPEG2 DVD after rotating display
• Video corruption may be noticed when playing back certain MPEG2 files
• Codemasters' RaceDriver GRID: some video corruption may be noticed during game play after a task switch while Crossfire is enabled
• Task switching to the desktop and running a Direct 3D game may cause the game to become unresponsive
• Exiting some games may intermittently cause the following error message "Display Driver stopped working" when 8x Anti Alias edge detection is enabled
• Users may notice intermittent flickering on the TV out display when playing a DVD using Cyberlink PowerDVD