PAVP Mode
Common Options : Paranoid, Lite, Disabled
PAVP Mode Quick Review
PAVP (Protected Audio Video Path) controls the hardware-accelerated decoding of encrypted video streams by Intel integrated graphics processors. Intel offers two PAVP modes – Paranoid and Lite.
When set to Paranoid, the video stream is encrypted and its decoding is accelerated by the integrated graphics processor. In addition, 96 MB of system memory will be reserved exclusively for use by PAVP.
When set to Lite, the video stream is encrypted and its decoding is accelerated by the integrated graphics processor. No system memory will be reserved for use by PAVP.
When set to Disabled, the hardware-accelerated decoding of video content protected by HDCP is disabled.
If you wish to play HDCP-protected content, you should select the Lite option. It allows hardware-accelerated decoding of the video stream. The graphics core will grab system memory for use by PAVP only when it is needed and release it after use.
The allocation of PAVP stolen memory may be necessary to allow some applications to stream lossless audio formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HS MA. In such cases, you will need to set the PAVP Mode BIOS option to Paranoid. However, this takes up 96 MB of system memory and also disables the Windows Aero interface.
You should only use the Disabled setting if you intend to use an external graphics card to accelerate the decoding of the video stream, or if you wish to test the ability of the CPU to handle decryption of the video stream.
PAVP Mode Details
PAVP (Protected Audio Video Path) is a feature available on some Intel chipsets with integrated graphics. It ensures a secure content protection path for high-definition video sources like Blu-ray discs. It also controls the hardware-accelerated decoding of encrypted video streams by the integrated graphics processor.
Intel offers two PAVP modes – Paranoid and Lite. Here is a table that summarizes the difference between the two modes :
|
Feature |
PAVP Paranoid |
PAVP Lite |
|
Compressed video buffer is encrypted |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Hardware acceleration of 128-bit AES decryption |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Protected memory (96 MB reserved during boot) |
Yes |
No |
In other words, the two modes only differ in whether 96 MB of system memory should be reserved for use by PAVP.
When set to Paranoid, the video stream is encrypted and its decoding is accelerated by the integrated graphics processor. In addition, 96 MB of system memory will be reserved exclusively for use by PAVP. This reserved memory (also known as the PAVP Stolen Memory) will not be visible to the operating system or applications.
When set to Lite, the video stream is encrypted and its decoding is accelerated by the integrated graphics processor. No system memory will be reserved for use by PAVP.
When set to Disabled, the hardware-accelerated decoding of video content protected by HDCP is disabled.
If you wish to play HDCP-protected content, you should select the Lite option. It allows hardware-accelerated decoding of the video stream. The graphics core will grab system memory for use by PAVP only when it is needed and release it after use.
The allocation of PAVP stolen memory may be necessary to allow some applications to stream lossless audio formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HS MA. In such cases, you will need to set the PAVP Mode BIOS option to Paranoid. However, this takes up 96 MB of system memory and also disables the Windows Aero interface.
You should only use the Disabled setting if you intend to use an external graphics card to accelerate the decoding of the video stream, or if you wish to test the ability of the CPU to handle decryption of the video stream.
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