Customizing the boot logo on MediaTek Genio

On MediaTek Genio, the boot logo is not compiled into U-Boot — it is static data stored in the bootassets partition. That means you customize it by overriding one Yocto recipe, rebuilding a single partition, and flashing just that partition with genio-flash. This post covers where the logo sits in the Genio boot flow, the exact recipe override, the build-and-flash steps, and an honest note on the format details MediaTek’s docs leave to your BSP.

Where the boot logo lives in the Genio boot flow

Genio boots through the standard Arm secure-boot chain: BROM → BL2 (TF-A) → BL31 → BL32 (OP-TEE) → BL33 (U-Boot) → Linux. U-Boot is the stage that can put an image on the display before the kernel takes over, so the boot logo is a U-Boot-era splash.

The logo image itself is not baked into the U-Boot binary. It is one of the static assets in the dedicated bootassets partition, which also holds DTBs and device-tree overlays. That separation is the useful part: you can change the logo without touching the bootloader build at all. For the full stage-by-stage boot path and partition map, see the MediaTek Genio boot flow.

How to replace the boot logo

MediaTek’s IoT Yocto stores “static data such as boot logos, audio, or video files” in the bootassets partition, and you customize that partition with a .bbappend on the bootassets-part recipe. In your own layer:

1. Create a bbappend alongside the recipe — for example recipes-bsp/bootassets/bootassets-part.bbappend (match the recipe path your BSP uses).
2. Point the recipe at your logo file:

FILESEXTRAPATHS:prepend := "${THISDIR}/files:"
SRC_URI += "file://my-boot-logo.bmp"

3. Place the file under a files/ directory next to the bbappend, and make sure the recipe’s collect_artifacts step copies it into the partition staging — that hook is how IoT Yocto assembles the bootassets image.

The recipe is the single source of truth for what goes into the partition, so if your logo does not appear after flashing, the first thing to check is that collect_artifacts actually picked up your file.

Build and flash just the boot assets

Because the logo lives in its own partition, you do not rebuild the whole image. Build only the bootassets partition, then flash only that partition:

MACHINE=genio-720-evk bitbake bootassets-part
genio-flash bootassets

Use your board’s machine name (the Genio 420/520/720 share the genio-720-evk machine config). genio-flash bootassets writes only that partition, which keeps the logo change to a fast build-and-reflash loop instead of a full eMMC re-flash.

To put the board into download mode for flashing: hold the DOWNLOAD button, tap RESET, then release DOWNLOAD. The board enumerates over USB as 0e8d:0003 when it is ready to receive a flash.

Image format, resolution, and which display it lands on

This is where you have to read your own BSP, because MediaTek’s “modifying board assets” guide documents the mechanism but not the format. Two things to pin down before you finalize artwork:

• Format and resolution. The accepted image format — commonly BMP for U-Boot splash logos — and the resolution the bootloader expects are set by your bootassets recipe and U-Boot’s splash configuration, not by a single published spec. Open the bootassets-part recipe and the U-Boot splashimage/logo config for your board to confirm the exact filename, format, and dimensions. Convert your artwork to match rather than assuming.
• Which display shows the logo. Genio selects display output through device-tree overlays loaded by the boot_conf U-Boot variable: display-hdmi.dtbo for HDMI, display-dsi.dtbo for MIPI DSI, display-dp.dtbo for DisplayPort, and so on. The boot logo follows whichever display the active overlay brings up. If the logo renders on DSI but not HDMI, the usual cause is that the HDMI overlay is missing from your boot_conf string — see HDMI troubleshooting on MediaTek Genio.

The short version

The boot logo on Genio is a bootassets asset, not a U-Boot rebuild: override the bootassets-part recipe with your image, run bitbake bootassets-part, and flash with genio-flash bootassets. The mechanism is documented and fast to iterate; the exact image format and resolution live in your board’s bootassets recipe and U-Boot config, so confirm those before you ship the artwork.

Bringing up a custom Genio board and want the boot experience — logo, display bring-up, and BSP — handled on a fixed timeline? See our MediaTek Genio support services.

Source: MediaTek IoT Yocto — Modifying Board Assets.