Video set up

the_mulletator · 01-05-2008, 02:20 PM

Hello,

I am running Fedora 7 on a Dell Inspiron 6000 Laptop. I am working on my xorg.conf file to incorporate my TV. I'm able to get it to work right now but there's room for improvement. With my current setup I can start a new x server using the terminal with the TV and laptop as clones on top of the default which is just laptop. I managed to get pretty good resolution to my TV for watching movies. The TV connects with the VGA port on my laptop.

I want to change xorg.conf so that I can either use a keyboard command or terminal to start an x session on the TV only or as an extended desktop (I think I need to use xinerama instead of twinview for fedora but i don't know how). Ideally I would like to avoid the extra X session to save resources but I don't think that is a possibility. Also when I boot with the TV connected to the computer it does some kind of automatic configuration that I don't want with 600x800 resolution. I would like to disable that auto configuration.

Here's my current xorg.conf:

Code:

# Xorg configuration for plasma TV

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option "TwinView" "1"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "Default Layout"
	Screen 0	"Screen0" 0 0
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
	InputDevice    "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
	InputDevice     "Wiimote" "AlwaysCore"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Keyboard0"
	Driver      "kbd"
	Option	    "XkbModel" "pc105"
	Option	    "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Synaptics"
	Driver      "synaptics"
	Option	    "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
	Option	    "Protocol" "auto-dev"
	Option	    "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
	Option	    "LeftEdge" "120"
	Option	    "RightEdge" "830"
	Option	    "TopEdge" "120"
	Option	    "BottomEdge" "650"
	Option	    "FingerLow" "14"
	Option	    "FingerHigh" "15"
	Option	    "MaxTapMove" "110"
	Option	    "VertScrollDelta" "20"
	Option	    "HorizScrollDelta" "20"
	Option	    "MinSpeed" "0.3"
	Option	    "MaxSpeed" "0.75"
        Option      "SHMConfig" "on"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Wiimote"
        Driver          "evdev"
        Option          "Name"          	"Nintendo Wiimote"
	Option    	"Emulate3Buttons"      	"true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor" # Laptop
    Identifier  "Monitor0"
    VendorName  "Dell"
    ModelName   "Inspiron"
    HorizSync   30.0 - 86.0
    VertRefresh 50.0 - 160.0
    Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device" # Laptop
	Identifier  "Videocard0"
	Driver      "intel"
	BusID      "PCI:00:02:0"
	Option "TwinView" "1"
	Screen 0
EndSection

Section "Screen" # Laptop
	Identifier "Screen0"
	Device     "Videocard0"
	Monitor		"Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Monitor" # Plasma
    Identifier  "Monitor2"
    VendorName  "LG"
    ModelName   "Plasma"
    HorizSync   31.468 - 75
    VertRefresh 56.25-75.02
EndSection

Section "Device" # Plasma
	Identifier  "Videocard2"
	Driver      "intel"
	BusID      "PCI:00:02:0"
	Option "TwinView" "1"
	Option         "TVOutFormat" "VGA"
	Option          "TVStandard" "PAL-G"
	Screen 2
EndSection

Section "Screen" # Plasma
	Identifier "Screen2"
	Device     "Videocard2"
    	Monitor	   "Monitor2"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout" # Second layout = Monitor0 plus the TV
	Identifier "television"
	Screen 0      "Screen3" 0 0 # Laptop & TV
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
	InputDevice    "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
	InputDevice     "Wiimote" "AlwaysCore"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier "Screen3"
    Device     "Videocard0"
    Monitor    "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth 16
    Option    "ConnectedMonitor" "CRT-0 , TV-0"
    Option         "TVOutFormat" "VGA"
    Option          "TVStandard" "PAL-G"
    Option "TwinViewOrientation" "TV-0 Leftof CRT-0"
    Option "MetaModes" "TV-0: 1024x768 , CRT-0: 1680x1050"
EndSection

I have a problem with my laptop monitor; it shuts off when I close the laptop. It doesn't shut off if I have my TV connected though and when I had windows it didn't do that either.

One other minor problem; I can't change my login screen anymore. I don't know why but regardless of which screen I pick it loads the default.

Thanks.

Simon Bridge · 01-06-2008, 07:18 AM

"Twinview" is an nvidia-ism for their xinerama-esque setup. So, yeah, you want Xinerama.

As to the functionality you want, sounds like xrandr. (Including the lid event issue.)

Login Screen: have you checked that this is an xorg thing? i.e. backup your custom xorg.conf and then use fedora to reconfigure it to a regular one-screen... see if the problem remains.

the_mulletator · 01-08-2008, 09:20 PM

OK,

I've messed around with xorg.conf like crazy. I tried to use xrandr to make an extended desktop but I couldn't make it work.

That's OK, I just need it to watch movies anyway. I also tried the Fedora-configured xorg.conf to see if I could change the login but I couldn't change that either. And I couldn't figure out how to use xrandr to fix the lid close problem.

I want to create an xorg.conf file to start a new X (as I do now with the file I posted earlier) but only on the TV; so I can run my laptop normally and then start a new X on just the TV to watch movies. I sounded easy to me but I havn't got it to work so far. I tried the following server layout with no luck:

Code:

Section "ServerLayout" # Second layout = Just TV
	# startx -- :1 -layout "television"
	Identifier "television"
	Screen 2	"Screen2" 0 0
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
	InputDevice    "Synaptics" "CorePointer"
	InputDevice     "Wiimote" "AlwaysCore"
EndSection

The server layout uses the following monitor, device and screen config.

Code:

Section "Monitor" # Plasma
	Identifier  "Monitor2"
	VendorName  "LG"
	ModelName   "Plasma"
	HorizSync   31.468 - 75
	VertRefresh 56.25-75.02
	##Option "LeftOf"  "Monitor0"
EndSection

Section "Device" # Plasma
	Identifier	"Videocard2"
	Driver		"intel"
	BusID		"PCI:00:02:0"
	#Option		"Xinerama" "true"
	#Option		"TVOutFormat" "VGA"
	#Option          "TVStandard" "PAL-G"
	Screen 2
EndSection

Section "Screen" # Plasma
	Identifier "Screen2"
	Device     "Videocard2"
    	Monitor	   "Monitor2"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes "1024x768"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

I abandoned the extended desktop idea partly because I spent a lot of time trying to make it work with no luck; and partly because I don't think the full screen display in mplayer will show up properly in the virtual screen. Also I can not figure out how to stop Fedora from automatically running this 800x600 display mode if I leave the TV connected and reboot. I tried the line:

Code:

Option "Enable"  "false"

I thought that would prevent X from loading the TV at startup but I was wrong.

I appreciate your help.