S-Video out with nVidia MX-4000
 

Hi all,
Well, I am proud to say I'm no longer a total n00b when it comes to Linux. Please, hold your applause - I'm now only 99% newbie. My goal is to hook up my old computer (running Fedora Core 4) to my television, access the Internet wirelessly, and browse the web/write e-mails from the comfort of my own sofa.
Installed FC4 - check.
Wireless internet working - check (*finally*)

On to my question!


I cannot get the s-video from my video card to send info. to my television past the initial boot text! I see all the way up to the first line of text output after it begins loading my kernel, and at the point it usually switches from the BIOS text to a nice Linux loader screen, my TV just goes blank.

Does anyone know how I can get the s-video to work? I'm not sure why it's not...I mean, the monitor output from the very same card works just fine! The driver I am using is the nVidia Ge-Force MX-4 (generic), whereas the actual card is the GeForce MX-4000, but I'm not sure if this is the problem. Nor do I know how to install a new monitor driver!

Tips would be appreciated, but I also work for free.

Thanks!

You need nVidias driver to do that, FC4 has some Nvidia-kernel that should work. Or download from Nvidia's homepage, it's very easy to install.
Then add to Section Screen in /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
(Here's an example from my nVidia-computer: )

You will have to check HorizSync and VertRefresh, don't put them too high or you might fry your tv/monitor!
And Option "ConnectedMonitor" "crt,crt" change it to what you have:
crt=old type monitor
dfp= digital flat panel
tv=tv

Also read the nVidia ReadMe, some video cards will not output on S-video with out a monitor connected, you can change the output in the xserver config file with the nVidia driver options.

Don't I already have an nVidia driver installed? Under display it shows "nVidia Ge-Force MX-4 (generic)".

Also, where do I get the correct horizontal sync. & vertifical refresh info? That is TV specific right?

Thanks.

It's easy to check what driver you have:
In /etc/X11/xorg.conf, look for "Section Device". There's a line
Driver "<drivername>"
if the drivername is 'nvidia' then it's ok. If it's 'nv' (or something else) you need to get Nvidia's driver.
You will have to search for TV-specifications, or wait 'til tomorrow so I can check at home.

Okay, I think we're on to something. My driver is "nv", not nvidia, so I went to nVidia's website and downloaded their linux driver:
NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7676-pkg1.run

Now all I should have to do is open up a terminal and "sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7676-pkg1.run" and presto, right?

Nope. The installer complains that I have an X server open and need to exit it. I've read that "init 3" should do the trick. However, all this does is cause my compute to freeze (same with Ctrl+Alt+F1). I don't have any applications other than terminal open when I do this, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Any suggestions?


Also, I've cracked open my TV manual (it's a Toshiba 27A32, which btw I don't recommend - it makes a hideous high pitched squeal when on), and it doesn't seem to have any info. about sync rates, only voltages. I guess this is a computer (video card) specific thing, then? Hmm. This seems strange to me.

Someone also suggested it could be Xorg that is at fault, and I should re-install it. What do you think of this? If so, how do I uninstall it first? I assume I'd just download the source from http://www.x.org/download.cgi?rel=6.8.2 to install (make, make install).

Are you sure it freezes?
You see, it happened to me that my monitor didn't display anything in text-mode - I had to change the "vga=791" in grub.conf. Don't know why, it worked fine booting into text-mode only but not after X had been started.
Also, for some strange reason X is not started in /etc/rc5.d anymore. There's a line in /etc/inittab:
wWhich also means that switching to init 3 doesn't kill X anymore.
You have to do that manually - but then of course you need a text-console.

Start with disabling "vga=###", also change /etc/inittab so you boot into text-mode:
Change '5' to '3'

---umm... sorry, forgot to check the sync-rate I use for TV, I think it is 30-50; 50-70 but I can't swear on it.

Okay..progress is being made. I was able to boot in text mode directly without having to modify the vga line. From there, I installed the new nvidia driver.

It is strange - but I am SURE that the computer is now behaving MUCH faster. Maybe the old driver was slowing the computer down or hogging resources or something? I thought it was just an old PC, but man - this is much more like it!

I guess that leaves one thing left to do, and that is set up twinview. I'm going to search around for horizontal/vertifical refresh specs. If you happened to find them, I'd love to hear another post! Thanks so much for your help and patience up to this point.

Excited :)

Partial success. I used "clone" mode instead of "RightOf"
The readme says that common TV settings are:
Horiz Sync: 30.0 - 50.0
VertRefresh: 60

I used those and it seems okay, with two caveats.
One, there seems to be some discoloration on parts of my TV. The last time I saw this it was because a tower speaker was too close, and the magnetic field was interfering. Perhaps the computer is doing the same.

Two, it has bumped up the resolution of the screen to what I think is probably 1280x1024. In the display settings it says 800x600, but that's definitely not it. Before I tested it on the TV I tested it on my monitor, and i noticed a definite change from before, when it was at 800x600.

I can't seem to get the resolution down. Does the ordering of my metamodes have anything to do with it? I don't have my linux computer on or hooked up anymore, and I'm too tired to wait for a boot, but the line reads something like:
Option "MetaModes" "1280x1024,1024x768; 1024x768,1024x768; 800x600, 800x600; 640x480, 640x480".

Tired. Bedtime.

This means per default you get 1280x1024 on primary monitor and 1024x768 on secondary (which should be TV)
You can switch between your metamodes with [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[+] or better, at least if you use KDE, you can change it with an applet 'krandrtray' (something like "Screen resize" in menu).
For me, 800x600 on TV works best. Now I haven't used TV for awhile but a sec monitor which is smaller than primary.
My "Metamodes" is "1280x1024,800x600@800x600; 1280,1024"
The '@800x600' means sec monitor doesn't "float" - can't describe it you have to try if you don't understand.
And switching to second mode with only "1280x1024" disables sec monitor - this is necessary when I want to run games in fullscreen or it'll cover both monitors. But with option "clone" this doesn't matter.
Your sync-rates for TV should be good, at least they're the default rates. Stick with those if you don't find doc's about your TV that says something else.

If I switched up the order of my MetaModes, would that change the default? ie. they don't have to be in descending order, do they?

Do I even really NEED MetaModes? This overrides my "System preferences -> Display" controls.

Okay, it looks like this is going to be a success story :)
I now pretty much have everything I wanted:
* Wireless internet
* Computer hooked up to TV
* Wireless keyboard + integrated mouse

Now for the last touches.

This wireless keyboard does not have a separate numeric keypad. The only "+" is the one on the same button as the =.
To type "+" I have to hold Shift+[=]
So how do I shift meta modes using this keyboard? Ctrl + Alt + Shift + [=] does not seem to work. I don't know of any other way to access the +.

Also,when googling about TwinView, I saw one guy who set up his configuration with a TV, and he gave the xorg.conf file information about his screen size. Do I have to do that (or rather, should I?") I know my screen size in inches, but not in pixels, so I'm not sur ewhat value to put anyway.

I'll have to try out that floating thing. Enough for one night.
Have a good day. :)

Hi again - sorry for the delay, have been pretty busy a couple of days.

Anyway: I strongly suggest the applet 'krandrtray' or for Gnome something like 'grandtray'.
Should also be in the menu, or in KDE's control-panel. It's a better way to handle it.
Otherwise you might want to remap your keyboard. I read about that somewhere but I just can't remember where.
I think this is necessary only if screen is not displayed properly, but honestly I don't know.

And the "Option Metamodes" is really necessary, SystemPreferences wouldn't tell TwinView what to use on second monitor.
Nope. Put the one you want for default first. Only thing is, if the largest mode isn't the first one, you will get that "floating" desktop.

I am having one last problem with my display settings.
The display is a bit too large for my television. Thus the taskbar looks sliced in half...the bottom half being off the screen. Do you know how I can tell it to make the avaialble space slightly smaller, so my TV isn't cropping the screen? Does my problem make sense?