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#1 2008-08-24 02:27:31

securitybreach
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From: In front of my computers
Registered: 2007-11-18
Posts: 416
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TV as second monitor-Nvidia 9500 GT

To begin with I recently got a nvidia 9500 GT and I was wanting to use my tv as a second monitor. More or less for watching movies and monitoring my system while I am doing stuff on the computer. I do not watch tv so I figured I might as well hook it up to my computer. I am using ArchLinux and I am using the nvidia 173.14.12 driver. Anyway, I have messed with both Seperate X/Xinerama and TwinView using the nvidia-settings gui with no luck. I
am trying to set it up where I can drag windows from my lcd to the HD tv and resolution be correct. I have a couple of problems with both Seperate X screen/Xinerama and Twinview. First using TwinView it stretches my desktop which totally messes up my wallpaper and conky plus the fonts are all screwed up. I know some of this problem has to do with the resolution differences between the two screens. My computer monitor is 1680x1050 and I do not know the resolution of my TV but it is a widescreen 30 inch CRT HDTV. I got some specs on TV but no resolution:

32'' DynaFlatHD Anti-Distortion, Anti-Glare Flat Picture Tube
Built-in HD/Digital Tuner (ATSC/QAM/NTSC)
Tunes & processes 720p,1080i, 480p, and 480i signals
Native Resolution 1080i/480p
Dual HD Supports 720p and 1080i HD Signals
Pro Picture 3-Stage Video Correction
Total DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Analog to Digital Signal Enhanced
Pro Chip Plus Technology Converts all Analog Signals to Flicker-Free Progressive Scan
8 Bit 20 MHz 3D Y/C Comb Filter
3:2 Pull Down Film to Video Frame Rate Correction
20-Watt Side Speaker Audio System with Sound Presets & Adjustable EQ
BBE High Definition Sound Processing
Broadcast Format Supported1080i (HDTV) · 480p (EDTV) · 720p (HDTV) · 480i (SDTV)

Now I know its possible because windows set up the 2 displays giving the TV a resolution of 1920x**** and the monitor the normal resolution with the wallpaper full on the LCD and the TV. It basically had my wallpaper perfect on both and I could drag windows to each monitor. I did change the resolution on the TV in windows to 1024x768 so I could see the text better. Using seperate X/Xinerama only displays a correct desktop on my TV but the LCD monitor is blank. Here is my xorg.conf right now:

 # nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder58)  Thu Jul 17 18:39:42 PDT 2008

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder58)  Thu Jul 17 18:39:00 PDT 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "X.org Configured"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    RgbPath         "/usr/share/X11/rgb"
    ModulePath      "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load           "xtrap"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load           "record"
    Load           "glx"
    Load           "dbe"
    Load           "freetype"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"

# Removed Option "Xinerama" "0"
# Removed Option "Xinerama" "1"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "TV-0"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Acer AL2016W"
    HorizSync       31.0 - 84.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 77.0
EndSection

Section "Device"

        ### Available Driver options are:-
        ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
        ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz"
        ### [arg]: arg optional
        #Option     "ShadowFB"               # [<bool>]
        #Option     "DefaultRefresh"         # [<bool>]
        #Option     "ModeSetClearScreen"     # [<bool>]
    Identifier     "Card0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "nVidia Corporation"
    BoardName      "Unknown Board"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 9500 GT"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Videocard1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 9500 GT"
    BusID          "PCI:2:0:0"
    Screen          1
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "TwinView" "1"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "TV: nvidia-auto-select +1680+0, DFP: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
# Removed Option "TwinView" "0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "TV: 800x600 +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "TV: 800x600 +0+0, DFP: 1680x1050 +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "TV: nvidia-auto-select +0+0, DFP: 1680x1050 +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "TV: nvidia-auto-select +2656+141, DFP: 1680x1050 +0+0"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Videocard0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
    Option         "metamodes" "TV: 800x600 +0+0, DFP: 1680x1050_60 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen1"
    Device         "Videocard0"
    Monitor        "Monitor1"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "0"
    Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
    Option         "metamodes" "DFP: 1680x1050 +0+0"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

The worst part is my video card has two DVI ports on the back so If I had another DVI monitor all these problems would be alot easier to fix. Oh and I am running Openbox so no nice kde/gnome programs to adjust the wallpaper to each monitor. I use Feh instead to set my wallpaper. Any xorg gurus out there to assist me in my configuration issues?


Thanks


"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -- H.L. Mencken
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#2 2008-08-24 02:28:22

securitybreach
Member
From: In front of my computers
Registered: 2007-11-18
Posts: 416
Website

Re: TV as second monitor-Nvidia 9500 GT

Well I guess I was confused about Xineara. I just read this:

A Xinerama configuration uses the native Xorg drivers to coordinate two graphics cards, controlling two monitors to display a single desktop.

I only have one graphics card so that not what I need. Right now its mirrored with the tv resolution way off. Mirroring is kind of useless in my opinion.

Thanks

Last edited by securitybreach (2008-08-24 02:31:23)


"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -- H.L. Mencken
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#3 2008-08-24 14:59:06

M177ER
Member
Registered: 2008-06-15
Posts: 148

Re: TV as second monitor-Nvidia 9500 GT

I have no idea about the setup but I am interested to know if you get this working because I would like to do the same.

Have you thought about a DVI Male/HDMI Female Adapter for the second connection on your card to the TV? Nevermind you are probably already doing this.

Last edited by M177ER (2008-08-24 15:01:55)

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#4 2008-08-24 23:16:47

securitybreach
Member
From: In front of my computers
Registered: 2007-11-18
Posts: 416
Website

Re: TV as second monitor-Nvidia 9500 GT

Actually I have not thought of that, I have only used the svideo adapter that came with the video card that splits into 3 HD? connections-red/blue/greens cables. Sorry I have been using computers for 16 years but dont know much alot about HD/Home theater and not much a gamer so I have mostly had Intel/AMD onboard video. It would be interesting to find out how to accomplist though but I have a friend who works at Phillips tec hsupport and he said in a chat seesion:

I dealt with this every day in my job as a Tech Support Specialist for Philips North America. I would always explain a few things to customers right away when they called asking how to hook tvs to computers:

1) A TV is designed to be a TV, not a computer monitor. For this reason, not all computers and tvs will play nicely. They are problematic in this regard from the very start.

2) A TV can ONLY... I repeat... ONLY display using a vertical refresh rate of 60hz. A TV is NOT capable of any other vertical refresh frequency. Make SURE your video card is set at 60hz vert refresh rate.

3) Start off with the lowest possibly resolution... usually 800X600.

4) The best (least troublesome) method for hookup is using the analog VGA out to component (red, green, blue) video input on the tv. The fa ncy-schmancy DVI-to-HDMI-to-this-to-that-to-the other cables can be VERY problematic.

So basically I guess I will wait for a second LCD monitor but I can drag a window with a movie over to the TV and it work perfectly. I just have to resize the movie for fullscreen.

Thanks

Last edited by securitybreach (2008-08-24 23:21:12)


"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -- H.L. Mencken
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