Arch Linux

qwyet1

Member

Registered: 2019-05-05

Posts: 2

Where to put xrandr overscan command to load at boot [SOLVED]

I have a fresh install of arch setup to use my flat screen TV as its display. I'm having what the xrandr archwiki page calls an overscan issue (I didn't know what this was beforehand). The following command fixes the issue kinda:

xrandr --output DVI-0 --set underscan on --set "underscan vborder" 25 --set "underscan hborder" 0

The wiki talks about using xorg.conf to set persistent screen resolutions but it also talks about creating custom monitor files in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ to set undetected resolutions. Those are the only two places I can find that reference setting xrandr commands at boot but neither really explains where my command might belong. I tried pasting that command at the bottom of my xorg.conf file and restarting and it didn't work, so I'm stuck.

As a side note, the underscan command doesn't work as well as it seems the --transform command might, if I could figure out how it works for sure. I tried reading the xramdr man page but just got confused. Heres an example from the wiki page:

xrandr --output HDMI1 --transform 0.80,0,-35,0,1.04,-19,0,0,1

.8 and 1.04 are the scaling values. -35 and -19 move the screen in pixels. I keep messing with pixel values but I don't understand where the scaling values come from and haven't changed them. Will this do the same thing as changing the underscan borders? Can I put the transform command in the same place as the other one?

Thanks
qwyet

Last edited by qwyet1 (2019-05-06 19:12:01)

seth

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From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 78,517

Re: Where to put xrandr overscan command to load at boot [SOLVED]

The overscan features are somewhat GPU/driver related, please post a complete Xorg log.
As for randr commands, you want to put them eg. into some init script of your DM (if you're using one) or ~/.xinitrc if you're using startx.

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Trilby

Inspector Parrot

Registered: 2011-11-29

Posts: 30,530

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Re: Where to put xrandr overscan command to load at boot [SOLVED]

As for randr commands, you want to put them eg. into some init script of your DM (if you're using one) or ~/.xinitrc if you're using startx.

Agreed, but to clarify, xrandr is a command that sets screen configuration options of the xorg server.  If you are using the xrandr command, you need to enter it in a script like those mentioned above.  The wiki suggests you can put these same configuration settings in an Xorg.conf which is true, but the Xorg.conf is - as the name implies - a config file, not a script.  So here you create a "Monitor" block with the config values that xorg will read on startup rather than having to use the additional tool xrandr to shove those config options into the xorg server after-the-fact.

Once your trial and error with xrandr has pinned down the correct commands, it would be a bit more efficient to put them in the config file.  Unfortunately, xrandr is a bit more well documented than Xorg.conf format in my opinion.

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qwyet1

Member

Registered: 2019-05-05

Posts: 2

Re: Where to put xrandr overscan command to load at boot [SOLVED]

Thank you both for the clarifications, I'll mark this as solved since my main goal was to get clarification on how to get that xrandr command applied and that's been done in spades. I'll figure it out from here.

TheSgtBilko

Member

Registered: 2013-08-13

Posts: 89

Re: Where to put xrandr overscan command to load at boot [SOLVED]

Check settings on your TV.

Most modern flat screen TV's have a setting for "computer input" or similar that will make it behave as any other computer display.