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#1 2008-08-20 18:55:15

Xiol
Member
Registered: 2008-08-18
Posts: 3

Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Hello!

I'm just setting Arch up on my desktop PC, having run it on my laptop for the past few weeks and loving every minute. However, I've got a bit of a problem on my desktop.

I have two screens, one is a 19" widescreen, 1440x900 (on the left). The other is a standard 1280x1024 (on the right).

I've used nvidia-settings to configure my dual monitor setup, and then tweaking xorg.conf manually, but I'm still having trouble.

Basically, on the widescreen, I've got dead space at the bottom of the monitor because TwinView is making one big screen (2720x1024). I've set up a panning domain on the widescreen so that my mouse pans the screen into that dead space when I enter it, but this is not what I want.

Is there any way I can set it up so that it works the way it does on Windows, with two different resolution screens, yet still has 3D acceleration? I hear that using two different X screens will work for me, but that 3D acceleration doesn't work in that mode.

Is there any way of getting this working or am I out of luck?

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#2 2008-08-20 19:44:10

litemotiv
Forum Fellow
Registered: 2008-08-01
Posts: 5,026

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Xiol wrote:

I hear that using two different X screens will work for me, but that 3D acceleration doesn't work in that mode.

Running two separate X screens won't make you lose 3D acceleration, it only means that each desktop is running it's own X session so you won't be able to drag windows across them.


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#3 2008-08-20 22:59:58

sand_man
Member
From: Australia
Registered: 2008-06-10
Posts: 2,164

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Yeah 3D acceleration works with seperate X screens (it's what I use). But I wish I was able to easily move windows between screens. I guess I just want the best of both worlds.


neutral

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#4 2008-08-20 23:57:57

thisllub
Member
From: Northern NSW Australia
Registered: 2007-12-28
Posts: 231

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

I have 3 screens and have none of the problems you speak of
19" 1280x1024; 22" 1680x1050; 21" CRT 1280x1024.

Do you have Xinerama enabled?

Last edited by thisllub (2008-08-20 23:58:15)

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#5 2008-08-21 02:00:29

sand_man
Member
From: Australia
Registered: 2008-06-10
Posts: 2,164

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Actually my problem is different. Well it's not really a problem just a lack of functionality.
I want to be able to run a fullscreen app on one screen and still have use of the desktop on the other screen (this works on Windows XP and Vista). The only way I can get this to work is by using seperate X screens.

Sorry for the hijack. I'll go away now smile


neutral

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#6 2008-08-21 11:26:25

litemotiv
Forum Fellow
Registered: 2008-08-01
Posts: 5,026

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

sand_man wrote:

Actually my problem is different. Well it's not really a problem just a lack of functionality.
I want to be able to run a fullscreen app on one screen and still have use of the desktop on the other screen (this works on Windows XP and Vista). The only way I can get this to work is by using seperate X screens.

Sorry for the hijack. I'll go away now smile

i have no problems doing that with twinview here. what i did was very simple, it might work for you too:

- delete /etc/X11/xorg.conf (or XFree86Config)
- run nvidia-xconfig as sudo/root
- restart X or reboot

only the primary screen will probably be active now, so next:

- start nvidia-settings as sudo/root
- enable the 2nd monitor (no extra config needed) and save settings
- restart X or reboot once more


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#7 2008-08-21 12:54:44

scrawler
Member
Registered: 2005-06-07
Posts: 318

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

I just this minute configured for two screens.  I opted for 2 seperate X screens and enabled Xinerama by hand in xorg.conf.  Seems to work fine.  I'm typing this on my laptop screen and another firefox window is maximized on my other monitor. I can drag back and forth just fine.  Pretty cool but I don't know if I'll really use it.  There's too much looking back and forth.

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#8 2008-08-22 13:51:31

sand_man
Member
From: Australia
Registered: 2008-06-10
Posts: 2,164

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Thanks litemotiv!
That works perfectly. I don't know what I did wrong before.
Now I just need to fix this overscan issue on my tv


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#9 2008-08-22 14:39:10

Inxsible
Forum Fellow
From: Chicago
Registered: 2008-06-09
Posts: 9,183

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

Alright.. I am just posting here so I don't lose this thread when I go home and try this out tonight wink

The one question I have is...

I have a 1600x1200 (15" UXGA screen) and a 1280x1024 (17" WXGA screen). When I set a wallpaper...which is 1280x1024 - the wallpaper becomes pixelated on the 15" screen - which is understandable. But even when I use a 1600x1200 wallpaper - it still is pixelated - so much so that it hurts the eye.

If I simply use the 15" screen without connecting the 17 then it looks alright....



Will report back if this works for me .....

Last edited by Inxsible (2008-08-22 14:43:35)


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#10 2008-08-22 15:14:49

wonder
Developer
From: Bucharest, Romania
Registered: 2006-07-05
Posts: 5,941
Website

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

hi guys.
i have a setup like yours two displays with different resolution and xinerama enabled. everything seems to be ok with a minor thing.
gnome-screeshot only makes screenshot for left display and the right display is transparent. did you have such a problem? do you know a fix for that?

screenshotdp9.th.png

here is my xorg.conf

Last edited by wonder (2009-01-31 00:54:51)


Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

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#11 2008-08-22 16:08:38

litemotiv
Forum Fellow
Registered: 2008-08-01
Posts: 5,026

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

wonder, as far as i know xinerama is a (to be deprecated) generic X protocol which allows two screens to 'work together', yet they don't really function as one single screen. this is what twinview tries to accomplish by providing a single "big desktop". if you have an nvidia card, you're better of using twinview in almost every scenario.

i'm not absolutely positive that the problem you're having with gnome-screenshot is caused by xinerama, but i do have a feeling that it might. wink

here's a small list of shortcomings in the current xinerama implementation (wikipedia):

- Xinerama requires that the physical screens have the same bit depth
- In most implementations, OpenGL (3D) direct-rendering only works on one of the screens.
- There is currently no way to add or remove physical screens, and there is no way to change the resolution of a screen.
- When the external screen is not connected, windows may still appear on it.
- When you want to use a different external display (for example when moving between locations that have one), there's a good chance it will need different settings like screen resolution and refresh rate. But you cannot change these settings when Xinerama is enabled.


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#12 2008-08-22 16:55:55

wonder
Developer
From: Bucharest, Romania
Registered: 2006-07-05
Posts: 5,941
Website

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

thx. i will dig into that when i have time smile


Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

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#13 2008-08-31 12:41:15

Kilroo
Member
Registered: 2007-11-27
Posts: 6

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

litemotiv wrote:
sand_man wrote:

Actually my problem is different. Well it's not really a problem just a lack of functionality.
I want to be able to run a fullscreen app on one screen and still have use of the desktop on the other screen (this works on Windows XP and Vista). The only way I can get this to work is by using seperate X screens.

Sorry for the hijack. I'll go away now smile

i have no problems doing that with twinview here. what i did was very simple, it might work for you too:

- delete /etc/X11/xorg.conf (or XFree86Config)
- run nvidia-xconfig as sudo/root
- restart X or reboot

only the primary screen will probably be active now, so next:

- start nvidia-settings as sudo/root
- enable the 2nd monitor (no extra config needed) and save settings
- restart X or reboot once more

I tried following these instructions, but it just resulted in Unreal Tournament and the like running half on one monitor and half on the other, the same way it did when I set up Twinview in the first place, before I added the line that lets the game run on one screen but turns the other monitor off. With separate X sessions my games seem to limit themselves politely to one monitor but then every time I move the mouse while they are running they apparently seem to register that the mouse was yanked down and to the right. Neither of these are what I consider a solution.

If anybody's got a suggestion on how to solve either problem, please let me know, because I'm pretty darn close to stumped.

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#14 2009-03-21 08:46:36

Tinuva
Member
From: South Africa/Cape Town
Registered: 2008-05-29
Posts: 37
Website

Re: Xorg, Nvidia TwinView, two monitors, two different resolutions...

I see that one can also manually do this via xorg.conf according to http://www.oreillynet.com/linux/blog/20 … gconf.html

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "NVIDIA Corporation NV44 [Quadro NVS 285]"
        Driver          "nvidia"
        BusID           "PCI:1:0:0"
        Option          "TwinView" "true"
        #Option         "ConnectedMonitor" "FPD,FPD"
        Option          "MetaModes" "1600x1200,1600x1200; 1280x1024,1280x1024"
        Option          "SecondMonitorHorizSync" "31-80"
        Option          "SecondMonitorVertRefresh" "56-76"
        Option          "TwinViewOrientation" "RightOf"
EndSection

Last edited by Tinuva (2009-03-21 08:46:55)

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