[gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[W.Kenworthy]

I have a new Sony Vaio laptop with a 1366x768 screen using the intel
"Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller" which can be
driven by the xorg i810 driver.  Works fine on the laptop in this
resolution.

The problem I have is that many of the possible modes for this chipset
return blank when xorg starts as in the example below from the xorg log
- the mode I want to use is 1280x1024 for an external projector.

I have (once!) been able to get 1280x1024 using 915resolution to force
the mode, and two screens but I need to use clone mode so this wasnt
practical (I want clone mode with the same desktop on both screens)

Can someone point me towards a solution please.  It seems to me that
xorg is not reading the chipset correctly.  Note that ddc on or off
doesnt help (and if I have an external monitor attached when xorg
starts, it really stuffs things up, also ddc on or off!)

My requirement is to use 1360x768 when standalone, or 1280x1024 on
either an LCD desk monitor, or same resolution on a projector in clone
mode.  When doing the external thing, the laptop screen doesnt have to
be 'perfect'.  Currently I can do this, but only in 1024x768, which
looks terrible on the ext LCD due to aliasing.


BillK


...

Mode: 5c (0x0)
        ModeAttributes: 0x0
        WinAAttributes: 0x0
        WinBAttributes: 0x0
        WinGranularity: 0
        WinSize: 0
        WinASegment: 0x0
        WinBSegment: 0x0
        WinFuncPtr: 0x0
        BytesPerScanline: 0
        XResolution: 0
        YResolution: 0
        XCharSize: 0
        YCharSize: 0
        NumberOfPlanes: 0
        BitsPerPixel: 0
        NumberOfBanks: 0
        MemoryModel: 0
        BankSize: 0
        NumberOfImages: 0
        RedMaskSize: 0
        RedFieldPosition: 0
        GreenMaskSize: 0
        GreenFieldPosition: 0
        BlueMaskSize: 0
        BlueFieldPosition: 0
        RsvdMaskSize: 0
        RsvdFieldPosition: 0
        DirectColorModeInfo: 0
        PhysBasePtr: 0x0
        LinBytesPerScanLine: 0
        BnkNumberOfImagePages: 0
        LinNumberOfImagePages: 0
        LinRedMaskSize: 0
        LinRedFieldPosition: 0
        LinGreenMaskSize: 0
        LinGreenFieldPosition: 0
        LinBlueMaskSize: 0
        LinBlueFieldPosition: 0
        LinRsvdMaskSize: 0
        LinRsvdFieldPosition: 0
        MaxPixelClock: 0

...
(II) I810(0): Monitor0: Using hsync range of 31.50-100.00 kHz
(II) I810(0): Monitor0: Using vrefresh range of 40.00-110.00 Hz
(II) I810(0): Not using mode "1280x1024" (no mode of this name)
(II) I810(0): Not using mode "1152x864" (no mode of this name)
(II) I810(0): Not using mode "832x624" (no mode of this name)
(II) I810(0): Not using mode "720x400" (no mode of this name)
(II) I810(0): Correcting stride (1368 -> 2752)
(II) I810(0): Increasing the scanline pitch to allow tiling mode (1376
-> 2048).
(--) I810(0): Virtual size is 1368x768 (pitch 2048)
(**) I810(0): *Built-in mode "1360x768"
(**) I810(0): *Built-in mode "1024x768"
(**) I810(0): *Built-in mode "800x600"
(**) I810(0): *Built-in mode "640x480"
(**) I810(0):  Built-in mode "1360x768"
(**) I810(0):  Built-in mode "1064x600"

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Re: [gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[Jure Varlec]

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On Wednesday 17 May 2006 08:12, W.Kenworthy wrote:
> I have a new Sony Vaio laptop with a 1366x768 screen using the intel
> "Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller" which can be
> driven by the xorg i810 driver.  Works fine on the laptop in this
> resolution.
>
> The problem I have is that many of the possible modes for this chipset
> return blank when xorg starts as in the example below from the xorg log
> - the mode I want to use is 1280x1024 for an external projector.
>
> I have (once!) been able to get 1280x1024 using 915resolution to force
> the mode, and two screens but I need to use clone mode so this wasnt
> practical (I want clone mode with the same desktop on both screens)
>
> Can someone point me towards a solution please.  It seems to me that
> xorg is not reading the chipset correctly.  Note that ddc on or off
> doesnt help (and if I have an external monitor attached when xorg
> starts, it really stuffs things up, also ddc on or off!)
>
> My requirement is to use 1360x768 when standalone, or 1280x1024 on
> either an LCD desk monitor, or same resolution on a projector in clone
> mode.  When doing the external thing, the laptop screen doesnt have to
> be 'perfect'.  Currently I can do this, but only in 1024x768, which
> looks terrible on the ext LCD due to aliasing.
>
>
> BillK
>

First, make sure you have proper modes in your VBIOS with 915resolution, and 
that you have those resolution in your "Screen" section in xorg.conf. Then 
make sure xorg knows which pipe has which display (e.g., I have 
Option "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP" in my xorg.conf; check the driver's man 
page).
After that, using clone mode should work with all those resolutions. However, 
there are two things you must be aware of. Firstly, it seems you need to 
restart xorg /after/ you connect the other monitor in order for it to enable 
clone mode (although I think there is an option for the driver to enable 
polling). Secondly, xorg fails to negotiate the proper resolution with 
certain displays, e.g. I had a problem with a projector once. In that case, 
you must set the correct resolution in your "Screen" section and delete the 
others.

Good luck.

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Re: [gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[W.Kenworthy]

The modes are there but xorgs log shows them as filled out with zeros
(see the bit for Mode 38 below - quite a number of modes are like this).
915resolution reports that the modes I want to use are present) If I
start it up with the ext monitor connected I get a weird display on both
screens - unusable.

Ive done all the standard things and am thinking Ive run up into an xorg
bug with this driver.  It will be a few weeks before I get the time to
fiddle with this again - its at least usable as long as I dont boot it
with an ext monitor plugged in, if non-optimal in the way I am currently
using it.

BillK

Mode: 38 (0x0)
        ModeAttributes: 0x0
        WinAAttributes: 0x0
        WinBAttributes: 0x0
        WinGranularity: 0
        WinSize: 0
        WinASegment: 0x0
        WinBSegment: 0x0
        WinFuncPtr: 0x0
        BytesPerScanline: 0
        XResolution: 0
        YResolution: 0
        XCharSize: 0
        YCharSize: 0
        NumberOfPlanes: 0
        BitsPerPixel: 0
        NumberOfBanks: 0
        MemoryModel: 0
        BankSize: 0
        NumberOfImages: 0
        RedMaskSize: 0
        RedFieldPosition: 0
        GreenMaskSize: 0
        GreenFieldPosition: 0
        BlueMaskSize: 0
        BlueFieldPosition: 0
        RsvdMaskSize: 0
        RsvdFieldPosition: 0
        DirectColorModeInfo: 0
        PhysBasePtr: 0x0
        LinBytesPerScanLine: 0
        BnkNumberOfImagePages: 0
        LinNumberOfImagePages: 0
        LinRedMaskSize: 0
        LinRedFieldPosition: 0
        LinGreenMaskSize: 0
        LinGreenFieldPosition: 0
        LinBlueMaskSize: 0
        LinBlueFieldPosition: 0
        LinRsvdMaskSize: 0
        LinRsvdFieldPosition: 0
        MaxPixelClock: 0


On Sat, 2006-05-20 at 19:26 +0200, Jure Varlec wrote:
> On Wednesday 17 May 2006 08:12, W.Kenworthy wrote:

> 
> First, make sure you have proper modes in your VBIOS with 915resolution, and 
> that you have those resolution in your "Screen" section in xorg.conf. Then 
> make sure xorg knows which pipe has which display (e.g., I have 
> Option "MonitorLayout" "CRT,LFP" in my xorg.conf; check the driver's man 
> page).
> After that, using clone mode should work with all those resolutions. However, 
> there are two things you must be aware of. Firstly, it seems you need to 
> restart xorg /after/ you connect the other monitor in order for it to enable 
> clone mode (although I think there is an option for the driver to enable 
> polling). Secondly, xorg fails to negotiate the proper resolution with 
> certain displays, e.g. I had a problem with a projector once. In that case, 
> you must set the correct resolution in your "Screen" section and delete the 
> others.
> 
> Good luck.
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Re: [gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[Jure Varlec]

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On Sunday 21 May 2006 01:42, W.Kenworthy wrote:
> The modes are there but xorgs log shows them as filled out with zeros
> (see the bit for Mode 38 below - quite a number of modes are like this).
> 915resolution reports that the modes I want to use are present) If I
> start it up with the ext monitor connected I get a weird display on both
> screens - unusable.
>
> Ive done all the standard things and am thinking Ive run up into an xorg
> bug with this driver.  It will be a few weeks before I get the time to
> fiddle with this again - its at least usable as long as I dont boot it
> with an ext monitor plugged in, if non-optimal in the way I am currently
> using it.

The modes which xorg null's out are the ones your hardware cannot support. 
Only now did I notice that your laptop's native resolution is 1366x768. That 
is 768 pixels vertical. You physically cannot have 1024 pixels. Yet you write 
that you managed to force it once. Are you sure that was it?

Anyway, I don't think you can use such a mode on your laptop. Your projector 
should work fine of course, but without clone mode.

Another possibility would be having 1280x1024 workspace, which should display 
properly on the projector, but using a lower resolution on the laptop, which 
should behave like zooming because the workspace is bigger. I don't know how 
to do this off the top of my head, but it should be in the man pages.

Regards,
Jure

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Re: [gentoo-user] xorg i810/i915 mode problem (modular X)

[W.Kenworthy]

On Sun, 2006-05-21 at 21:10 +0200, Jure Varlec wrote:
> On Sunday 21 May 2006 01:42, W.Kenworthy wrote:
...
> 
> The modes which xorg null's out are the ones your hardware cannot support. 
> Only now did I notice that your laptop's native resolution is 1366x768. That 
> is 768 pixels vertical. You physically cannot have 1024 pixels. Yet you write 
> that you managed to force it once. Are you sure that was it?
> 
> Anyway, I don't think you can use such a mode on your laptop. Your projector 
> should work fine of course, but without clone mode.
> 
> Another possibility would be having 1280x1024 workspace, which should display 
> properly on the projector, but using a lower resolution on the laptop, which 
> should behave like zooming because the workspace is bigger. I don't know how 
> to do this off the top of my head, but it should be in the man pages.
> 
> Regards,
> Jure

The chipset is capable of it, as is the external monitor.  The external
monitor is an LCD which runs at 1280x1024 - its the internal laptop LCD
which appears to be the problem.  When I did have both screens running
in their proper modes, it was in two completely different desktops which
doesnt work when you are trying to give a presentation!  What I want is
the same desktop on both screens - looks like this is not possible.

I will investigate the viewport option, but I dont think that will help.

Billk

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