[gentoo-user] External monitor is stretched 4:3

[gentoo-user] External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Grant]

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I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I switch the
output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the left and right
of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and the HDTV output is 16:9 but
looks horizontally stretched.  Does anyone know how to keep the output at
16:9 on both screens?

- Grant

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Re: [gentoo-user] External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Tommy Bongaerts]

On Thu, Nov 29, 2012 at 12:27:38PM -0800, Grant wrote:
>    I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I switch
>    the output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the
>    left and right of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and the
>    HDTV output is 16:9 but looks horizontally stretched.  Does
>    anyone know how to keep the output at 16:9 on both screens?
> 
>    - Grant

You don't give a lot of information here. Are you using mirrored
screen or an extended desktop? Also what is the desktop environment or
window manager you use?

On thing that might help is to provide the output of xrandr.

-- 
Hippies.They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do
is smoke pot and smell bad.
	~ Eric Cartman

Re: [gentoo-user] External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Grant]

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> >    I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I switch
> >    the output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the
> >    left and right of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and the
> >    HDTV output is 16:9 but looks horizontally stretched.  Does
> >    anyone know how to keep the output at 16:9 on both screens?
> >
> >    - Grant
>
> You don't give a lot of information here. Are you using mirrored
> screen or an extended desktop? Also what is the desktop environment or
> window manager you use?
>
> On thing that might help is to provide the output of xrandr.

I'm using xfce4, but I'm not sure if I'm using a mirrored screen or an
extended desktop.  All I do is plug the laptop into the HDTV with an HDMI
cable and hit the keyboard shortcut to switch screens which brings up a
little dialog.

I was able to change the resolution from 1024x768 to 1366x768 with xfce4's
Display settings, but when I disconnect and reconnect to the HDTV it
displays at 1024x768 again.  Do you know how to select the output
resolution for an external screen permanently?  Is this done in xorg.conf?

- Grant

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[gentoo-user] Re: External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Nuno J. Silva]

On 2012-12-01, Grant wrote:

>> >    I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I switch
>> >    the output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the
>> >    left and right of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and the
>> >    HDTV output is 16:9 but looks horizontally stretched.  Does
>> >    anyone know how to keep the output at 16:9 on both screens?
>> >
>> >    - Grant
>>
>> You don't give a lot of information here. Are you using mirrored
>> screen or an extended desktop? Also what is the desktop environment or
>> window manager you use?
>>
>> On thing that might help is to provide the output of xrandr.
>
> I'm using xfce4, but I'm not sure if I'm using a mirrored screen or an
> extended desktop.  All I do is plug the laptop into the HDTV with an HDMI
> cable and hit the keyboard shortcut to switch screens which brings up a
> little dialog.

There is nothing too complex here, if the TV and laptop are showing the
same thing, one screen is *mirroring* the other, otherwise, if you see
different things in different screens, you're using an extended desktop.

> I was able to change the resolution from 1024x768 to 1366x768 with xfce4's
> Display settings, but when I disconnect and reconnect to the HDTV it
> displays at 1024x768 again.  Do you know how to select the output
> resolution for an external screen permanently?  Is this done in
> xorg.conf?

This is, I'd guess, a "preferred" video mode announced through EDID,
where the TV, even if it supports 1366x768, will anounce 1024x768 as
preferred. You could do the change with a small xrandr one-liner, and
there must be some way to do it through xorg.conf, although I don't know
how.

In the end, having the output of xrandr (both before and after you
change the video modes) would help *a lot*, as it answers most of our
questions...

-- 
Nuno Silva (aka njsg)
http://njsg.sdf-eu.org/

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Mick]

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On Saturday 01 Dec 2012 09:49:01 Nuno J. Silva wrote:
> On 2012-12-01, Grant wrote:
> >> >    I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I switch
> >> >    the output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the
> >> >    left and right of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and the
> >> >    HDTV output is 16:9 but looks horizontally stretched.  Does
> >> >    anyone know how to keep the output at 16:9 on both screens?
> >> >    
> >> >    - Grant
> >> 
> >> You don't give a lot of information here. Are you using mirrored
> >> screen or an extended desktop? Also what is the desktop environment or
> >> window manager you use?
> >> 
> >> On thing that might help is to provide the output of xrandr.
> > 
> > I'm using xfce4, but I'm not sure if I'm using a mirrored screen or an
> > extended desktop.  All I do is plug the laptop into the HDTV with an HDMI
> > cable and hit the keyboard shortcut to switch screens which brings up a
> > little dialog.
> 
> There is nothing too complex here, if the TV and laptop are showing the
> same thing, one screen is *mirroring* the other, otherwise, if you see
> different things in different screens, you're using an extended desktop.
> 
> > I was able to change the resolution from 1024x768 to 1366x768 with
> > xfce4's Display settings, but when I disconnect and reconnect to the
> > HDTV it displays at 1024x768 again.  Do you know how to select the
> > output resolution for an external screen permanently?  Is this done in
> > xorg.conf?
> 
> This is, I'd guess, a "preferred" video mode announced through EDID,
> where the TV, even if it supports 1366x768, will anounce 1024x768 as
> preferred. You could do the change with a small xrandr one-liner, and
> there must be some way to do it through xorg.conf, although I don't know
> how.
> 
> In the end, having the output of xrandr (both before and after you
> change the video modes) would help *a lot*, as it answers most of our
> questions...

You can set this up either with xranrd entries in your ~/.xprofile or in your 
/etc/X11/xorg.conf

First run xrandr -q to see what you get from an xterminal and then manually 
alter the resolution according to your requirements on each screen, e.g.

xrandr --output DVI0 --mode 1366x768 --rate 60
xrandr --output LVDS1 --primary
xrandr --output TV1 --mode 1920x1080

etc. until you get things as you want them.

Look at your /var/log/Xorg.0.log to see what resolution and refresh rate your 
card can do, although xrandr -q will show this.  The refresh rate is not 
really required (I think it is automatically set to match the screen 
resolution).

You can if you prefer set it up in /etc/X11/xorg.conf:

Name your monitors in your Section "Device":
===========================================
Section "Device"
[snip ...]

        Identifier  "Card0"
        Driver      "radeon"
        BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"

        Option          "monitor-VGA" "my 2nd monitor"
        Option          "monitor-LVDS" "my laptop"
        Option         "monitor-TV1" "my TV"
EndSection
===========================================

Then set up the screen resolutions for each monitor:
===================================================
Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "my 2nd monitor"
Option "PreferredMode"  "1024x768"
Option        "Position" "1024 0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "my laptop"
Option "PreferredMode"  "1366x768"
Option        "LeftOf" "my 2nd monitor"
EndSection

[snip ...]
EndSection
===================================================

Then set up the default screen:
==============================
Section "Screen"
        Identifier "Screen0"
        Device     "Card0"
		Monitor "my laptop"
[snip ...]
==============================

The above is just a guide of course.  You can tweak it according to your 
requirements and see what gives.  For more permanent set ups I would tend to 
use xorg.conf (old habits die hard), but .xprofile may be quicker/easier to 
try out.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: External monitor is stretched 4:3

[Grant]

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> > >> >    I've connected my laptop to a lot of HDTV's and whenever I
switch
> > >> >    the output to display on both screens, black bars appear on the
> > >> >    left and right of my laptop screen so it displays at 4:3, and
the
> > >> >    HDTV output is 16:9 but looks horizontally stretched.  Does
> > >> >    anyone know how to keep the output at 16:9 on both screens?
> > >> >
> > >> >    - Grant
> > >>
> > >> You don't give a lot of information here. Are you using mirrored
> > >> screen or an extended desktop? Also what is the desktop environment
or
> > >> window manager you use?
> > >>
> > >> On thing that might help is to provide the output of xrandr.
> > >
> > > I'm using xfce4, but I'm not sure if I'm using a mirrored screen or an
> > > extended desktop.  All I do is plug the laptop into the HDTV with an
HDMI
> > > cable and hit the keyboard shortcut to switch screens which brings up
a
> > > little dialog.
> >
> > There is nothing too complex here, if the TV and laptop are showing the
> > same thing, one screen is *mirroring* the other, otherwise, if you see
> > different things in different screens, you're using an extended desktop.
> >
> > > I was able to change the resolution from 1024x768 to 1366x768 with
> > > xfce4's Display settings, but when I disconnect and reconnect to the
> > > HDTV it displays at 1024x768 again.  Do you know how to select the
> > > output resolution for an external screen permanently?  Is this done in
> > > xorg.conf?
> >
> > This is, I'd guess, a "preferred" video mode announced through EDID,
> > where the TV, even if it supports 1366x768, will anounce 1024x768 as
> > preferred. You could do the change with a small xrandr one-liner, and
> > there must be some way to do it through xorg.conf, although I don't know
> > how.
> >
> > In the end, having the output of xrandr (both before and after you
> > change the video modes) would help *a lot*, as it answers most of our
> > questions...
>
> You can set this up either with xranrd entries in your ~/.xprofile or in
your
> /etc/X11/xorg.conf

I experimented with xorg.conf, but I think the problem is with the xfce4
display switching component.  If I don't have anything pertinent in
xorg.conf and I reboot with the HDTV connected, both screens come up in
1366x768.  I can even display and un-display either of the two screens in
the xfce4 Display settings and they come up in 1366x768.  But if I use the
small xfce4 display switcher dialog that comes up when I hit the keyboard
shortcut, the resolution always drops to 1024x768 on both screens if I
choose "Both displays cloned".

- Grant

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