Re: dual monitors
On Feb 22, 2011, at 11:36 AM, Tom Metro wrote: > Stephen Jahl wrote: >> How is the positioning of your monitors configured? The nvidia-xsettings >> app allows you to choose things like 'Left of', 'Right of', and >> 'absolute'. I've seen some anomalies on my computer when either one of >> the monitors is set to 'absolute' positioning. > > I specified "right of" when configuring the new primary display, but > after merging the changes into xorg.conf and rebooting, it has changes > to Absolute. I figured that was normal. > > I have noticed that if I try to take a screen shot the image is of the > entire desktop spanning the two monitors (which deviates from the > workspace model I previously described), with black pixels filling in > the region left by one of the monitors having fewer vertical pixels. > > I haven't looked into the bug reports for OOo, but at least one of the > apps having problems (DockBarX) had an existing report describing the > same symptom I observed on a dual-monitor setup. So at least some of > what I'm observing isn't unique to my setup. I'll throw a few cents into the conversation... My mythtv master backend is now sporting an nVidia GT220. It sits in the rack in my basement, hooked up to both a 1280x1024 LCD (through a kvm) and a 1920x1080 HDTV, about 50 feet away (via an HDMI cable run through the ceiling and walls). The box runs RHEL6, with nVidia's 260.19.36 drivers. Dual-head works just fine, even with different resolutions. I'd suggest possibly trying the latest nVidia drivers. -- Jarod Wilson ja...@wilsonet.com ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
Stephen Jahl wrote: > How is the positioning of your monitors configured? The nvidia-xsettings > app allows you to choose things like 'Left of', 'Right of', and > 'absolute'. I've seen some anomalies on my computer when either one of > the monitors is set to 'absolute' positioning. I specified "right of" when configuring the new primary display, but after merging the changes into xorg.conf and rebooting, it has changes to Absolute. I figured that was normal. I have noticed that if I try to take a screen shot the image is of the entire desktop spanning the two monitors (which deviates from the workspace model I previously described), with black pixels filling in the region left by one of the monitors having fewer vertical pixels. I haven't looked into the bug reports for OOo, but at least one of the apps having problems (DockBarX) had an existing report describing the same symptom I observed on a dual-monitor setup. So at least some of what I'm observing isn't unique to my setup. -Tom -- Tom Metro Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA "Enterprise solutions through open source." Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
I've been using nvidia Control (NV Control) and nvidia-settings without problems on my ThinkPad + Ubuntu; sometimes to extend the display to drive the laptop screen plus an LCD (my home office dock); and at work (again using the thinkpad dock which is capable of driving two external displays) to turn off the laptop screen and extend the display to two external LCDs In addition to using the nvidia control GUI, I've found it useful to play with disper or xrandr (much faster and I know what's going on better). # this simple command should just switch off the LCD screen # and enable the external VGA monitor at it optimal resolution xrandr --output VGA-0 --auto --output LVDS --off xrandr --verbose --output LVDS --off --output VGA-0 --mode 1680x1050 # Ask disper to tell us what it knows about our displays disper -l display DFP-0: LEN resolutions: 320x175, 320x200, 360x200, 320x240, 400x300, 416x312, 512x384, 640x350, 576x432, 640x400, 680x384, 720x400, 640x480, 720x450, 640x512, 700x525, 800x512, 840x525, 800x600, 960x540, 832x624, 960x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1360x768, 1440x900 display CRT-0: LEN L2240pwD resolutions: 320x240, 400x300, 512x384, 680x384, 640x480, 720x450, 700x525, 840x525, 800x600, 960x540, 832x624, 960x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1360x768, 1280x960, 1440x900, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1600x1000, 1600x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1680x1050 display DFP-1: LEN L2240pwD resolutions: 320x175, 320x200, 360x200, 320x240, 400x300, 416x312, 512x384, 640x350, 576x432, 640x400, 680x384, 720x400, 640x480, 720x450, 640x512, 700x525, 800x512, 840x525, 800x600, 960x540, 832x624, 960x600, 896x672, 928x696, 960x720, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1360x768, 1280x960, 1440x900, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1600x1000, 1600x1024, 1680x1050 # a command to move the display off the laptop # onto the two extended displays disper --extend --displays CRT-0,DFP-1 # the above works when you have two external displays attached to the dock. # if you just have one display attached to the dock and that display is on the left disper --displays=auto -e --direction=left #!/bin/sh # # Detect displays and move panels to the primary display # This script tries to move the Gnome panel to the screen that you want # to make primary # # disper command will detect and configure monitors disper --displays=auto -e # parse output from disper tool how many displays we have attached # disper prints 2 lines per displer lines=`disper -l|wc -l` display_count=$((lines / 2)) echo $display_count echo "Detected display count:" $display_count # Make sure that we move panels to the correct display based # on the display count if [ $display_count = 1 ] ; then echo "Moving panels to the internal LCD display" gconftool-2 \ --set "/apps/panel/toplevels/bottom_panel_screen0/monitor" \ --type integer "0" gconftool-2 \ --set "/apps/panel/toplevels/top_panel_screen0/monitor" \ --type integer "0" else echo "Moving panels to the external display" gconftool-2 \ --set "/apps/panel/toplevels/bottom_panel_screen0/monitor" \ --type integer "1" gconftool-2 \ --set "/apps/panel/toplevels/top_panel_screen0/monitor" \ --type integer "1" fi Greg Rundlett ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
> > So I've heard, but the NVIDIA driver seems to handle mixed resolutions > fine. I've used it before with different resolutions when driving a > VGA-to-composite TV adapter or driving an LCD TV, but both were limited > duration uses so I didn't try running OOo while that setup was active. > > I would expect mixed resolutions to either prevent two displays from > working entirely, or cause rendering artifacts or something at a low > layer. The problems I'm seeing seems to be happening at a few layers of > abstraction higher, where resolution should be irrelevant. How is the positioning of your monitors configured? The nvidia-xsettings app allows you to choose things like 'Left of', 'Right of', and 'absolute'. I've seen some anomalies on my computer when either one of the monitors is set to 'absolute' positioning. I've been running an nvidia setup with twinview and different monitor resolutions and haven't seen any of these problems (Fedora, CentOS, Ubuntu). ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
On 02/21/2011 09:55 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > David Kramer wrote: >> You don't describe how you *want* it to work... > > That was partially intentional. Having two displays isn't an absolute > requirement, so I'm looking for any way in which I can make use of the > display built-in to the laptop that minimizes negative impact on the > usability of the primary display. > > >> The only downside of setting up the two monitors as separate X sessions >> is that it's impossible to move a window from one display to another, >> but for me that's a feature. > > My preference would be to permit moving windows. But if the TwinView > anomalies prove annoying enough, I might try this. > > How do you switch between displays (designate which receives keyboard > and mouse input)? Whichever window is selected, just like with windows on one monitor. For instance, if I have mythfrontend running fullscreen on my TV and a terminal open on my laptop's LCD, if I'm typing in my terminal and I want to interract with mythfrontend, I have to click on mythfrontend then keystrokes go to it. To resume working in the terminal, I click somewhere in the terminal, and I can type there. There's still only one active window even with two X sessions running. The mouse cursor goes freely off the top of my LCD to the bottom of my TV and vice verse. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
David Kramer wrote: > You don't describe how you *want* it to work... That was partially intentional. Having two displays isn't an absolute requirement, so I'm looking for any way in which I can make use of the display built-in to the laptop that minimizes negative impact on the usability of the primary display. > The only downside of setting up the two monitors as separate X sessions > is that it's impossible to move a window from one display to another, > but for me that's a feature. My preference would be to permit moving windows. But if the TwinView anomalies prove annoying enough, I might try this. How do you switch between displays (designate which receives keyboard and mouse input)? -Tom -- Tom Metro Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA "Enterprise solutions through open source." Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
Matthew Gillen wrote: > On 2/21/2011 6:15 PM, Tom Metro wrote: >> Matthew Gillen wrote: >>> Are the monitors of the same resolution? >> No. > > I think this might be part of the issue. So I've heard, but the NVIDIA driver seems to handle mixed resolutions fine. I've used it before with different resolutions when driving a VGA-to-composite TV adapter or driving an LCD TV, but both were limited duration uses so I didn't try running OOo while that setup was active. I would expect mixed resolutions to either prevent two displays from working entirely, or cause rendering artifacts or something at a low layer. The problems I'm seeing seems to be happening at a few layers of abstraction higher, where resolution should be irrelevant. > gnome: 2.32 (fedora 14) > nvidia: 260.19.36 Both a fair bit newer, so that might make a difference. >> Is your primary screen on the right or left? > > Left. I suspect that helps reduce the occurrence of problems. The coordinate system for the desktop places zero on the left monitor. If an application is placing things based on absolute coordinates, it may result in them appearing on the leftmost monitor. > When you maximize a window, does it stick to one screen or does it go > across the whole desktop? Sticks to its containing screen. Much like a GNOME workspace (viewport). There is an awareness of the containing display. Compiz (or is it the WM?), for example, knows to make the borders a bit sticky when placing windows near the screen edges, even the one shared between the two displays. So TwinView seems to create a workspace-like container for each display within your workspace. -Tom -- Tom Metro Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA "Enterprise solutions through open source." Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
On 02/21/2011 07:16 PM, Matthew Gillen wrote: > On 2/21/2011 6:15 PM, Tom Metro wrote: >> Matthew Gillen wrote: >>> Are the monitors of the same resolution? >> >> No. > > I think this might be part of the issue. I had a co-worker who had this > same issue you describe (with ubuntu), I have a msg out to see if/how he > fixed it. I've never been able to work with different resolution displays any other way than separate X sessions as per my last post, ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
On 02/21/2011 01:14 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > This weekend I attached a 2nd monitor to my laptop and designated it the > "primary display" in the "NVIDIA X Server Settings" applet. I have it > running in "TwinView" mode where the two monitors share a contiguous > desktop. > > I've ran across plenty of mentions of issues with multiple monitors in > X, and sure enough it didn't take long to spot them. I could see the > occasional, obscure app. not handling it well (like DockBarX, or Bless > Hex editor, both of which have problems) but I'm seeing issues with some > main stream apps like OpenOffice. OOo puts up its splash screen centered > across both displays. Then opens its window on on the laptop's screen, > rather than the primary display. Even after manually moving the window > to the correct display, every time it opens a dialog it goes back to the > laptop's display. > > It probably doesn't help that the primary display ended up being to the > right of the laptop. I have a feeling poorly coded defaults would tend > to work better if things were the other way around, but this ordering > fits the physical setup better. > > So I'm wondering, is there an X configuration (for GNOME 2.28.1 > w/nvidia-glx-185) that is the "path of least resistance" for getting > dual monitors to work with the fewest problems? You don't describe how you *want* it to work, but I'll give my experience. Using NVidia's tool, I have my two monitors set up as separate X sessions. That means they each have their own wallpapers, top and bottom toolbars, and I can maximize apps (like MythTV) to one screen without it imposing on the other screen, and alt-tabbing around open windows does so separately for each monitor. I have mt TV hooked up as a second monitor on the wall behind my laptop table, so I told it my primary monitor (you can choose which one is primary, you know) is the laptop LCD and the secondary display is the TV which is above the primary display, The only downside of setting up the two monitors as separate X sessions is that it's impossible to move a window from one display to another, but for me that's a feature. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
On 2/21/2011 6:15 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > Matthew Gillen wrote: >> Are the monitors of the same resolution? > > No. I think this might be part of the issue. I had a co-worker who had this same issue you describe (with ubuntu), I have a msg out to see if/how he fixed it. >> For reference, I have twinview enabled... > > Which version of GNOME? NVIDIA driver? gnome: 2.32 (fedora 14) nvidia: 260.19.36 > Is your primary screen on the right or left? Left. And the gnome panels are only on the left monitor. Interestingly enough, the gdm login prompt randomly appears on one screen or the other. But the gnome panels are always on the primary. >> Splash screens show up in the center of one screen (instead of split >> across the middle of both like you describe). > > Most applications handle it correctly. I was expecting the less used > ones to have issues, but I was surprised to see something as mainstream > as OOo not handling it correctly. When you maximize a window, does it stick to one screen or does it go across the whole desktop? Matt ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
Matthew Gillen wrote: > Sounds like it thinks you have one large display instead of two > independent ones. That seems to be what TwinView is intended to emulate. > Are you using nvidia's tool to set up twinview? Yes. > In their tool, "X Server Display Configuration", does it show two > monitors? Yes. > You can use that tool to set which is the primary... Yes, I've done that. > Are the monitors of the same resolution? No. > For reference, I have twinview enabled... Which version of GNOME? NVIDIA driver? Is your primary screen on the right or left? > Splash screens show up in the center of one screen (instead of split > across the middle of both like you describe). Most applications handle it correctly. I was expecting the less used ones to have issues, but I was surprised to see something as mainstream as OOo not handling it correctly. -Tom -- Tom Metro Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA "Enterprise solutions through open source." Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: dual monitors
On 02/21/2011 01:14 PM, Tom Metro wrote: > This weekend I attached a 2nd monitor to my laptop and designated it the > "primary display" in the "NVIDIA X Server Settings" applet. I have it > running in "TwinView" mode where the two monitors share a contiguous > desktop. > > I've ran across plenty of mentions of issues with multiple monitors in > X, and sure enough it didn't take long to spot them. I could see the > occasional, obscure app. not handling it well (like DockBarX, or Bless > Hex editor, both of which have problems) but I'm seeing issues with some > main stream apps like OpenOffice. OOo puts up its splash screen centered > across both displays. Then opens its window on on the laptop's screen, > rather than the primary display. Even after manually moving the window > to the correct display, every time it opens a dialog it goes back to the > laptop's display. > > It probably doesn't help that the primary display ended up being to the > right of the laptop. I have a feeling poorly coded defaults would tend > to work better if things were the other way around, but this ordering > fits the physical setup better. > > So I'm wondering, is there an X configuration (for GNOME 2.28.1 > w/nvidia-glx-185) that is the "path of least resistance" for getting > dual monitors to work with the fewest problems? Sounds like it thinks you have one large display instead of two independent ones. Are you using nvidia's tool to set up twinview? In their tool, "X Server Display Configuration", does it show two monitors? You can use that tool to set which is the primary, and how they are oriented. Are the monitors of the same resolution? For reference, I have twinview enabled, and am using two monitors with identical resolution. Splash screens show up in the center of one screen (instead of split across the middle of both like you describe). HTH, Matt ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
