Re: Radeon Mobility 9000 TV-out: Success

[Elias Gerber <egerber at gmx dot net>]

Hi Rodrigo

On Thursday 28 July 2005 22.55, rodrigo wrote:
> Elias, that one I already made it work. But it's a REAL bore have to
> restart X with a new configuration to make the TV-out works. My chipset
> is the same: radeon mobility 9000.

Indeed, it is boring having to restart X every time I'd like to switch between 
TV and LCD. As it is possible to send messages about the tv-standard and 
orientation of the picture to the fglrx-driver while X is running (from the 
ATI-control-tool), shouldn't it also be possible to tell fglrx about these 
options during runtime:

        Option          "MonitorLayout"         "NONE, AUTO"
	Option          "NoTV"                  "no"
        Option          "TVStandard"            "PAL-B"

?

Or is it possible to restart X in a way, so that it restores your current 
session without needing to log-in again? That would already make it a little 
bit easier.
By the way, I am using xfree86 version 4.3, from the debian-sarge-tree.

> I made a script to make things easier, I can send this later. But it's
> still boring have to restart X with a new configuration file.

I'd be glad if you could send me that script, at the moment I simply have two 
different XF86Config-4 files, one with TV and no LCD, one with LCD and no TV.
And unfortunatly I really don't know a lot about scripting..

> Isn't there a way to make both of them work together? And what about the
> Dual Head, Xinerama and Clone-mode ?? What about that useless QT-program
> to adjust the ATI settings, including the TV-out, that doesn't work ?

Well, the ATI-control *could* be usefull in combination with an external 
monitor. But as I dont have one around one at the moment, I can't test it 
right now, going to do that later.
First I am really happy I don't have to boot win each time I'd like to watch a 
movie. :) - Really, really happy :) :)
And I also never managed it being able to watch a movie on tv and also have a 
picture on the LCD with windows: If I had a picture on the TV and the LCD, 
the picture on the LCD was much smaller than the LCD, there was a big black 
border around it. On the TV it was fullscreen. As soon as I started a movie, 
I only saw the movie on the LCD, on the TV there was just a black box where 
the movie was supposed to be.
The only way I made it work to watch movies on the TV with windows was a 
setting where the LCD was disabled, and only the TV enabled, so it doesn't 
matter much for me if that is the same within Linux - I've never seen 
anything else with my Thinkpad.
Maybe it really isn't possible to have a picture on the TV and the LCD?
If ATI would ad an option to disable the LCD in their control panel it would 
get usefull.. maybe we could ask them to add this option (altought I think 
they won't listen to us).

Greetings from the sunny Bern - the river is already 22°C again - I need to 
get a swim right now :)

Elias

-- 
Elias Gerber, egerber at gmx dot net
CH - Bern