Dual Monitor clone mode xorg help please
#1
Hi all

I have been looking through posts on configuring nvidia dual monitor clone mode but am still lost on how to set it up.

I have a plasma connected on DVI @ 1024x768 & an LCD monitor on VGA at same resolution. I have been using XBMC with an ATI card and as standard I got both video card outputs working from boot as default without any configuration. I have changed to an Nvidia 8500GT to help with 1080 playback but now I only get one monitor working at a time. With both plugged in the VGA displays and with the VGA unplugged the DVI displays.

Does anyone have any advice they can offer to enable the same output on both displays at the same time.

The xorg.conf from my live install is:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder75) Tue Dec 8 21:04:28 P$

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Unknown"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "NoLogo" "True"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection


Any help would be great.

Cheers
Andy
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#2
Can anyone help me with this? Not sure if it is relevant but when using an ATI card with VGA & DVI out the bios boot screen shows on both outputs but when I use the Nvidia 8500GT I only get the bios boot screen on one output. On the plasma DVI out with just DVI connected or only on the VGA out with both plasma DVI and VGA LCD connected.

Maybe all Nvidia cards do this when you boot?
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#3
Is there anyone else out there who uses XBMC live in dual screen clone mode?

Cheers
Andy
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#4
Here is how I do mine with Nvidia. Don't know if it will help you

PS> I have 1 HDMI and 1 Component Set-up so you will have to modify to make work for yourself.

[email]xbmc@XBMCLive:/media/external/home/xbmc/.xbmc[/email]/skin$ more /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Device"
Identifier "GeForce 9600 GT"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
Option "NoLogo" "true"
Option "DynamicTwinView" "false"
Option "TwinView" "true"
Option "TwinViewOrientation" "Clone"
Option "FlatPanelProperties" "Scaling = Native"
Option "ModeValidation" "NoVesaModes, NoXServerModes, NoVertRefreshCheck, NoHorizSyncCheck"
Option "UseDisplayDevice" "DFP-0, TV-0"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-0, TV-0"
Option "ModeDebug" "true"
Option "HWCursor" "false"
EndSection

#Section "ServerFlags"
#Option "Xinerama" "0"
#EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "XBMCScreen"
Device "GeForce 9600 GT"
Monitor "HDMI"
Option "TripleBuffer" "false"
# Option "metamodes" "TV-0: 1920x1080 +0+0, DFP-0: 1920x1080_60_0 +0+0; TV-0: 1920x1080 +0+0, DFP-0: 1920x1080_24 +0+0;"
Option "metamodes" "DFP-0: 1920x1080_60_0 +0+0, TV-0: 1920x1080 +0+0; DFP-0: 1920x1080_24 +0+0, TV-0: 1920x1080 +0+0"
Option "TVStandard" "HD1080i"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1920x1080" "1920x1080_60_0" "1920x1080_24"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "HDMI"
Option "PreferredMode" "1920x1080_60_0"
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "false"
EndSection


# --- Modes in ModePool for DON DENON-AVAMP (DFP-0) ---
# "nvidia-auto-select" : 1920 x 1080 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1920x1080" : 1920 x 1080 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1920x1080_60" : 1920 x 1080 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1920x1080_60_0" : 1920 x 1080 @ 59.94/60 Hz (CEA-861B Format 16)
# "1920x1080_30" : 1920 x 1080 @ 29.97/30 Hz (CEA-861B Format 34)
# "1920x1080_24" : 1920 x 1080 @ 23.97/24 Hz (CEA-861B Format 32)
# "1920x1080_60i" : 1920 x 1080 @ 59.94/60 Hz (CEA-861B Format 5)
# "1680x1050" : 1680 x 1050 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1680x1050_60" : 1680 x 1050 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1440x900" : 1440 x 900 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1440x900_75" : 1440 x 900 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1440x900_60" : 1440 x 900 @ 59.9 Hz
# "1440x480" : 1440 x 480 @ 59.94/60 Hz (CEA-861B Format 15)
# "1440x480_60" : 1440 x 480 @ 59.94/60 Hz (CEA-861B Format 15)
# "1360x768" : 1360 x 768 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1360x768_60" : 1360 x 768 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x1024" : 1280 x 1024 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1280x1024_75" : 1280 x 1024 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1280x1024_60" : 1280 x 1024 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x960" : 1280 x 960 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x960_60" : 1280 x 960 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x800" : 1280 x 800 @ 59.8 Hz
# "1280x800_60" : 1280 x 800 @ 59.8 Hz
# "1280x720" : 1280 x 720 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x720_60" : 1280 x 720 @ 60.0 Hz
# "1280x720_60_0" : 1280 x 720 @ 59.94/60 Hz (CEA-861B Format 4)
# "1152x864" : 1152 x 864 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1152x864_75" : 1152 x 864 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1024x768" : 1024 x 768 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1024x768_75" : 1024 x 768 @ 75.0 Hz
# "1024x768_70" : 1024 x 768 @ 70.1 Hz
# "1024x768_60" : 1024 x 768 @ 60.0 Hz
# "800x600" : 800 x 600 @ 75.0 Hz
# "800x600_75" : 800 x 600 @ 75.0 Hz
# "800x600_72" : 800 x 600 @ 72.2 Hz
# "800x600_60" : 800 x 600 @ 60.3 Hz
# "720x480" : 720 x 480 @ 59.9 Hz
# "720x480_60" : 720 x 480 @ 59.9 Hz
# "640x480" : 640 x 480 @ 75.0 Hz
# "640x480_75" : 640 x 480 @ 75.0 Hz
# "640x480_73" : 640 x 480 @ 72.8 Hz
# "640x480_60" : 640 x 480 @ 60.0 Hz
# --- End of ModePool for DON DENON-AVAMP (DFP-0): ---
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#5
Thanks for the reply. I will modify and give it a go on my system.

When you power on / boot your system do you get the bios motherboard image on both your nvidia outputs? I used to get an image on both outputs with an ATI card but only the VGA out on the Nvidia. Maybe Nvidia don't enable the second output until specifically enabled.

Cheers
Andy
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#6
I get the Boot up image only on one... but XBMC shows up on both with nvidia
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#7
Thanks. Thought the card might be faulty but looks like Nvidia only shows on one till enabled. I will give the xorg config a go.

Thanks
Andy
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#8
Thanks kwstump, your xorg helped me fix the problem. I just added:

Option "DynamicTwinView" "false"
Option "TwinView" "true"
Option "TwinViewOrientation" "Clone"

to my device section and I now have a clone dual monitor setup. Simple in the end. Should be added to the XBMC FAQ section but don't know how to.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

Cheers
Andy
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#9
You are welcome! I have mistakenly deleted it so many times (IE OS uprades or my recent hardware crashing)... The only downside I have seen of the dual monitor setup in this manner is no native 23.97 HZ output on my setup.
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#10
23.97 was going to be my next step but at least I have got a start on understanding xorg. Thanks.
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#11
kwstump Wrote:You are welcome! I have mistakenly deleted it so many times (IE OS uprades or my recent hardware crashing)... The only downside I have seen of the dual monitor setup in this manner is no native 23.97 HZ output on my setup.

You won't be able to get it with that config.

The only way to get 23.97 is to NOT have Twinview (which is basically Nvidia's proprietary display manager) control the displays, but instead to just use regular Xorg functions.

The problem will only be solved by using Xinerama (basically the native Xorg way to extend screens) for cloning screens, but from what I understand VDPAU is broken when you use Xinerama and the Nvidia people have no intention to fix that issue.

So basically, you get to pick two of these:

1. Two screens cloning each other
2. 23.97 support
3. Hardware-based decoding (VDPAU)
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#12
Is this still true?

Is it possible to have cake and eat it too?

I'd like 23.97 Hz, twinview (clone), and hardware acceleration.

(Also, only the DFP-0 [HDMI] supports 23.97, my secondary monitor is a CRT I use for management...)
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Dual Monitor clone mode xorg help please0