Coffe Lake UHD 60Hz support in Linux - how to get it ?
#1
Short question: How do I get 4K60Hz support on a Linux Intel coffee lake platform? Right now I am not talking about HDR, only about UHD and 60Hz refresh rate. It seems that the results in this area are kind of mixed...

Setup:
  • Asrock B360M-ITX-a/c Mainboard with Pentium Gold G5400 processor running Ubuntu 18.10 and Kodi Leia
  • Connected to a Samsung UHD TV and an UHD capable Marantz receiver (the receiver is not the problem, I cannot get 4K60Hz to work when directly connecting to the TV either)
  • All parts of the chain support 4k60Hz, also the TVs edid info as read out by my HTPC offers this mode.
  • All firmware, as far as I can influence it, is up-to-date.

The setup worked perfectly with my previous HTPC (don't know the exact name any more, it was a Intel J4105 or something like that, cheap thing with onboard CPU, but in retrospect obviously with the advantage of a working HDMI 2.0 connection). With this box and LibreELEC I got 4k60hz without any further fiddling around.

So I thought a coffee lake should be an upgrade. However, the most I get is 4k30Hz... What I tried:
  • Setting TV to "UHD full color"
  • Using DP instead of HDMI (as HDMI seems to be kind of limited for Intel boards)
  • Using a passive DP2HDMI converter -> DP is mirrored as HDMI-3 according to xrandr, and also works as good and as bad as a HDMI connector with max. 4K30Hz
  • Using an active DP2HDMI converter (Club3D CAC-1080, as some forums report success with this one) -> DP is no longer mirrored as HDMI connector. Display is only available when X11 has started, not for BIOS etc. No 4K60Hz modes available, limit to 4K30Hz. Also, most of the time cord has to be un- and then replugged to get any display at all.
  • Adding 4K60Hz modelines with xrandr, the solution given in many internet posts, especially for Intel NUCs. Switching to the manually added mode blanks the TV permanently until the next restart. Also self-calculated modelines with umc etc. don't give better results.
Right now I'm at a loss what else to try. Maybe somebody has experiences which DP2HDMI adapters work reliably for this setup?
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#2
Using the DisplayPort (or USB-C DP Alt Mode) output with an HDMI 2.0 adapter (active / with LSPCON) is the only way you'll get 4Kp60 out of a CFL iGPU.
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#3
(2019-06-02, 01:16)Matt Devo Wrote: Using the DisplayPort (or USB-C DP Alt Mode) output with an HDMI 2.0 adapter (active / with LSPCON) is the only way you'll get 4Kp60 out of a CFL iGPU.
I thought the Club3D adapter would fullfill this spec? What is the LSPCON stuff?
https://www.club-3d.com/en/detail/2442/d..._2.0b_hdr/
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#4
(2019-06-02, 05:28)Wichte Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 01:16)Matt Devo Wrote: Using the DisplayPort (or USB-C DP Alt Mode) output with an HDMI 2.0 adapter (active / with LSPCON) is the only way you'll get 4Kp60 out of a CFL iGPU.
I thought the Club3D adapter would fullfill this spec? What is the LSPCON stuff?
https://www.club-3d.com/en/detail/2442/d..._2.0b_hdr/ 

Display Port to HDMI conversion can take place in one of two ways, as Displayport native is very different to HDMI :

1. Displayport has an 'HDMI over Displayport' mode - where a simple (passive or almost passive) converter can be used to tell a Display Port source to output 'HDMI over Displayport'. This means the GPU is then outputting an HDMI signal (just not on an HDMI connector) and not a native Displayport signal.  This is common for HDMI 1.4 output and below.

2. There are active Displayport to HDMI converters that allow a GPU Displayport output to continue outputting a native Displayport signal, and then an active LSPCon converter chip is used to convert this Displayport native video to HDMI. The LSPCon is what does the conversion.   This is common on Intel motherboards (some NUCs have them on board) as at one point Intel CPUs had HDMI 1.4-only HDMI outputs so the only way to get HDMI 2.0 output was to use an LSPCon to convert the CPUs native Displayport (1.2?) output to HDMI 2.0.   Active DP->HDMI 2 cables will also have an LSPCon in them.

That Club3D converter looks like it will have an LSPCon in it - though which manufacturer's chip may influence performance.

I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now.
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#5
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 05:28)Wichte Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 01:16)Matt Devo Wrote: Using the DisplayPort (or USB-C DP Alt Mode) output with an HDMI 2.0 adapter (active / with LSPCON) is the only way you'll get 4Kp60 out of a CFL iGPU.
I thought the Club3D adapter would fullfill this spec? What is the LSPCON stuff?
https://www.club-3d.com/en/detail/2442/d..._2.0b_hdr/ 

Display Port to HDMI conversion can take place in one of two ways, as Displayport native is very different to HDMI :

1. Displayport has an 'HDMI over Displayport' mode - where a simple (passive or almost passive) converter can be used to tell a Display Port source to output 'HDMI over Displayport'. This means the GPU is then outputting an HDMI signal (just not on an HDMI connector) and not a native Displayport signal.  This is common for HDMI 1.4 output and below.

2. There are active Displayport to HDMI converters that allow a GPU Displayport output to continue outputting a native Displayport signal, and then an active LSPCon converter chip is used to convert this Displayport native video to HDMI. The LSPCon is what does the conversion.   This is common on Intel motherboards (some NUCs have them on board) as at one point Intel CPUs had HDMI 1.4-only HDMI outputs so the only way to get HDMI 2.0 output was to use an LSPCon to convert the CPUs native Displayport (1.2?) output to HDMI 2.0.   Active DP->HDMI 2 cables will also have an LSPCon in them.

That Club3D converter looks like it will have an LSPCon in it - though which manufacturer's chip may influence performance.

I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now. 

Thanks for the detailed answer. I suspect it is some obscure incompatibility between the components, as on the paper everything looks fine.

I begin to wonder if the better way is to use my HTPC just as media server (and other server duties) and use a dedicated Vero 4K+ as dedicated media player?!
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#6
(2019-06-02, 16:40)Wichte Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 05:28)Wichte Wrote: I thought the Club3D adapter would fullfill this spec? What is the LSPCON stuff?
https://www.club-3d.com/en/detail/2442/d..._2.0b_hdr/

Display Port to HDMI conversion can take place in one of two ways, as Displayport native is very different to HDMI :

1. Displayport has an 'HDMI over Displayport' mode - where a simple (passive or almost passive) converter can be used to tell a Display Port source to output 'HDMI over Displayport'. This means the GPU is then outputting an HDMI signal (just not on an HDMI connector) and not a native Displayport signal.  This is common for HDMI 1.4 output and below.

2. There are active Displayport to HDMI converters that allow a GPU Displayport output to continue outputting a native Displayport signal, and then an active LSPCon converter chip is used to convert this Displayport native video to HDMI. The LSPCon is what does the conversion.   This is common on Intel motherboards (some NUCs have them on board) as at one point Intel CPUs had HDMI 1.4-only HDMI outputs so the only way to get HDMI 2.0 output was to use an LSPCon to convert the CPUs native Displayport (1.2?) output to HDMI 2.0.   Active DP->HDMI 2 cables will also have an LSPCon in them.

That Club3D converter looks like it will have an LSPCon in it - though which manufacturer's chip may influence performance.

I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now.  

Thanks for the detailed answer. I suspect it is some obscure incompatibility between the components, as on the paper everything looks fine.

I begin to wonder if the better way is to use my HTPC just as media server (and other server duties) and use a dedicated Vero 4K+ as dedicated media player?! 

If you have a Vero 4K+ then that makes a lot of sense.  Intel HDR support is terrible at the moment, whereas the Vero 4K+ is doing well, and @Sam.Nazarko  keeps on plugging away at making it better.
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#7
(2019-06-02, 16:56)noggin Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 16:40)Wichte Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote: Display Port to HDMI conversion can take place in one of two ways, as Displayport native is very different to HDMI :

1. Displayport has an 'HDMI over Displayport' mode - where a simple (passive or almost passive) converter can be used to tell a Display Port source to output 'HDMI over Displayport'. This means the GPU is then outputting an HDMI signal (just not on an HDMI connector) and not a native Displayport signal.  This is common for HDMI 1.4 output and below.

2. There are active Displayport to HDMI converters that allow a GPU Displayport output to continue outputting a native Displayport signal, and then an active LSPCon converter chip is used to convert this Displayport native video to HDMI. The LSPCon is what does the conversion.   This is common on Intel motherboards (some NUCs have them on board) as at one point Intel CPUs had HDMI 1.4-only HDMI outputs so the only way to get HDMI 2.0 output was to use an LSPCon to convert the CPUs native Displayport (1.2?) output to HDMI 2.0.   Active DP->HDMI 2 cables will also have an LSPCon in them.

That Club3D converter looks like it will have an LSPCon in it - though which manufacturer's chip may influence performance.

I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now.  

Thanks for the detailed answer. I suspect it is some obscure incompatibility between the components, as on the paper everything looks fine.

I begin to wonder if the better way is to use my HTPC just as media server (and other server duties) and use a dedicated Vero 4K+ as dedicated media player?!  

If you have a Vero 4K+ then that makes a lot of sense.  Intel HDR support is terrible at the moment, whereas the Vero 4K+ is doing well, and @Sam.Nazarko  keeps on plugging away at making it better. 
I don't have a Vero. I had hoped to consolidate my PC infrastructure (why run a dedicated media server and a dedicated media player at the same time, when both have the same uptimes most of the time?). But it looks like it will be cheaper to buy a Vero instead of trying one DP->HDMI adapter after another. So I am considering this...
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#8
(2019-06-02, 17:00)Wichte Wrote: I don't have a Vero. I had hoped to consolidate my PC infrastructure (why run a dedicated media server and a dedicated media player at the same time, when both have the same uptimes most of the time?). But it looks like it will be cheaper to buy a Vero instead of trying one DP->HDMI adapter after another. So I am considering this... 

If you're going to separate playback and server duties, and just need a dedicated playback device, then the Odroid N2 + CoreELEC is an excellent option as well, being a newer-gen SoC than the Vero4K and similar boxes
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#9
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote: I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now. 

2160p60 should work OOTB with LE 9.x at this point, it did on both the CFL NUC and KBL Chromeboxes I tested with USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cables
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#10
(2019-06-02, 18:34)Matt Devo Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote: I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now. 

2160p60 should work OOTB with LE 9.x at this point, it did on both the CFL NUC and KBL Chromeboxes I tested with USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cables 

Were those USB-C Alt Mode Displayport -> HDMI cables ?
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#11
(2019-06-02, 18:34)Matt Devo Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 10:52)noggin Wrote: I have a Club3D DP->HDMI 2 converter which I have successfully used with an N3350 Apollo Lake SBC (an Up Squared) to output 2160p50 and 59.94 in LibreElec, but I had to add xrandr modelings that @fritsch supplied.  ISTR that I was using a Millhouse LibreElec build with bumped Intel drivers - though this was a year or two ago now. 

2160p60 should work OOTB with LE 9.x at this point, it did on both the CFL NUC and KBL Chromeboxes I tested with USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cables 

LibreElec is not an option for me, as I use the box as home server in addition to being a media player. LE is just too restricted for this usecase.
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#12
(2019-06-02, 19:45)Wichte Wrote: LibreElec is not an option for me, as I use the box as home server in addition to being a media player. LE is just too restricted for this usecase. 

 was just providing it as a working point of reference
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#13
(2019-06-03, 00:19)Matt Devo Wrote:
(2019-06-02, 19:45)Wichte Wrote: LibreElec is not an option for me, as I use the box as home server in addition to being a media player. LE is just too restricted for this usecase. 

 was just providing it as a working point of reference

I guess LibreElec etc. is a good solution as it tends to work OOTB. Just not suitable for a home server :-( .

I guess I have to use seperate devices (again). My mistake, I had hoped that coffee lake would offer the same capabilities as a simple onboard Celeron and I could get rid of one device. Probably an Odroid, as it seems to be the cheapest solution.
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#14
Why don’t you try LE 9 on a USB to see if you can get 2016p60 working at all. If not perhaps it is a hardware issue.
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#15
(2019-06-02, 19:35)noggin Wrote: Were those USB-C Alt Mode Displayport -> HDMI cables ? 

indeed they were
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Coffe Lake UHD 60Hz support in Linux - how to get it ?0