[mythtv-users] Dual monitors solved

allene222 nabble at oldpaloalto.com
Wed Apr 30 21:23:34 UTC 2008


> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:21:27 -0500
> From: "Misty P" <mistyp at thekorn.net>
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Dual monitors solved
> To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
> Message-ID: <029201c8aad5$dbf87bb0$670012ac at dualbomb>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> Youri Matthys wrote:
> > Allen,
> >
> > If you configure your X-server with 2 seperate xscreens you could
> > start mythfrontend with the DISPLAY variable to run it on a specific
> > screen.
> >
> > To start it on your svideo this would result in: "DISPLAY=:0.1
> > mythfrontend" You could also add the -geometry parameter after this
> > if you like.
> >
> > I've attached the relevant parts of my xorg.conf for your reference.
>
> Or, the original poster could search the archives for the solution I posted 
> less than one week ago for his *EXACT* problem, no ridiculous shutting down 
> X required!  (Even works with XvMC!)
>
> (*NO*, I'm not willing to post it again.  Give a man a fish and you feed him 
> for a day.  Teach a man to search, and you don't have to keep buying him 
> fish!)
>
> (But I *will* give the url to search the archives... 
> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/ )
>   

I am the original poster.  I appreciate your reply and it has made me 
think and come up with what I think is an even better solution.  One 
with only a very small problem that I am sure some smart person on this 
list can solve.

With that introduction out of the way, I would like to politely point 
out to mystyp that I spent many hours "fishing" for a solution for this 
in various archives.  I tried scores of solutions that didn't work.  I 
posted to this list and was also pointed in directions that didn't 
work.  I then kept trying things until something worked.    I should say 
by way of background that I am building an HDTV system with a 2.4GHz P4 
and twinview just doesn't cut it.  When I found something that worked, 
and worked well I might add, I posted it so others could find it.  I am 
open to a better solution so I was interested in trying yours, in spite 
of the way you presented it to me, so I took your "bait" and went 
"fishing" for your post.

I searched using mistyp and "caught" this:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/331389?search_string=mistyp;#331389

I was particularly interested in this comment:

"It's not perfectly optimal ...Since it's a secondary display and not 
really intended for critical
viewing..."

In my case, the SVideo output will be used for my 36 inch TV, which we 
use for 90% of our viewing --  "not optimal" is not an option here.  So, 
I guess I won't take the time to try your solution out since you don't 
seem too proud of it in your post.

Now, perhaps you were referring to another post.  If that is the case, 
please don't be so condescending and go ahead and post a link to it.

That said, I seem to have found an even better solution.  I have 
twinview off so I have two separate X window displays.  I found if I 
move the mouse over to where the second display (the TV) is, and right 
click it, I can start another instance of mythfrontend.  So now I have 
completely independent instances of mythfrontend running on my projector 
and on my TV.  I can move the mouse over to either instance and make it 
active.  I can watch TV or recordings on either screen.  It has the 
added advantage that I can pause a show on the TV set, watch a movie on 
the projector, and when I go back to the TV, just continue what I was 
watching.

That said, there is still a problems I could use help on: How do you 
switch programs (between the two instances of mythfrontend) without the 
mouse, with a remote or even the keyboard for example?

It is also possible to start the two instances of mythfrontend in 
different instances of xwindows so that you can go to the projector with 
<ctrl><alt>F7 and to the SVideo instance with <ctrl><alt>F9 or 
whatever.  I still think I read that remotes cannot supply codes such as 
<ctrl><alt>F8 so this is still not a great solution.  Now, as switching 
is not really required with the remote as it is a big setup issue to 
turn on the projector anyway, taping some keys on the keyboard isn't a 
big deal.

If there is a better way to switch between running programs, like 
<ctrl><tab> in windows, I would love to know that it is.  I did a google 
search and found articles that said <ctrl><tab> will switch between 
applications, but not for me.  Is there something I need to change in 
Mythbuntu to make <ctrl><tab> work?
Now, that said, all of these solutions seem better than restarting X so 
I think this is in fact a better solution.  Everything works well and 
nothing is cut off, there are no limits on the resolution or screen size 
that I have run into yet so I am happy so far.  I will know more when I 
get time to actually try it on my projector rather than a monitor and a TV.


Allen



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