[mythtv-users] text in certain fields became too tiny after X glitch

Wed Feb 16 01:13:26 UTC 2011

On Tue, 15 Feb 2011, R. G. Newbury wrote:

> Firstly you will have to fix the problem of the system booting into a
> 'lo-res' mode. You should be using the nvidia driver. If there is an
> /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, you can check that the proper driver is set to
> load. If there is no xorg.conf, read the /var/log/Xorg.0.log file, to
> see that was used and loaded.

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I think I fixed that prior to posting to the list. Here's some 
relevant text from Xorg.0.log that, to me, indicates that I am, in fact, 
using the nvidia driver now:

(II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/nvidia_drv.so
(II) Module nvidia: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
 	compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
 	Module class: X.Org Video Driver
(II) NVIDIA dlloader X Driver  173.14.22  Sun Nov  8 20:43:40 PST 2009
(II) NVIDIA Unified Driver for all Supported NVIDIA GPUs
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 01 at 00:00:0
(II) Loading sub module "fb"
(II) LoadModule: "fb"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfb.so
(II) Module fb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
 	compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0
 	ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
(II) Loading sub module "wfb"
(II) LoadModule: "wfb"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libwfb.so
(II) Module wfb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
 	compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0
 	ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
(II) Loading sub module "ramdac"
(II) LoadModule: "ramdac"
(II) Module "ramdac" already built-in
(**) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
(==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
(**) NVIDIA(0): Enabling RENDER acceleration
(II) NVIDIA(0): Support for GLX with the Damage and Composite X extensions 
is
(II) NVIDIA(0):     enabled.
(II) NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA GPU GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS (G72) at PCI:1:0:0 
(GPU-0)
(--) NVIDIA(0): Memory: 524288 kBytes
(--) NVIDIA(0): VideoBIOS: 05.72.22.76.00
(II) NVIDIA(0): Detected PCI Express Link width: 16X
(--) NVIDIA(0): Interlaced video modes are supported on this GPU
(--) NVIDIA(0): Connected display device(s) on GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS at
(--) NVIDIA(0):     PCI:1:0:0:
(--) NVIDIA(0):     Gateway (CRT-0)
(--) NVIDIA(0): Gateway (CRT-0): 400.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
(WW) NVIDIA(0): The EDID for Gateway (CRT-0) contradicts itself: mode
(WW) NVIDIA(0):     "640x480" is specified in the EDID; however, the 
EDID's
(WW) NVIDIA(0):     valid VertRefresh range (60.000-72.000 Hz) would 
exclude
(WW) NVIDIA(0):     this mode's VertRefresh (72.8 Hz); ignoring 
VertRefresh
(WW) NVIDIA(0):     check for mode "640x480".
(II) NVIDIA(0): Assigned Display Device: CRT-0
(==) NVIDIA(0):
(==) NVIDIA(0): No modes were requested; the default mode 
"nvidia-auto-select"
(==) NVIDIA(0):     will be used as the requested mode.
(==) NVIDIA(0):
(II) NVIDIA(0): Validated modes:
(II) NVIDIA(0):     "nvidia-auto-select"
(II) NVIDIA(0): Virtual screen size determined to be 800 x 600
(--) NVIDIA(0): DPI set to (32, 32); computed from "UseEdidDpi" X config
(--) NVIDIA(0):     option
(==) NVIDIA(0): Enabling 32-bit ARGB GLX visuals.
(--) Depth 24 pixmap format is 32 bpp
(II) NVIDIA(0): Initialized GPU GART.
(II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "nvidia-auto-select"
(II) Loading extension NV-GLX
(II) NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA 3D Acceleration Architecture Initialized
(II) NVIDIA(0): Using the NVIDIA 2D acceleration architecture

That output excerpt addresses as well the question of dpi, does it not?

> Read /usr/share/doc/NVIDIA-GLX/README.txt at Appendix E, concerning Dots
> per Inc.
> You may have to force a proper DPI setting. This is an overall setting,
> not directly related to the point size.
> If your desktop is messed up, then it this that needs to be fixed. (and
> only then fiddle with the font size settings in the desktop settings
> area...been there, it was not pretty...)

No such directory/file on my system as that README.txt. I'll see if I can 
find it on the internet somewhere. Being far from any kind of expert in 
mythtv, I nonetheless find it difficult to understand how dpi could be at 
issue here. Allow me to re-state the situation I'm facing in somewhat 
different terms, just to assure we're on the same page in trouble-shooting 
this matter.

>From the time I installed mythbuntu onto this machine just about a month 
ago up until I installed the new capture card and had problems with X, I 
don't believe I ever saw any tiny script displayed in any pop-up dialogs 
that either myth or the desktop issued, or in any other area of the 
mythfrontend interface (such as in the upper right hand clock of the 
program guide). All fonts were of normal size and readable.

Then, when I put in the new capture card that conflicted with the nvidia 
module, certain pop-ups--both in the desktop and in the mythsetup gui--and 
certain limited parts of mythfrontend, i.e., the clock in the upper right 
hand corner of the program guide, started appearing in an extremely small 
script/font. Most of the interface looks very much like it did when I 
first set up mythbuntu, with normal-sized fonts, and is quite readable: 
that was true both when I had the problem with a conflict between my 
nvidia card and the hvr-1600 and was thus apparently using the vesa 
driver, as well as now, after having fixed the conflict between those two 
pieces of hardware. It's just that certain very limited components now end 
up in this tiny font--not a show stopper, but definitely irritating.

So the display is now very close to what it was when I initially set up 
this system. The problem I face is that very limited parts of the 
interface wind up being displayed in a tiny font. Let me try and 
further quantify what I mean by "tiny font," in case that might aid in 
trouble-shooting the problem.

The smallest font I've selected for use via the mythtv set-up is 10 
pt.--which might sound pretty small until you consider that I'm using a 
very large CRT monitor with very low resolution. Escaping mythfrontend and 
going to the desktop, I can set the font size in a terminal. If I set the 
font size to 6 pt. monospace there, the text is readable from about 5 or 6 
feet away. 8 pt. monospace is more legible, and 10 pt. monospace is yet 
better, being legible from across the room. By contrast, the font that 
appears in limited areas of the mythtv interface is much smaller than 6 
pt.: it must be something like 4 pt. or even smaller. I have to be 2 or 3 
feet from the screen to even read it, and even then I have to study the 
text for a bit to be able to decipher it.

> When all that is correct (at it is not clear that things *outside* of
> myth are correct), then you can look at myth itself.

I barely use the desktop that comes with mythbuntu (xfce4). It looks 
really horrible at such low resolution (again, 800x600 is the maximum 
resolution this monitor is capable of). But the bit of rooting around I've 
done in xfce4 just now indicates to me that all is as well as it can be 
there.

> I had the same problem, and it turned out to be the DPI setting. It was
> REALLY hard to install when you couldn't read the prompts!!

If it's something like the dpi setting that would be good news. But I'm 
more inclined at the moment to think of it as some kind of bug in the 
interface. Chances are high, however, that I'm wrong about that.

James