[mythtv-users] Will these machines give me xorg headaches?

[Damian]

> On 07/06/2012 02:25 AM, Karl Newman wrote:
>> On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 3:59 PM, Damian <myth at surr.co.uk> wrote:
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I'm planning on replacing an old MythBox and 'always on' LAN server 
>>> with one
>>> of the selection here:
>>>
>>> http://www.mediacenter-tv.co.uk/slim-line-media-centres.html
>>>
>>> The thing I'm worried about is the graphics output and if I'll be 
>>> able to
>>> configure it.
>>>
>>> I have an old BenQ W100 projector which has a native resolution of 
>>> 480p.
>>> Yes, I know that's rubbish, and I'll get HD when it dies, but it's 
>>> perfectly
>>> adequate for watching SD films until then.
>>>
>>> When I first set up the last machine, I had a NIGHTMARE getting a 
>>> workable
>>> resolution though to the projector. I had a lot of help on this 
>>> newsgroup,
>>> and after about 2 months of trial and error I got the nVidia drivers 
>>> doing
>>> what I wanted them to do. They feed a 720p image to the projector, 
>>> which the
>>> projector can interpret.
>>>
>>> These new machines mostly have integratd Intel graphics cards. Is 
>>> that going
>>> to give me a headache again??
>>>
>>> I temporarily have a Windows XP machine plugged into the projector, 
>>> and that
>>> doesn't know what to make of it. I've not spent time trying to solve 
>>> it as
>>> it's only there for a short time, but I'm back to the 16:9 ratio being
>>> ignored and the only options available being 4:3.
>>>
>>> If it helps to see how good/bad this problem is, here's a link to the
>>> xorg.conf file that gets around the problems with my nVidia card and 
>>> lets
>>> things display properly:
>>>
>>> http://pastebin.com/Eb70dVYV
>>>
>>> I'd really appreciate your best guess as to whether those xorg.conf 
>>> changes
>>> may work with any graphics card, or if they are nVidia dependent.
>>>
>>> And while we are on the subject, how does Intel graphics on the 
>>> motherboard
>>> compare to nVidia's for MythTV use?
>>>
>>> Looking forward to your thoughts,
>>> Damian
>>
>> Well, I just replaced a failed nVidia system with an intel setup and
>> it was far from easy. All told the system was offline (for myth
>> purposes) for over a month. A big part of my problem was getting the
>> video modes to work correctly. I have an old SD CRT (480i only) and am
>> using an HDMI->S-video converter to get a signal to it. I had tried
>> earlier using a HDMI->component video but had a terrible time trying
>> to get an interlaced mode working. It sounds like your projector
>> understands progressive modes so maybe you'll have better luck. I
>> played around with the new (in 3.3 or 3.4) kernel ability to insert a
>> custom DSDT to specify the available modes (and thus override that
>> read from the video output device). I did get it to work, but it was
>> still better and simpler for me to downgrade my output type to
>> S-Video. As far as Myth's support of intel, I have VAAPI working fine
>> with low CPU usage. From what I've read on the list, several others
>> have tried and failed, but it wasn't all that difficult for me to get
>> it working; just a few key settings/libraries. The quality with isn't
>> fantastic but heck I'm still using a 480i display so obviously it
>> doesn't bother me much!
>>
>> So, I guess my advice is: Good luck! Most likely it will not be plug 
>> and play.
>
> A word of warning: do NOT attempt to shift back to an intel setup 
> after using an nvidia setup with nvidia driver without precautions. 
> The nvidia installer replaces a few libraries with its own. Although 
> the installer has an 'uninstall' switch, the replaced libraries are 
> NOT saved. The install is in fact, one way.
>
> If you extract the setup from the installer (NVIDIA....run -x) you can 
> inspect the resulting files and see what will be removed. You can then 
> save those somewhere. Considering how easy it would be to script I 
> have NO idea why nvidia fails to do it. They are working on earning 
> that middle finger.
>
> The other route is to just do a complete re-install. You may or may 
> not approach this with deep feelings of dread and angst. If you have 
> and use helper scripts, this may not be a problem,
>
> As usual YMMV,
>
> Geoff

Thanks Geoff,

My plan is a completely clean install. Not importing anything into 
MythTV. Starting again from scratch.

I've kept a copy of the xorg file just in case I have problems with my 
awkward projector. There's always a chance that the display could 'just 
work', but I'm certainly not expecting that based on my past experience.

Damian