[mythtv-users] Dual-monitor display for MythTV/PVR-350/Nvidia

[David]

Dudley Atkinson wrote:

>Does anyone else have a PVR-350 AND an Nvidia nforce2?  I've got it and
>would like to run a dual-monitor display, but have run into difficulty
>getting one to be RightOf the other.
>
>Basically, I can get X into one or the other, but not both displays working
>together.  The reason I think is because the nvidia card registers its
>framebuffer as /dev/fb0, which is the same as the pvr-350 ivtv_fb driver
>(/dev/fb0).  Is this important to the problem, or not?
>  
>
Not really
They both take the next free /dev/fb<x> device
One problem is that some systems have different major minor numbers for 
framebuffers but if things are working as in the next section then I 
doubt that's it.

>When I set the two displays up as separate in the Xservers file on different
>consoles, then all is good, but it is inconvenient to do the ctrl-alt-f8/f7
>commands to toggle between them - since the inactive one seems to have a
>dark screen.  If anyone knows how to have the "inactive" nvidia display show
>the screen when it isn't consoled, I'm interested....
>  
>
So it looks like the independent fbs are working?
They can't both be /dev/fb0 check your dmesgs - if the nv device starts 
first it'll get /dev/fb0 and the PVR'll get /dev/fb1.

There are problems having simultaneous dual-screen X (and I mean screen 
- dual-headed is easy) on one machine.
Basically XFree86 isn't good at sharing the CoreInputDevices(sp?) - and 
I don't think it'll load without a keyboard (which is a nuisance since 
we can run with lirc as the input)
There are hacks involving USB keyboards and the like. I think I saw that 
the Xorg fork is better - I'm not using it yet.

For Xinerama, in X try not loading the nv as an fb device - try vesa? 
(xv etc wont work but it'll narrow things down)
I remember some kind of fb related message when I tried.
I never got xinerama working with the ivtv fb driver - I don't know what 
to blame ;)

>What does this have to do with MythTV?  Well, I'd like to host the MythTV on
>the PVR-350, but have the nvidia available to display DVD's with mplayer
>(because the nvidia has "xv" support).
>  
>
Hmm - I'd have thought different VTs would be good.
I am looking for a command that issues a 'switch vt' instruction though 
(ie simulates ctrl-alt-fn)
Then I could bind it to an IR command.

I have a similar setup.

I run the TV through the 350 but run a projector from the vga output of 
another card (ATI though)
Someone a while back told me to create a 2nd myth user and run myth from 
that account on the other screen.
You also need to give that user a private LocalHostName - search the 
archives.
That works for me but I do use ctrl-alt-f7/f8 :)
Also it's not finished yet.

David