# [SOLVED] Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS



## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

Hello,
I am an absolute newbie here. I installed Ubuntu 9.10 on my laptop and worked wonderfully, basically plug and play, so I decided to install 9.10 on a PC that I have connected to a 32 inch 16:9 LCD TV that I use for movies.
This PC is an IBM Netvista 8303 KKU with a 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400.
The TV is a no-name brand (Astar) that I've had for 3 years so far.
Anyway, after I installed Ubuntu I downloaded the latest NVIDIA Linux Driver from nvidia.com and installed it. The screen resolution after the install is so low that I can't get it to work properly on my tv. When I plug a BenQ LCD monitor the NVIDIA X Server Settings utility recognizes that brand and model and I get a bunch of available resolutions. When I connect my TV, the utility detects a CRT monitor and I can't get more than 640x480 on a 4:3 format instead of the 16:9. How do I enable higher resolutions on a 16:9 format for my TV?
Please help!


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

Run this in your terminal

```
cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
```
See if you can use the information below to change a few values around. Oh, if this messes up your display to the point where all you see is the terminal: You'll need to login as usual, and then type in 'startx' without the quotes and press enter. If that doesn't work we'll work you through it.

Alternatively, if you'd like to play it safe, just copy and paste the contents of your xorg.conf file into <code></code> tags for us. Notice in forums the tags are surrounded by these-->][



http://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/8201-editing-basics-for-the-xorgconf-file said:


> At a minimum, the modern Monitor section of xorg.conf consists of a unique Identifier and the option DPMS, which enables Display Power Management Signaling in order to conserve the power used by the monitor. However, you can also set the horizontal and vertical refresh rates in the HorizSync and VertRefresh fields, or the monitor's Gamma setting, using information supplied with the monitor.
> 
> Another option is DisplaySize, which is measured in millimeters and specifies the dots per inch to use at a particular resolution. To get the resolution in millimeters, multiply both the height and the width by 25.4, and divide each result by the desired DPI. For example, if your resolution is 1024 x768, the results rounded down would be 270 and 203, and the entire entry for the option would read:Option\t"DisplaySize" "270 203 # 96 DPI @ 1024x768".Alternatively, with some Nvidia cards, you may need to suppress the automatic setting of the DPI by including the option "USEdidDPI" set to "false" and following by the option "DPI" with a value for the desired DPI, such as "96 x 96".


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*



ahmorrow said:


> Run this in your terminal
> 
> ```
> cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup
> ...



Thank you ahmorrow
OK, after some googling, and before I read your response, I tried modifying the xorg.conf by inputting some information I got from both my tv manual and a modeline generator.

After I did the changes and restarted I got an error message telling me that Ubuntu was running in low resolution and was given options to use the backed up xorg.conf file, which I did but nothing happened, so I reinstalled the nvidia driver and I'm back where I started.

So, to play it safe, here is both the original xorg.conf and the one I modified (sorry I did not understand what you meant by tags):
THE ORIGINAL XORG.CONF:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig 
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 ([email protected]) Tue Dec 8 21:04:28 PST 2009 

```
Section "Monitor" 
    Identifier     "Monitor0" 
    VendorName     "Unknown" 
    ModelName      "Unknown" 
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0 
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0 
    Option         "DPMS" 
EndSection 

Section "Device" 
    Identifier     "Device0" 
    Driver         "nvidia" 
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation" 
EndSection 

Section "Screen" 
    Identifier     "Screen0" 
    Device         "Device0" 
    Monitor        "Monitor0" 
    DefaultDepth    24 
    SubSection     "Display" 
        Depth       24 
    EndSubSection 
EndSection 

THE XORG.CONF I MODIFIED:
Section "Monitor" 
    Identifier     "LVT-32ASB" 
    VendorName     "ASTAR" 
    ModelName      "LVT-32ASB" 
    HorizSync       28 - 101 
    VertRefresh     60 - 160 
    Modeline 	   "[email protected]" 84.5 1360 1392 1712 1744 768 783 791 807 
    Option         "DPMS" 
EndSection 

Section "Device" 
    Identifier     "Device0" 
    Driver         "nvidia" 
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation" 
EndSection 

Section "Screen" 
    Identifier     "Default Screen" 
    Device         "Device0" 
    Monitor        "LVT-32ASB" 
    DefaultDepth    24 
    SubSection     "Display" 
        Depth       24 
        Modes      "[email protected]" 84.50 1360 1392 1712 1744 768 783 791 807 
    EndSubSection 
EndSection
```
Where did I go wrong?

Thank you!


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

Hmmmm... can you post the specs on your monitor? Maybe the model number if you don't have all that?


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*



ahmorrow said:


> Hmmmm... can you post the specs on your monitor? Maybe the model number if you don't have all that?


Shoot, I just realized I typed the wrong model number. It should be "LTV-32ASB" instead of "LVT-32ASB".
Anyway, Astar Electronics (the manufacturer) no longer exists, so the only manual I have is at home and I am at work. I got some specifications from a website, which is linked here

I recall the manual says that recommended resolutions are 1366x768 and 1024 x 768, both at 60Hz.


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

Try replacing the first section with this:


```
Section "Monitor" 
    Identifier     "LVT-32ASB" 
    VendorName     "ASTAR" 
    ModelName      "LVT-32ASB" 
    HorizSync       28 - 101 
    VertRefresh     60 - 160 
    Modeline 	   "[email protected]"
EndSection
```
If that doesn't work try taking a look at the link below. I'm no expert at xorg configuration, especially for widescreens, but I'll look around for someone that is good at it.

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/x-config.html

If you don't understand that, can you post the output of the following commands?


```
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log
cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf
```


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

OK, from my TV manual, this is what I got from the PC compatibility chart
RESOLUTION V FREQ (Hz) H FREQ (KHz) BAND WIDTH (MHz)
640*350 85 37.86 31.5
640*400 85 37.86 31.5
640*480 60 31.469 25.175
640*480 72 37.86 31.5
640*480 75 37.5 31.5
800*600 56 35.156 36
800*600 60 37.88 40
800*600 72 48 50
800*600 75 46.875 49.5
1024*768 60 48.363 65
1024*768 70 56.476 75
1024*768 75 60 78.75
1152*864 75 67.5 108
1280*720 60 45 88
1280*960 60 60 108
1280*1024 60 63.981 108
1366*768 60 47.7 85.5

Recommended are both 1024*768 and 1366*768, at 60Hz.

I'll try replacing the code as you suggested yesterday, and give you the output of the commands as soon as I get it done.
Thanks!


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

Simple solution.
Opensuse 11.2 worked with the NVIDIA card right out of the box. The resolution is 1024x768. I have Ubuntu on the laptop, opensuse on this PC.


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## eveningsky339 (Jun 10, 2008)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*



c800957276 said:


> Simple solution.
> Opensuse 11.2 worked with the NVIDIA card right out of the box. The resolution is 1024x768. I have Ubuntu on the laptop, opensuse on this PC.


Two excellent Linux distro's. :smile: 

I've heard various complaints about NVIDIA cards and Ubuntu; I assume that this issue will be addressed in the next release.


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

I hope so. I am almost ready to throw the towel on Windows products.


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

What's a Windows product? Now I'm really confused.


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## eveningsky339 (Jun 10, 2008)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*



c800957276 said:


> I hope so. I am almost ready to throw the towel on Windows products.


As a side note, my machine runs an NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS card. Absolutely no issues with Ubuntu-- but I did have to use the NVIDIA X Server to set the resolution.


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## c800957276 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Low Resolution on Ubuntu 9.10 with NVIDIA 8400 GS*

The problem lies with the TV, not the card. Opensuse is fine for now.


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

Ah... well I'm sorry we couldn't help you with the TV at least. Do you know what the problem is?


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