Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

[Uber Nooblett]

Hey all, been gone a loooong time but now settled in Mancs with feller and back with Kubuntu again now that I have some spare time again

So hello again and I hope you are all well!

Anyway, I digress...

I have some really annoying screen tearing and I can't seem to find a solution. It happens in everything and is especially noticeable in movies making them unwatchable.

I am using latest Nvidia drivers as installed by Envy for an 8800GTS 640mb. All 'sync to v-blank' tick boxes are ticked in compiz and nvidia xconfig but no joy there or in google searches for the issue so I come to you all for rescue!

Hope you can help and thanks in advance you lovely people

Jen x

[The Liquidator]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Hi Jen

What version of KDE are you running?

Also, do you have the same problem if you turn off compiz and run the KDE desktop effects instead?

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

The one that came with the disk, not updated it unless it was in the auto updates at the start. how do I best find out?

edit: had the same issue without compiz.

Just in case needed, here is the xorg.

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildd@crested) Sun Feb 1 20:25:37 UTC 2009

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder62) Tue Mar 24 06:15:32 PST 2009

Section "ServerLayout"
  Identifier   "Layout0"
  Screen   0 "Screen0" 0 0
  InputDevice  "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
  InputDevice  "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
  Load      "dbe"
  Load      "extmod"
  Load      "type1"
  Load      "freetype"
  Load      "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
  Option     "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

  # generated from default
  Identifier   "Mouse0"
  Driver     "mouse"
  Option     "Protocol" "auto"
  Option     "Device" "/dev/psaux"
  Option     "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
  Option     "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

  # generated from default
  Identifier   "Keyboard0"
  Driver     "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
  Identifier   "Monitor0"
  VendorName   "Unknown"
  ModelName   "NUL"
  HorizSync    31.5 - 80.0
  VertRefresh   56.0 - 75.0
  Option     "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
  Identifier   "Device0"
  Driver     "nvidia"
  VendorName   "NVIDIA Corporation"
  BoardName   "GeForce 8800 GTS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
  Identifier   "Screen0"
  Device     "Device0"
  Monitor    "Monitor0"
  DefaultDepth  24
  Option     "TwinView" "1"
  Option     "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-1"
  Option     "metamodes" "CRT-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+296, CRT-1: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
  SubSection   "Display"
    Depth    24
  EndSubSection
EndSection

[The Liquidator]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Having been "blessed" with an intel 915 I can't claim to know too much about Nvidia cards. However, if you have the KDE version that came on the disk then it will be 4.2x. With auto-updates you will still be on 4.2x I believe. The latest is 4.3.1 which can be applied to Jaunty here

http://www.kubuntu.org/news/kde-4.3.1

Given the number of bugs that have been fixed by the upgrade to KDE 4.3 I would suggest that that would be a sensible start.

Also, A google for the problem has thrown up this thread

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=123631

I don't know whether either of these are solutions, but both are worth taking into account I think.

Ian

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Thanks for looking

Neither fixed it unfortunately.

I have noticed that the tearing is only occurring on the larger screen and not the 17in; the sync is allocated to the larger screen so not sure why that is. The refresh is 60hz as it is a large panel, however the refresh is the same on both screens and shouldn't affect the tearing...

If I move the cube in compiz around like crazy it looks like one steady scanning line up the screen, don't know if that is significant at all...

annoying ><,

[Argos]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Check this link: http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2009/0...thout-tearing/. this is a solution to your problem.

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Thanks Argos, will try that

First, installing the new KDE totally screwed the graphics ie: widget desktop is gone and all the windows have no borders. Cano't switch from compiz to KDE basic manager as it wont work... any way to roll back or reinstall 4.2?

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Check this link: http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2009/0...thout-tearing/. this is a solution to your problem.

P.s. the points in that tutorial have already been met and it did not work, i may try to fiddle with the refresh though in case the cheapy 24in monitor I have isn't quite on the money with its V-Fresh

[dibl]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

I think it's your monitor -- the refresh settings, probably. It's odd that it was detected, apparently, via DPMS, but the manufacturer and model are not shown.

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "NUL"
HorizSync 31.5 - 80.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Here are two things to try:

- exit X with Ctrl-Alt-F1, then shut down the X server with

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

then run

sudo nvidia-xconfig

and let it re-write the xorg.conf file. The restart X with

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm start

- if that doesn't make it better, research the monitor model and manually fix the sync and refresh rates.

HTH

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

I think it's your monitor -- the refresh settings, probably. It's odd that it was detected, apparently, via DPMS, but the manufacturer and model are not shown.

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "NUL"
HorizSync 31.5 - 80.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Here are two things to try:

- exit X with Ctrl-Alt-F1, then shut down the X server with

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

then run

sudo nvidia-xconfig

and let it re-write the xorg.conf file. The restart X with

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm start

- if that doesn't make it better, research the monitor model and manually fix the sync and refresh rates.

HTH

The monitor section is referring to two monitors connected via analogue rather than digi cables, hence the wide refresh range and no manufacturer. it's simply showing it as a single monitor due to twinview.

Will that method fix the things that updating KDM screwed?

[dibl]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

The monitor section is referring to two monitors connected via analogue rather than digi cables, hence the wide refresh range and no manufacturer. it's simply showing it as a single monitor due to twinview.

Will that method fix the things that updating KDM screwed?

Hmmm -- I'm not a master of dual monitoring -- are they both the same model? If yes, I would think that if you can find the specifications on their maximum sync and refresh rates, and edit xorg.conf to use those values, then the driver should run them correctly. It occurs to me that with no digital connection to the monitors, the driver has no way to know what their characteristics are, so this is almost surely at least part of the problem.

Will this method fix everything? Heh heh heh -- only one way to find out, that I know of! Back up your existing xorg.conf file first -- that way you're guaranteed to end up no worse off after you try the fix.

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

The monitor section is referring to two monitors connected via analogue rather than digi cables, hence the wide refresh range and no manufacturer. it's simply showing it as a single monitor due to twinview.

Will that method fix the things that updating KDM screwed?

Hmmm -- I'm not a master of dual monitoring -- are they both the same model? If yes, I would think that if you can find the specifications on their maximum sync and refresh rates, and edit xorg.conf to use those values, then the driver should run them correctly. It occurs to me that with no digital connection to the monitors, the driver has no way to know what their characteristics are, so this is almost surely at least part of the problem.

Will this method fix everything? Heh heh heh -- only one way to find out, that I know of! Back up your existing xorg.conf file first -- that way you're guaranteed to end up no worse off after you try the fix.

Totally different monitors; one is a 24inch 16:10, the other is a 17inch 4:3.
I need to get some digital cables but I always forget to; perhaps i'll get some tomorrow while hubbs is doing his Pharmacy exams... or maybe I'll just get clothes... like normal... we'll see!

Will give the fix a go If it all dies horribly, at least i still have 2 fully functional windows installs I can use.

Thanks Mr Dibs

[dibl]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

Thanks Mr Dibs

Good luck with it -- I would think digital cables, and then re-run nvidia-xconfig, would make it work better.

[Uber Nooblett]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

ok, here is what I am getting that seems to be stopping the decorator starting... any ideas?

home@home-desktop:~$ compiz
Checking for Xgl: not present.
xset q doesn't reveal the location of the log file. Using fallback /var/log/Xorg.0.log
Detected PCI ID for VGA:
Checking for texture_from_pixmap: present.
Checking for non power of two support: present.
Checking for Composite extension: present.
Checking screen 1Comparing resolution (3200x1320) to maximum 3D texture size (8192): Passed.
Checking for Software Rasterizer: Not present.
Checking for nVidia: present.
Checking for FBConfig: present.
Checking for Xgl: not present.
/usr/bin/compiz.real (video) - Warn: No 8 bit GLX pixmap format, disabling YV12 image format
/usr/bin/compiz.real (cube) - Warn: Failed to load slide: /usr/share/gdm/themes/Human/ubuntu.png
/usr/bin/compiz.real (cubeaddon) - Warn: Failed to load image:
/usr/bin/compiz.real (cubeaddon) - Warn: Failed to load image:
Starting kde4-window-decorator
kde4-window-decorator: Could not enable decorations on display ":0.0"

[ukchucktown]

Re: Screen Tearing (movies, compiz, the lot)

From the nvidia manual:

the primary display device (specify its HorizSync and VertRefresh in the Monitor section of your X config file) and the secondary display device (specify its HorizSync and VertRefresh through the SecondMonitorHorizSync and SecondMonitorVertRefresh options).


I see a primary sync and refresh but no secondary monitor sync and refresh in your xorg.conf file. If you have two monitors with vastly different specs I could understand the tearing you observe without the additional options present in your xorg file.