G550 (dual) DVI does not work

[mkuutti]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-mga

My video card is Matrox G550 AGP Low profile with DVI-output and optional dual DVI-output. Display is LG L194WTSF widescreen LCD display with optimum resolution 1440x900.
With Feisty and Gutsy, (didn't try Dapper) when booting console shows up fine, but X puts my display to powersave, possible caused by signal-out-of-range or no signal at all. (Display won't tell why). Xorg.0.log won't give any errors that would help me, this is propably known problem of 1.4.6-version.
From Debian bugs I found that new 1.9 version of mga-driver should work, so hopefully next Ubuntu release will contain new mga-driver.

With help of Unofficial Matrox Technical Support Forum http://matrox.tuxx-home.at/viewtopic.php?t=153 I managed to get video working with Feisty.

[Michael Bienia (geser)]

From the manpage for the mga driver:

       Support for the second head on G400
       cards requires a binary-only "mga_hal" module that is available from
       Matrox <http://www.matrox.com>, and may be on the CD supplied with the
       card. That module also provides various other enhancements, and may be
       necessary to use the DVI (digital) output on the G550 (and other
       cards).

[Cesare Falco (c.falco)]

The bug still affects gutsy.

My G550 is an older one with the standard VGA connector as the first output and the DVI connector (which I use with my Samsung SyncMaster 152T LCD monitor) is the second one. Each time I installed Ubuntu from scratch or updated it, I ran into same problem: blank screen with blinking led meaning no input segnal. And yes, the problem is only solved with the Hal closed source library.

Unfortunately, Matrox stepped back and they no longer directly support the linux driver for their cards. However, they are still maintained as "unofficial" ones. Look here: http://matrox.tuxx-home.at/viewtopic.php?t=153
I wonder whether those driver can be included in Ubuntu as restricted ones.

[mrhonne (andhochen)]

I have also an G550 with a VGA connector (unused) and a DVI connector (used for a LCD monitor). I installed Gutsy from scratch and had the same problem: after a fine booting console, the monitor turns black with the message "no input signal".
I tried an old Breezy Badger Live-CD which worked flawlessly. At the moment I use the vesa driver instead of the (appropriate?) mga driver.

[mrhonne (andhochen)]

I've installed the Hardy Heron Beta and the G550 worked with the mga driver and my LCD connected via DVI.
Yesterday (15th of April) I had to switch back to the ordinary vesa driver - some xorg-packages were updated which apparently caused the old trouble.

[Bastian Wissler (bastian-wissler)]

Hi,

On my G450 "Xorg -configure" doesn't see the second monitor.

Output of xorg.conf.new and "hwinfo --monitor" is attached.

Suggestions are welcome, Bastian.

[Guido Scholz (gscholz)]

Hi all,
this bug is still valid for Hardy. I have a slightly different setup with a normal G550 providing one VGA and one DVI connector. Here are two LCD displays attached (both NEC 1880SX with 1280x1024) used with a Xinerama layout.

What I found updating from 6.06 to 8.04 is the second head (DVI connector) is not switched on when X ist starting (as in Dapper).

I also found the second head can be switched on in two ways, starting from a gdm login screen:
a) Changing to a console (e.g. Alt-F1) and changing back to the gdm login screen.
b) Loging in via gdm and loging out again.

This situation is not very attractive and should not continue for the next two years. It is a pitty that there is only a fix available for the 1.9.100 release which is not compatible to the Hardy xserver, as I found.

Guido

[Oceanwatcher (oceanwatcher)]

I have a setup with a G550 that has one anlogue and one DVI (using a converter to analogue) connected to two Hansol 900P CRT monitors running 1600x1200 on both screens.

I see the same behaviour described here using Linux Mint Elyssa and I use the log out/log in trick to get both monitors working. Hope this will eventually be fixed. The G550 still provides excellent picture.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

This is fixed in the upstream beta version, which will get in ubuntu later (for 9.04 perhaps).

1.9.100 should be compatible with the hardy xserver, the driver package perhaps only needs a rebuild.

[Oceanwatcher (oceanwatcher)]

Timo,

As I am not a programmer, it is difficult for me to do something about this myself. Do you think it is possible to find a "hotfix" that can be used to correct this before the official release? 9.04 is a long time away...

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Should now be fixed in jaunty.

[mrhonne (andhochen)]

Dear Timo and Bryce!

I'd like to stick to Ubuntu Hardy and prefer not to upgrade to Jaunty. Is there a chance that this fix will be backported to Hardy? If not, could you please sketch the way how to build the needed mga package for Hardy?

With best regards

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

You can request a backport of the driver if you wish. See the Ubuntu Backports docs for guidance.

[mkuutti (martti)]

After two and half years I found my Matrox and run into same problem with Karmic. Blank screen after starting X. Fortunately, there is some hope. See
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466318