Screensaver "Blank Screen" should use DPMS

[Ryan Thompson]

Binary package hint: gnome-screensaver

When "Blank Screen" is selected as the screensaver, the screen should actually turn off using DPMS when the screen saver activates, at least for LCD monitors. This would help laptops, since merely displaying a blank screen doesn't actually save power on an LCD.

[christopherdstamper (christopherstamper)]

I agree. Screen should sleep, instead of just displaying black.

[Martin Pool (mbp)]

It would be nice if it could use just the lowest level of DPMS saving, so that the screen comes back quickly, and then use a deeper sleep when it reaches the "put display to sleep" level.

[Martin Pool (mbp)]

Note that you can use the 'power management' button to put the display to real sleep, aside from bug 203513

[Ryan Thompson (rct86)]

I agree that using DPMS to blank the screen should not be the default on CRT monitors, just on LCDs. Doesn't xrandr provide info on each available monitor? I think the appropriate behavior would be to use DPMS to blank any screen that can be positively identified as a flatscreen.

[Martin Pool (mbp)]

2009/6/10 Darwin Award Winner <email address hidden>:
> I agree that using DPMS to blank the screen should not be the default on
> CRT monitors, just on LCDs.

That wasn't what I said though. :-)

I think that on all screens, 'just blank' should mean 'dpms standby'.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_Display_Power_Management_Signaling
any monitor should be able to recover from that state in 1s.

I don't see any reason not to use it on CRTs, when I had one it worked
as DPMS says.

--
Martin <http://launchpad.net/~mbp/>