[needs quirk] huge fonts, unusable KDE on ati rs690 [patch]

[Sorin Enache]

Binary package hint: xserver-xorg-video-radeon

I am unable to run Kubuntu Jaunty Alpha 3 x64 correctly. Both the LiveCD (32 & 64 bit) and the hdd install exhibit broken graphical interface, caused by huge fonts. See the screenshots here: http://www.filebox.ro/picbox/album.php?key=4bebe8ee72384e4757e49f99ca5de38c&english=1

The video card is the desktop rs690 IGP (ATI 690G).
I also tried radeonhd by apt-geting the package and modifying xorg.conf by hand.The results were the same.

Ubuntu x64 alpha 3 LiveCD works correctly.

The bug seems related to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/274234

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please attach your X server configuration file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf) and X server log file (/var/log/Xorg.0.log) to the bug report as individual uncompressed file attachments using the "Attachment:" box below. Could you please also try to run without any /etc/X11/xorg.conf and let Xorg autodetect your display and video card? Please also attach the /var/log/Xorg.0.log from this attempt. Thanks in advance.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

These types of problems are often caused by your monitor providing bad EDID data.

Please attach the output of:

xrandr --query
get-did | parse-edid # from the read-edid package

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Correction:
get-edid | parse-edid

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

@Tormod Volden
Below are the Xorg.0.log and xorg.conf I was last using, after trying to switch to radeonhd with no success.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Next are the files for the radeon driver:

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

And the log from booting after deleting xorg.conf:

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

@Bryce Harrington:

Well, I have some issues running the commands, first because my graphical interface is unusable:
xrandr --query returns: "Can't open display", I assume because I run it from console.
I did run it from the Jaunty LiveCD (Gnome), the output is attached...

And regarding the read-edid package - I cannot find it with apt-get install:
Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Reading state information...
Package read-edid is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

Googling, I only found the source package, I might be able to compile it if you (patiently ;) ) direct me.

Thank you both for taking time to look into this issue.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Thanks! We have enough information to work on it further.

Your monitor is "lying", it reports the aspect ratio in the "image size" field:
(II) RADEONHD(0): clock: 108.0 MHz Image Size: 5 x 4 mm

Needs "quirk_detailed_use_maximum_size" for:
(II) RADEONHD(0): EDID data for AL1923
(II) RADEONHD(0): Manufacturer: ACR Model: 783 Serial#: 1900068647

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

I'm glad it helped.

Is there a quick and easy fix I can apply, or should I just wait for an update?

Thanks

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

You can add for instance:
   DisplaySize 370 300
to the Monitor section in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

I am ready to send this patch upstream as soon as it has been tested or reviewed.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Thanks for the DisplaySize tip, it worked after also using Option "DDC" "false" .

I still have an issue, though, as the 1280x1024 resolution is not available for Display Properties, and the resolution detected and used is 1152x864. Also, the output used is named DVI 2, while the DVI 1 exists but has no list of properties.

My guess is that it has something to do with some quirk of my board, ASUS M2A-VM HDMI, which also has an extension PCIe express board for HDMI output, although that one is not phisically installled and is disabled from BIOS afaik. I'm saying this because I also get a maximum resolution available resembling that of "HD ready" TVs: 1366×768.

I'm sorry, I didn't get the time to investigate more last night and the computer is at home, but I will try to get back with details. Should I upload my log again?

As for the patch, can I test it in any way or should I wait for a package?

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

So your DisplaySize option did not work on its own? I thought that was a bug that had been solved :(

The options in Display Properties should match what we see in the "xrandr -q" output. Please also attach the output from "xrandr --verbose". A new log with the latest xserver update won't hurt either.

I will try to make a patched package later, that you can test.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

I now have a patched version xserver-xorg-core 2:1.5.99.902-0ubuntu1tormod in my PPA https://launchpad.net/~tormodvolden/+archive/ppa

Please remember to test with an empty or default xorg.conf.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

> So your DisplaySize option did not work on its own?

Can you please also attach the log from using DisplaySize and not NoDDC? The NoDDC (or IgnoreEDID) should not be necessary, so this can be a bug as well.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Sorry about the delay, I've had some rough days...

I'm afraid the patch didn't work, I still get all the issues.

So, let's take them in order of appearance (numbering starts from the first attachment):

07. xrandr output.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

08. Unpatched xorg log with DisplaySize only

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

09. unpatched xorg log afer adding NoDDC option.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

10. xorg.conf used for the above

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

11. xorg log after updating the package from PPA

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

12. Finally, the log from the current situation, patched X + twaked xorg.conf.
As I stated above, the behavior seems to be exactly the same.

I hope it helps.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

For some reason the radeonhd driver is picked instead of radeon. I wonder if it works if you use the radeon driver. Can you please try it?

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Well, I think radeonhd is picked if it is installed (which it is not by default), so please try uninstalling it.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

When you have tried the radeon driver with no xorg.conf (to test the patch), please also try setting DisplaySize (without setting NoDDC). I would like to see if the radeon driver also ignore DisplaySize in this case, or if it is a bug in radeonhd. To see the difference more easily, use a false display size like 200 180.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Thanks, it worked after removing radeonhd. I did have issues because there's already a new version of the package and I accidentally upgraded, but now I'm fine (with Kubuntu x64 alpha 3 reinstalled and an empty sources.list :D ).

I attached the log from a successful boot - attachment no. 13 ;).

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Unfortunately, DisplaySize 200 160 had no effect whatsoever. Fonts display normally.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Even worse, when adding NoDDC my display goes to standby when starting X (probably a bad resolution/refresh setting ?).
Here's the log.

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Thanks. So the patch works fine and adds the quirk, and this works with radeon.

But there seems to be a bug in radeonhd that it does not apply any quirks.

And DisplaySize does not work. Another bug or a new feature.

Finally, when there's no DDC:
[ 0.900029] (II) RADEON(0): Using fuzzy aspect match for initial modes
[ 0.900047] (II) RADEON(0): Output VGA-0 using initial mode 1152x864
which does not work with your monitor. Can you try with "IgnoreEDID" instead?

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

Not only is DisplaySize ignored, but also poorly used to calculate the reported DPI:
[ 1.453431] (II) RADEON(0): Output DVI-0 using initial mode 1280x1024
after xf86InitialConfiguration
[ 1.453507] (**) RADEON(0): Display dimensions: (200, 160) mm
[ 1.453524] (**) RADEON(0): DPI set to (162, 203)

1280 / 200 * 25.4 = 163 that's fine.
1024 / 160 * 25.4 = 163 as well and not 203... seems it is using height 1280 as well.
Anyway, I don't think the DPI reported here is used at all. Can you check what xdpyinfo and "xrandr --verbose" reports?

Now for display going standby: 1152x864 works for radeonhd (from attachment 9):
(II) RADEONHD(0): On Crtc 0 Setting 60.0 Hz Mode: Modeline "1152x864" 81.62 1152 1216 1336 1520 864 865 868 895 -hsync +vsync
so I guess radeon ends up with another vrefresh and timings, but does not tell us which in the log. Also here, "xrandr --verbose" output would be useful, but is not so easy to acquire. Can you try this:
1. stop X from a console with "sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop", or boot with "text" as kernel parameter
2. run X with:
 xinit -e 'sh -c "xrandr --verbose > xrandr.txt" '
3. check that you got something in xrandr.txt (mind the apostrophes and quotes above)
4. now you can restart X with "sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start"

Ideally we should open separate bugs for all these different issues, as soon as we have singled them out...

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

OK, while IgnoreEDID doesn't result in a black screen anymore, it too doesn't do anything for the font sizes (I used DisplaySize 100 80 this time).
The resolution is set to 1152x864x60 Hz
I attached the log.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Here's the xdpyinfo output.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

And the xrandr output.

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

After reverting to the NoDDC option, I of course still get the blank screen followed by standby mode.

Running the commands you gave me, I got the attached output (after having to manually install xterm).
It seems to select the wrong resolution(1152x854) with the right refresh (60Hz). I don't understand why that doesn't work...

[Tormod Volden (tormodvolden)]

I move the bug back to "Confirmed" since the fix has not been committed upstream yet. There was a new patch suggested but no more progress: http://lists.x.org/archives/xorg-devel/2009-February/000053.html

We should consider inclusion of the patch, or of my patch here since it is smaller and have been tested.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Thanks, patch committed to git for next xserver upload.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package xorg-server - 2:1.6.0-0ubuntu2

---------------
xorg-server (2:1.6.0-0ubuntu2) jaunty; urgency=low

  * Add 163_thinko_in_xf86targetpreferred.patch:
    - For monitors that do not define a "preferred" mode, if the monitor
      is not connected to the first output, X wouldn't pick up the mode
      correctly, resulting in a "No modes" error in Xorg.0.log and dropping
      user to failsafe-X mode.
      (LP: #335214)
  * Add 164_trap-aspect-ratios.patch:
    - Some monitors fib in the EDID they provide, giving their physical
      dimensions in the global block, and their aspect ratio(!) in
      the detailed timings. This totally messes up DPI calculations
      resulting in huge fonts.
      (LP: #320930)

 -- Bryce Harrington <email address hidden> Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:47:12 -0700

[Sorin Enache (darkbulb)]

Sorry, I finally got around to test the fix.
I simply did a massive upgrade from my "frozen" alpha3 with Tormod's patched xorg to the current packages.
It looks and works great! Besides, the whole desktop composited KDE experience seems a lot smoother now.

Thank you, Tormod and Bryce, for your commitment to fixing this, and thanks to everyone in the community for pushing Linux ahead.

/ a happy user :)