video playback problem on external monitor
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
xorg-server (Ubuntu) |
Expired
|
Low
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
Binary package hint: xserver-xorg
If video (gstreamer, xine,...) playback on a laptop's external monitor is an important ubuntu use case, the following is an important bug.
On my 2005 iBook G4 (relevant lspci info below) and presumably quite a few other laptops, it would have been impossible for someone not intimately familiar with xorg internals to find out how to do video playback on an external monitor. A novice could never solve this problem.
* Xv overlay is needed for smooth video playback.
* Xv overlay can only be applied to one monitor at a time.
* The default Dapper xorg.conf gives the xv overlay to the the internal monitor.
* The default result was a black rectangle instead of video playback on the external monitor, but smooth playback on the internal monitor.
My stopgap solution:
* Install xvattr from universe.
* Move the xv overlay to the external monitor:
$ xvattr -a XV_SWITCHCRT -v 1
I now have video playback working on the external monitor, and a black rectangle on the internal one.
The relevant lspci info for my iBook G4:
0000:00:10.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc M9+ 5C63 [Radeon Mobility 9200 (AGP)] (rev 01)
0001:10:0b.0 Host bridge: Apple Computer Inc. UniNorth 2 PCI
I can confirm the bug report and the workaround.