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<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title>9.11. VESA - output to VESA BIOS</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="default.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="MPlayer - The Movie Player"><link rel="up" href="video.html" title="Chapter 9. Video output devices"><link rel="prev" href="caca.html" title="9.10. libcaca – Color ASCII Art library"><link rel="next" href="x11.html" title="9.12. X11"><link rel="preface" href="howtoread.html" title="How to read this documentation"><link rel="chapter" href="intro.html" title="Chapter 1. Introduction"><link rel="chapter" href="install.html" title="Chapter 2. Installation"><link rel="chapter" href="usage.html" title="Chapter 3. Usage"><link rel="chapter" href="advaudio.html" title="Chapter 4. Advanced audio usage"><link rel="chapter" href="cd-dvd.html" title="Chapter 5. CD/DVD usage"><link rel="chapter" href="tv-input.html" title="Chapter 6. TV input"><link rel="chapter" href="tv-teletext.html" title="Chapter 7. Teletext"><link rel="chapter" href="radio.html" title="Chapter 8. Radio"><link rel="chapter" href="video.html" title="Chapter 9. Video output devices"><link rel="chapter" href="ports.html" title="Chapter 10. Ports"><link rel="chapter" href="mencoder.html" title="Chapter 11. Basic usage of MEncoder"><link rel="chapter" href="encoding-guide.html" title="Chapter 12. Encoding with MEncoder"><link rel="chapter" href="faq.html" title="Chapter 13. Frequently Asked Questions"><link rel="appendix" href="bugreports.html" title="Appendix A. How to report bugs"><link rel="appendix" href="skin.html" title="Appendix B. MPlayer skin format"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">9.11. VESA - output to VESA BIOS</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="caca.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 9. Video output devices</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="x11.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="sect1" title="9.11. VESA - output to VESA BIOS"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="vesa"></a>9.11. VESA - output to VESA BIOS</h2></div></div></div><p>
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This driver was designed and introduced as a <span class="bold"><strong>generic
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driver</strong></span> for any video card which has VESA VBE 2.0 compatible
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BIOS. Another advantage of this driver is that it tries to force TV output
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<em class="citetitle">VESA BIOS EXTENSION (VBE) Version 3.0 Date: September 16,
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1998</em> (Page 70) says:
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</p><div class="blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><p title="Dual-Controller Designs"><b>Dual-Controller Designs. </b>
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VBE 3.0 supports the dual-controller design by assuming that since both
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controllers are typically provided by the same OEM, under control of a
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single BIOS ROM on the same graphics card, it is possible to hide the fact
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that two controllers are indeed present from the application. This has the
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limitation of preventing simultaneous use of the independent controllers,
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but allows applications released before VBE 3.0 to operate normally. The
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VBE Function 00h (Return Controller Information) returns the combined
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information of both controllers, including the combined list of available
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modes. When the application selects a mode, the appropriate controller is
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activated. Each of the remaining VBE functions then operates on the active
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</p></blockquote></div><p>
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So you have chances to get working TV-out by using this driver.
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(I guess that TV-out frequently is standalone head or standalone output
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</p><div class="itemizedlist" title="ADVANTAGES"><p class="title"><b>ADVANTAGES</b></p><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc" compact><li class="listitem"><p>
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You have chances to watch movies <span class="bold"><strong>if Linux even doesn't
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know</strong></span> your video hardware.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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You don't need to have installed any graphics' related things on your
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Linux (like X11 (AKA XFree86), fbdev and so on). This driver can be run
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from <span class="bold"><strong>text-mode</strong></span>.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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You have chances to get <span class="bold"><strong>working TV-out</strong></span>.
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(It's known at least for ATI's cards).
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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This driver calls <code class="function">int 10h</code> handler thus it's not
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an emulator - it calls <span class="bold"><strong>real</strong></span> things of
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<span class="emphasis"><em>real</em></span> BIOS in <span class="emphasis"><em>real-mode</em></span>
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(actually in vm86 mode).
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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You can use VIDIX with it, thus getting accelerated video display
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<span class="bold"><strong>and</strong></span> TV output at the same time!
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(Recommended for ATI cards.)
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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If you have VESA VBE 3.0+, and you had specified
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<tt class="option">monitor-hfreq, monitor-vfreq, monitor-dotclock</tt> somewhere
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(config file, or command line) you will get the highest possible refresh rate.
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(Using General Timing Formula). To enable this feature you have to specify
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<span class="bold"><strong>all</strong></span> your monitor options.
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</p></li></ul></div><div class="itemizedlist" title="DISADVANTAGES"><p class="title"><b>DISADVANTAGES</b></p><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc" compact><li class="listitem"><p>
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It works only on <span class="bold"><strong>x86 systems</strong></span>.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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It can be used only by <code class="systemitem">root</code>.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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Currently it's available only for <span class="bold"><strong>Linux</strong></span>.
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</p></li></ul></div><div class="important" title="Important" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Important</h3><p>
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Don't use this driver with <span class="bold"><strong>GCC 2.96</strong></span>!
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</p></div><div class="variablelist" title="COMMAND LINE OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR VESA"><p class="title"><b>COMMAND LINE OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR VESA</b></p><dl><dt><span class="term"><tt class="option">-vo vesa:<em class="replaceable"><code>opts</code></em></tt></span></dt><dd><p>
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currently recognized: <code class="literal">dga</code> to force dga mode and
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<code class="literal">nodga</code> to disable dga mode. In dga mode you can enable
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double buffering via the <tt class="option">-double</tt> option. Note: you may omit
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these parameters to enable <span class="bold"><strong>autodetection</strong></span> of
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</p></dd></dl></div><div class="itemizedlist" title="KNOWN PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS"><p class="title"><b>KNOWN PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS</b></p><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc" compact><li class="listitem"><p>
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If you have installed <span class="bold"><strong>NLS</strong></span> font on your
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Linux box and run VESA driver from text-mode then after terminating
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<span class="application">MPlayer</span> you will have
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<span class="bold"><strong>ROM font</strong></span> loaded instead of national.
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You can load national font again by using <span class="command"><strong>setsysfont</strong></span>
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utility from the Mandrake/Mandriva distribution for example.
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(<span class="bold"><strong>Hint</strong></span>: The same utility is used for
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localization of fbdev).
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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Some <span class="bold"><strong>Linux graphics drivers</strong></span> don't update
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active <span class="bold"><strong>BIOS mode</strong></span> in DOS memory.
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So if you have such problem - always use VESA driver only from
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<span class="bold"><strong>text-mode</strong></span>. Otherwise text-mode (#03) will
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be activated anyway and you will need restart your computer.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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Often after terminating VESA driver you get
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<span class="bold"><strong>black</strong></span> screen. To return your screen to
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original state - simply switch to other console (by pressing
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<span class="keycap"><b>Alt</b></span>+<span class="keycap"><b>F<x></b></span>)
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then switch to your previous console by the same way.
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</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
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To get <span class="bold"><strong>working TV-out</strong></span> you need have plugged
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TV-connector in before booting your PC since video BIOS initializes
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itself only once during POST procedure.
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</p></li></ul></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="caca.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="video.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="x11.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">9.10.
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