Re: [ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
Dianne Reuby wrote: >> Rob Beard wrote: >> >> However it may be possible to fit a >> graphics card. I don't suppose you know the make and model number of >> your motherboard do you, or if it's a branded PC (say a Dell, HP etc), >> what the make and model number is? >> >> It is possible that your motherboard may have an AGP slot for an >> external graphics card, or a PCI Express slot (or two). As a minimum it >> should have a PCI slot (assuming it's a desktop PC and not a laptop). >> > > It's a Packard Bell m/board RC410-M, specs from the site: > > > Expansion Slots > * 1x PCI Express 16X. > * 3x PCI Ahh yeah you have a 16x PCI Express slot so you should be able to add another card. As suggested elsewhere, the NVidia cards are pretty good and reasonably priced. As much as I like the fact ATI have released information for their graphics cards so an open source driver can be written, I was a bit miffed to find they have stopped supporting some older cards with their latest proprietary driver. I'll say one thing for NVidia, although they don't release the information to create a 3D open source driver, they do tend to support their previous graphics cards in newer drivers. So if you decide to try a different graphics card, I would maybe suggest something like this from eBuyer.com at £22. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173699 Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
> Rob Beard wrote: > > However it may be possible to fit a > graphics card. I don't suppose you know the make and model number of > your motherboard do you, or if it's a branded PC (say a Dell, HP etc), > what the make and model number is? > > It is possible that your motherboard may have an AGP slot for an > external graphics card, or a PCI Express slot (or two). As a minimum it > should have a PCI slot (assuming it's a desktop PC and not a laptop). It's a Packard Bell m/board RC410-M, specs from the site: Form Factor * µATX Form Factor. * 24.4 x 24.4 cm. CPU Support * Intel Pentium D Dual Core Technology. * Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in an LGA775 socket with an 800 MHz system bus. * Intel® Celeron® D processor in an LGA775 socket with an 800 MHz system bus. Chipset * ATI Radeon XPress 200 Northbridge. * ATI SB450 Southbridge. System Memory * 2 banks. * DDR2 400 / DDR2 533 / DDR2 667 DIMMs. * Supports up to 4 GB system memory. * Single Channel support. Video * ATI XPRESS 200M GPU. * Maximum video memory in BIOS is 256 MB. * Total maximum video memory 512 MB using TurboCache. Audio * Realtek ALC 655 audio codec. * High Definition Audio subsystem. * 5.1 channel support. Network * Realtek RTL8100C. * 10/100 Mbit. Expansion Slots * 1x PCI Express 16X. * 3x PCI. Drive Support * 4 x SATA connectors. * 2 x Ultra ATA-133 connector. Apologies for two replies - for some odd reason my original email and Dave's reply didn't come through to my email program! Dianne -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Ubuntu 9.10 - Power Management
2009/11/23 Norman Silverstone : > I have a relatively old desktop machine on which I have run many > versions of Ubuntu. Having just upgraded from Ubuntu 9.04 to Ubuntu > 9.10, most things appear to be working very well and faster than before. > However, the Power Management setting to turn the screen off after a set > time period is not working. Could someone suggest how this might be > investigated and put right, please. > Do you mean that the screen is turning off, but after the wrong time delay? Or that the screen is not turning off at all? Cofion/Regards, Neil. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
> David Jones wrote: > Once it was installed and restarted, there were no problems, it just > seemed to be the installer that was having problems. My original plan was to remove the HDD and replace it with the HDD from my machine (with 9.04 on) - I just thought I'd run the LiveCD to check for hardware problems before doing it. I might as well go ahead and see what happens then! Dianne -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
javadayaz wrote: > And how to upscale? do i just push a button and it will attempt to better? > I've found that generally whatever I use upscales the video anyway to fit the resolution. For instance, MPlayer or Totem will happily upscale anything I chuck at it (DVDs, AVI videos) to my monitors native resolution, or there abouts otherwise it would only be a small square on the screen. However if I play 720p HD videos, it just displays them at 1280x720 and leaves small borders on the screen at the top and bottom (although these are hardly noticeable) as my display is 1280x800. if I try and play any 1080p video it will scale it down to fit the screen. I believe there are parameters you can specify to MPlayer (not sure about Totem) to change the scaler used. All this is done using the on board Intel video chipset on my notebook, it runs fairly well (my notebook has a Core 2 Duo 2Ghz CPU), so you may find your existing on board graphics may be fine, but saying that, having the option to offload the decoding to the graphics card will possibly benefit you by possibly using less power (the CPU can clock down to around 1GHz rather than running at full pelt). Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
javadayaz wrote: > i am using a core 2 duo at the mo...but no graphics card...i am using > the onboards graphics chip...I have been for the past few years in fact. > > which is a better option. PCI express, AGP or standard PCI? Well if you have a Core 2 Duo I'd guess you wouldn't have an AGP slot. Out of the two, PCI Express is better than PCI as it's faster, newer and graphics cards are more widely available for PCI Express, and also cheaper. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
And how to upscale? do i just push a button and it will attempt to better? 2009/11/24 Rob Beard > javadayaz wrote: > > does this graphics card do most of the work...or does it pass it to > > the processor? > > > A Geforce 8400GS will offload some if not all of the video decoding > leaving the CPU free to do other things... > > http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_gpu&num=1 > > Rob > > > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ > -- Regards Javad -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
On 24/11/09 12:19, javadayaz wrote: > can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will > display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. > pref on ebay. > Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! I bought a 256MB Palit 9500GT, PCI-E 2.0(x16), 1600MHz GDDR3, GPU 550MHz, 32 Cores, HDTV/ D-Sub/ DL DVI-I Which is nice and fast enough. It is also passive (no fan) so is great for a HTPC. HTH Al -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
i am using a core 2 duo at the mo...but no graphics card...i am using the onboards graphics chip...I have been for the past few years in fact. which is a better option. PCI express, AGP or standard PCI? 2009/11/24 Rob Beard > javadayaz wrote: > > can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will > > display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. > > pref on ebay. > > > > Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! > > > > -- > > Regards > > > > Javad > Do you want PCI express, AGP or standard PCI? > > I'd suggest looking at the NVidia cards, I gather the 8400 or 9400 offer > HD acceleration with VDPAU (which is supported as far as I know by > MythTV and MPlayer). VDPAU offloads some of the decoding of HD video to > the graphics card... > > http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_gpu&num=1 > > NVidia have released a new range of Geforce cards, I believe the > cheapest is the Geforce 210 although these seem to be going for about > £30 to £40 at the moment. > > If you wanted a card about £20 you'd probably be looking at a Geforce > 8400 or something along those lines. > > Saying that, if you have a reasonable spec CPU (Core 2 Duo, Athlon X2) > and a recent ish graphics card you should be able to play HD video > anyway, it just might have a higher CPU usage. > > Rob > > > Rob > > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ > -- Regards Javad -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
javadayaz wrote: > does this graphics card do most of the work...or does it pass it to > the processor? > A Geforce 8400GS will offload some if not all of the video decoding leaving the CPU free to do other things... http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_gpu&num=1 Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
javadayaz wrote: > can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will > display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. > pref on ebay. > > Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! > > -- > Regards > > Javad Do you want PCI express, AGP or standard PCI? I'd suggest looking at the NVidia cards, I gather the 8400 or 9400 offer HD acceleration with VDPAU (which is supported as far as I know by MythTV and MPlayer). VDPAU offloads some of the decoding of HD video to the graphics card... http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_gpu&num=1 NVidia have released a new range of Geforce cards, I believe the cheapest is the Geforce 210 although these seem to be going for about £30 to £40 at the moment. If you wanted a card about £20 you'd probably be looking at a Geforce 8400 or something along those lines. Saying that, if you have a reasonable spec CPU (Core 2 Duo, Athlon X2) and a recent ish graphics card you should be able to play HD video anyway, it just might have a higher CPU usage. Rob Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
does this graphics card do most of the work...or does it pass it to the processor? 2009/11/24 Adam Bagnall > > > On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 12:19 PM, javadayaz wrote: > >> can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will >> display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. >> pref on ebay. >> >> Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! >> >> -- >> Regards >> >> Javad >> >> -- >> ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com >> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk >> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ >> >> > An Nvidia 8400gs will do the job nicely. Not much use for gaming, but > perfectly good for desktop use and hardware accelerated video playback. I've > read reports that the 512mb ones are preferable for very high quality > videos. > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ > > -- Regards Javad -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 12:19 PM, javadayaz wrote: > can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will > display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. > pref on ebay. > > Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! > > -- > Regards > > Javad > > -- > ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ > > An Nvidia 8400gs will do the job nicely. Not much use for gaming, but perfectly good for desktop use and hardware accelerated video playback. I've read reports that the 512mb ones are preferable for very high quality videos. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
Dianne Reuby wrote: > I've got a PC with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 video - I know I've seen > comments in the past ATI isn't very well supported. Looking at the > forums and the hardware pages, though it seems some people use them OK, > and I've read https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver > > I've found some ATI cards work better than others, I have an ATI Radeon All In Wonder X800 which has a funny turn with Ubuntu when it's attached to both the PC monitor and our LCD TV. Although I have found some ATI cards work great. It's not just ATI I've had problems with too, I've had real problems with NVidia cards too. > But when I try the LiveCD (9.10) all I get is a flashing cursor on a > black screen, so I can't try enabling the restricted drivers or checking > the compatibility anyway. Is there a way round this? > > When you boot the Live CD, you should be able to choose the option for Safe Graphics Mode (I think), it's one of the F keys, you should see something at the bottom of the screen where you can select to try Ubuntu or run the installation program. > And is this an "on board" chip, rather than an actual card which can be > changed? (I get that impression from looking at it, and from reading > stuff on line.) > Yes, I have a feeling it is. However it may be possible to fit a graphics card. I don't suppose you know the make and model number of your motherboard do you, or if it's a branded PC (say a Dell, HP etc), what the make and model number is? It is possible that your motherboard may have an AGP slot for an external graphics card, or a PCI Express slot (or two). As a minimum it should have a PCI slot (assuming it's a desktop PC and not a laptop). Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Recommend a graphics card.
can someone recommend a cheapish (£10-25) graphics card that will display/upscale to hd quality? I would like to display on 40" screen. pref on ebay. Easily set up on Ubuntu will be a plus! -- Regards Javad -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
Dianne Reuby wrote: > I've got a PC with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 video - I know I've seen > comments in the past ATI isn't very well supported. Looking at the > forums and the hardware pages, though it seems some people use them OK, > and I've read https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver > > But when I try the LiveCD (9.10) all I get is a flashing cursor on a > black screen, so I can't try enabling the restricted drivers or checking > the compatibility anyway. Is there a way round this? > > And is this an "on board" chip, rather than an actual card which can be > changed? (I get that impression from looking at it, and from reading > stuff on line.) > > TIA > Dianne > > > > Dianne, My wifes laptop is a Toshiba with builtin ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics. When I installed Ubuntu in the past (8.04, 8.10 and 9.04) I found with the first two that I could use the Alternate install cd but with 9.04, even that wouldn't work. The livecd wouldn't work at all. I got round the problem by attaching a second monitor to the laptop during installation with the alternate cd and found that it worked fine doing that, everything that you'd expect on the laptop screen came up on the external monitor. Once it was installed and restarted, there were no problems, it just seemed to be the installer that was having problems. I've not tried upgrading to 9.10 yet, that was something I was waiting for a while to see how other people got on with it. Hope that helps anyway. Regards Dave -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] 9.10 with ATI Radeon
I've got a PC with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 video - I know I've seen comments in the past ATI isn't very well supported. Looking at the forums and the hardware pages, though it seems some people use them OK, and I've read https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver But when I try the LiveCD (9.10) all I get is a flashing cursor on a black screen, so I can't try enabling the restricted drivers or checking the compatibility anyway. Is there a way round this? And is this an "on board" chip, rather than an actual card which can be changed? (I get that impression from looking at it, and from reading stuff on line.) TIA Dianne -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] MythTV
< snip > > Sounds like either the mythbackend has started up and been unable to use the > capture cards, or something weird has happened with the backend. > > Give mythbackend a restart and try again, if that does work try clearing out > your capture cards and re-add them to the video source, channels are bound > to the video source so don't worry about losing the channels. Thanks for your response. I seem to have solved most of the problem by doing as you suggest and then I did a re-scan. There have clearly been some changes to the way menu items are presented since I last played with the backend and I am not at all clear what to do when I am asked to chose numbers for some channels. Still, I expect I will work it out given time. Norman -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] MythTV
On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 04:39:00PM +, Norman Silverstone wrote: > When I try to run a TV programme I get an error message:- 'MythTV is > using all inputs, but there are no active recordings?' I cannot recall > ever seeing this message before I changed to Ubuntu 9.10 and I would be > grateful if someone could suggest a solution. I have looked on Google > but do not understand what is being suggested. Sounds like either the mythbackend has started up and been unable to use the capture cards, or something weird has happened with the backend. Give mythbackend a restart and try again, if that does work try clearing out your capture cards and re-add them to the video source, channels are bound to the video source so don't worry about losing the channels. -- Andrew Williams w: http://tensixtyone.com/ e: andy (at) tensixtyone.com signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
