Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

YDL running on the Sony Playstation 3

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Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby billb » 15 May 2008, 20:38

NOTE: If you're experiencing blocky / garbled video over HDMI on PS3 FW >= 3.10, please see this topic.

Determine what mode to use:

You need to use the ps3-video-mode command to help determine which mode works best on your TV / display. The command does not permanently change your resolution -- it is only meant for testing.

To test various video modes, hit Ctrl-Alt-F1. That puts you in text mode (Ctrl-Alt-F7 gets you back to graphic mode). It's possible to run the ps3-video-mode command in a terminal without switching to text mode, but you'll likely end up with a garbled display in graphic mode very quickly. Again, do not attempt to test video modes while in graphic mode.

So, switch to text mode using Ctrl-Alt-F1. Log in as root at the localhost login prompt.

Code: Select all
root
<password>


The ps3-video-mode command by itself will show your current mode. Note that the Up and Down arrow keys cycle through previously entered commands.

ps3-video-mode -? will show help for the command.

Code: Select all
Video mode ID:
  0:auto mode
  YUV 60Hz  1:480i  2:480p  3:720p  4:1080i  5:1080p
  YUV 50Hz  6:576i  7:576p  8:720p  9:1080i 10:1080p
  RGB 60Hz 33:480i 34:480p 35:720p 36:1080i 37:1080p
  RGB 50Hz 38:576i 39:576p 40:720p 41:1080i 42:1080p
  VESA     11:WXGA 12:SXGA 13:WUXGA

  full screen mode: <video mode ID> + 128
  dither ON mode  : <video mode ID> + 2048


(NOTE: For YDL 6.1, to print the supported video modes, use man ps3-video-mode)

Usage is ps3-video-mode -v [options]. If you end up in a mode your display doesn't support and can't see the screen, you can hit the Up arrow key once, use backspace to delete the old mode number, then enter a known working number and hit enter. You might want to try this while you can see the screen to see how it works. Worst case -- if you get stuck with a black screen in an unsupported mode and can't get back to a working mode, just power off/on your PS3. Again, the ps3-video-mode command alone doesn't make any permanent changes.

You add 128 to the mode number for fullscreen mode.

For example, to test 720p mode with borders you would use:

Code: Select all
ps3-video-mode -v 3


For 720p mode without borders (fullscreen), you would use:

Code: Select all
ps3-video-mode -v 131


Again, to list the modes available, show help for ps3-video-mode using this command:

Code: Select all
ps3-video-mode -?


Edit your yaboot.conf file:

Once you find the best mode for your display, you need to modify this file:

/etc/yaboot.conf


You can do this while you're still in text mode and logged in as root. First create a backup with this command:

Code: Select all
cp /etc/yaboot.conf /etc/yaboot.conf.backup


Then enter this command to start a text mode editor and open the /etc/yaboot.conf file:

Code: Select all
nano -w /etc/yaboot.conf


Look for this section next to append =, and use the arrow keys to move to it in the editor:

video=ps3fb:mode:3 rhgb

In this case the mode number is 3. This is the ONLY thing you should change -- just the mode number. Be very careful editing this file, and only change the mode number at this time. Something as simple as leaving out a single ' could result in an error on reboot!

For example, if you're using mode 131 for 720p fullscreen:

video=ps3fb:mode:131 rhgb

Now hit Ctrl-X, then press Y, then Enter. (Ctrl-X tells the editor to Exit, it asks if you want to save your changes and you say Yes, it shows the file name it is writing to and you confirm by pressing Enter)

That should take you back to the [root@localhost ~]# prompt.

[EDIT: Removed editing of /etc/X11/xorg.conf portion, doesn't appear to be necessary]

Now reboot your PS3 by entering this command:

Code: Select all
reboot


If you are using e17, you may need to use this menu item to fix your desktop alignment after changing resolution:

Windows > Cleanup Windows

Display Configuration:
Most LCD TV's appear to overscan the image so that a small portion (around 5%) is cut off. While this may not be noticed using the Game OS / playing games, if you're running Linux a portion of your menu bar(s) and windows won't be visible in full-screen mode.

Some LCD TVs will have a setting called Dot by Dot, Native Mode, Just Scan, Cropping, or possibly another name, that will scale the image so that it fits entirely within the borders of the screen. Some don't have this type of mode and all 720p/1080i/1080p input is overscanned.

Displays that aren't meant to receive HDTV signals may not use overscanning at all, so they won't have (or need) any settings like that, either.

How to determine your screen resolution:
You can determine your screen resolution from a terminal window with this command:

Code: Select all
xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions:'


Example:
Code: Select all
[localhost ~]$ xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions'
dimensions:    1280x720 pixels (433x244 millimeters)


More info is available in the Audio/Video section of the Fixstars Howto's:
http://us.fixstars.com/support/solutions/ydl_6.x/
PS3 60GB [CECHA01], FW 3.15, YDL 6.2, Samsung T260HD @ 1920x1200
Powermac G4 1.25 GHz x2, 2 GB RAM, YDL 6.2
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Postby babyblow10 » 22 May 2008, 05:33

thanks for the help but i ran into a problem...i have a sdtv and i have borders so i wanted to get fullscreen...i tried the full screen commands for 480i and then part of the text mode gets cut off and i cant get back into graphic mode unless i put it back to vide mode 1...do you know why i cant get fullscreen?
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Postby ppietro » 22 May 2008, 06:30

babyblow10 wrote:thanks for the help but i ran into a problem...i have a sdtv and i have borders so i wanted to get fullscreen...i tried the full screen commands for 480i and then part of the text mode gets cut off and i cant get back into graphic mode unless i put it back to vide mode 1...do you know why i cant get fullscreen?


UPDATE: Actually - I just re-read your post. I think what you're saying is that you're trying the procedure above and you can't flip back to the graphics mode dynamically. That is because the ps3-video-mode command is to be used to determine mode numbers only. You have to edit your yaboot.conf with the mode number you find and reboot to get the graphics mode active. In this case, you'd want mode 129 (480i mode 1 + 128 for fullscreen) in your /etc/yaboot.conf.

I think this will answer what you're asking.

In the meantime, here's the content of my original post for posterity.

Cheers,
Paul

----------------------------------------------

It's most likely due to a property of SDTVs called "Overscan". Basically, SDTVs display a picture that is bigger than the viewable area. (You can picture this if you imagine looking at your raw TV tube without the plastic housing.)

That's why the normal video mode 1 has those borders - because most TVs "clip" off the 4 edges, and you'd need to "shrink" the picture down to display comfortably on an SDTV. Your set apparently doesn't have as much overscan as some sets - but still has enough overscan to make fullscreen mode impractical.

You may have to use full screen mode 480i and use padding. Some users set the screen to fullscreen mode, and place 4 panels at the edge of the screen in Gnome to "pick up the slack".

Like here:
http://www.yellowdog-board.com/viewtopic.php?p=9933#9933

Cheers,
Paul
Last edited by ppietro on 24 May 2008, 04:53, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby babyblow10 » 24 May 2008, 04:34

ok i got all that done everything is working but the desktop goes over my tv a lil bit so i cant see the toolbars unless i enlarge them alot...is there a way to fix this
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Postby ppietro » 24 May 2008, 04:52

babyblow10 wrote:ok i got all that done everything is working but the desktop goes over my tv a lil bit so i cant see the toolbars unless i enlarge them alot...is there a way to fix this


Yes - see the link at the end of my post above.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby CronoCloud » 03 Aug 2008, 05:28

Posting this again, had it on the old board:

I knew that eventually I'd be getting a PS3, but before I did that, I knew I would need an HDTV. I had ran my PS2 LInux kit via SDTV which was okay for some things, but painful for others. I eventually picked up this 19" LCD TV from Wal-Mart:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... id=9204671

It's a 720p/1080i model that had a nice looking picture for the price. I got it home and hooked it up to midgar (my PS2 with Linux installed) via component, I had lost my multi-out to VGA dongle that had come with the kit, so I was stuck with PS2 Linux's version of 720p 940x6foo If memory serves me well. But it was still better than the 640x448 I had been using.

Some time later, I got my PS3 and installed YDL6. It installed as 720p and used that funky 720p YDL uses 11foox6foo. Anyway, I remember reading somewhere that when you use HDMI the PS2 supports all the output formats, so I decided to try a few more. Turns out that VESA WXGA works pretty well. It's not full resolution that my TV can display, 1440x900 but it's close enough that the TV does a pretty good job of scaling it.

I used:

ps3-video-mode -v 11 at first, but that gave a weird greenish cast to black

but using:

ps3-video-mode -c -v 11 gave me good blacks (-c turns on full color HDMI mode) and then using ps3-video-mode alone gave me the mode # 1547.

I could use WUXGA but the TV tries to scale it down badly IMHO and it looks "off"

So if you've got a TV with HDMI, try out the VESA modes too.

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CECHE01 PS3 (MGS4 80GB Bundle) without OtherOS and with an upgraded 320GB HD
Running Fedora 23 on a Compaq Presario CQ5320F upgraded with a Phenom X4 and GT640
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby juanito » 03 Oct 2008, 07:52

And "comment out" (this means add a #) the Modes line so it looks like this:

Code: Select all
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
FbBPP 32
# Modes "1920x1080" "1280x1024" "1280x768" "1280x720" "720x576" "720x480"
EndSubSection


I'm puzzled by this as the ydl solutions topic "configuring ydl 5.0 for the chosen ps3 video mode" says that this line should be left in? After installing ydl-6, and without changing anything, I had something like "Modes 1240x644"

I'm using a ps3 with a dell 2009w monitor - native resolution 1680x1050 - and hdmi to dvi adapter. If I use 720p, I have about 15mm of black space top and bottom, about 30mm of black space at either side and large fonts. If I use 1080p, I have the same black space but a good font size. I'm trying the overscan thing at the moment, but the black space is still the same. Strangely, when ydl boots, the full screen area is used until I enter the password. In the game os I have it set to 720p and the full screen is used (and the picture quality of games and blu-ray disks is amazing).

I guess I need to play with the xorg.conf modes line some more - is there any likelihood of sony adding to the video modes available via ps3-video-mode?
Last edited by juanito on 03 Oct 2008, 08:53, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby CronoCloud » 03 Oct 2008, 08:33

juanito wrote:I'm using a ps3 with a dell 2009w monitor - native resolution 1680x1050 - and hdmi to dvi adapter.


Since you're using a PC type monitor did you try the VESA modes?

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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby juanito » 03 Oct 2008, 08:50

My understanding of the ps3 vesa modes available is:

11:WXGA: 1280x720 or 1280x768 or 1280x800 or 1360x766 or 1366x766
12:SXGA: 1280x1024
13:WUXGA: 1920x1080

..i.e. none of these is very close to 1680x1050 (WSXGA+), but I'll give them a try when I'm back in front of the ps3
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby billb » 03 Oct 2008, 12:23

I believe that should be:

VESA Modes:
11: wxga (1280 x 768)
12: sxga (1280 x 1024)
13: wuxga (1920 x 1200)
PS3 60GB [CECHA01], FW 3.15, YDL 6.2, Samsung T260HD @ 1920x1200
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby juanito » 03 Oct 2008, 15:00

After much messing around, I found:

1. video mode:133 - the fbset script line that just about got things lined up was "/usr/sbin/fbset -a -xres 1690 -yres 960 -vxres 1690 -vyres 960" but this left a lot of black space around the image.

2. video mode:5
Code: Select all
# xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions:'
  dimensions:    1688x964 pixels (572x326 millimeters)

..which shows I wasn't too far off above, but still had the same amount of black space around the edges.

3. video mode:11
Code: Select all
# xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions:'
  dimensions:    1280x768 pixels (433x260 millimeters)

..which the monitor scaled to full screen although the windows and fonts were too large for my taste.

4. video mode:12
Code: Select all
$ xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions:'
  dimensions:    1280x1024 pixels (433x347 millimeters)

..which the monitor scaled to full screen, but the aspect ratio was wrong.

5. video mode:13
Code: Select all
xdpyinfo | grep 'dimensions:'
  dimensions:    1920x1200 pixels (650x406 millimeters)

..which the monitor scaled to full screen, but the "computer" and other icons were almost in the middle of the screen. I set about adjusting this with the fbset script, but as soon as I did this, the monitor no longer scaled the image to full screen and I was back to the same black spaces around the edges.

..then I remembered a comment of billb's about the E17 window --> clean up windows and now I have a full screen image, decent size windows and fonts and the icons and logo are in the correct place :)

Note that the maximum and native resolution of this monitor is 1680x1050...

Note 2 Having the line "Modes "1124x644"" in xorg.conf or commenting out the line did not make any difference to anything.
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby SlExyPizza » 11 Oct 2008, 12:20

help the ps3-video-mode command isnt working for me it keeps telling me ps3: command not found what do i do ??
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby SlExyPizza » 11 Oct 2008, 13:18

never mind its working now, i managed to set it to 1080i but when i try to exit while im still in 1080i it crashes is this normal ? this also happens if i set it to 720p fullscreen
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby ppietro » 11 Oct 2008, 20:34

SlExyPizza wrote:never mind its working now, i managed to set it to 1080i but when i try to exit while im still in 1080i it crashes is this normal ? this also happens if i set it to 720p fullscreen


The ps3-video-mode command is only used to TEST video. You still have to manually set the video mode in your /etc/yaboot.conf (or /etc/kboot.conf if you're running YDL 5.x) and reboot.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Howto: PS3 Video (YDL 6)

Postby mantissa » 14 Oct 2008, 22:21

I've followed this howto to the T. My problem is this: I can't get my Sharp Aquos 32" LCD TV to even TEST in 720p. It reverts to 420p in the test mode. I entered: ps3-video-mode -v 131 for full screen 720p and it gives me full screen 420p. Can anyone tell me what is happening? I can guarantee that my TV supports 720p as that is the mode most of my games run on the ps3. I am connecting using HDMI cable (brand new) and have tried both ports on the TV. I've tried installing in 720p and I get the same problem. The TV will not accept the 720p signal in YDL.
Any help would be appreciated superlatively.
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