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XFree86 Video Timings HOWTO

Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>

v3.1, 31 October 1997


How to compose a mode line for your card/monitor combination under XFree86. The XFree86 distribution now includes good facilities for configuring most standard combinations; this document is mainly useful if you are tuning a custom mode line for a high-performance monitor or very unusual hardware. It may also help you in using xvidtune to tweak a standard mode that is not quite right for your monitor.

1. Disclaimer

2. Introduction

3. How Video Displays Work

4. Basic Things to Know about your Display and Adapter

5. Interpreting the Basic Specifications

6. Tradeoffs in Configuring your System

7. Memory Requirements

8. Computing Frame Sizes

9. Black Magic and Sync Pulses

10. Putting it All Together

11. Overdriving Your Monitor

12. Using Interlaced Modes

13. Questions and Answers

14. Fixing Problems with the Image.

15. Plotting Monitor Capabilities

16. Credits


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