Pegasus InfoCorp: Web site design and web software development company

XFree86 Video Timings HOWTO

Eric Steven Raymond

$Date: 2003/07/14 21:32:42 $

Revision History
Revision 6.42003-07-14Revised by: esr
URL fixes.
Revision 6.32003-02-22Revised by: esr
URL fixes.
Revision 6.22002-02-03Revised by: esr
Minor corrections about mode line autogeneration.
Revision 6.12001-10-29Revised by: esr
Note that VESA modes top out at 1920x1440.
Revision 6.02001-08-09Revised by: esr
Clearer explanation of DDC and EDID. This HOWTO is now basically obsolete.
Revision 5.02000-08-22Revised by: esr
First DocBook version.

This HOWTO is effectively obsolete. Current (4.0.1 and up) versions of XFree86 compute optimal modelines from the resolution you specify in the Modes section of your X configuration file.

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 an ultra-high-performance monitor or very unusual hardware. It may also help you in using kvideogen to generate mode lines, or xvidtune to tweak a standard mode that is not quite right for your monitor.