Video

(Intro: describe the purpose of this page page)

Video is set up by setting global variables in make.conf & portage takes care of the rest.

Determine Hardware

first determine which video card you have and which driver it requires.

root # lspci -k

Intel

Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/portage/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the Intel graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: available drivers, hardware gen, VIDEO_CARDS variable

gen 1&2:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel"

gen 3

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel i915"

gen 4+

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel i965"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

AMD/ATI

Users can choose between Open (radeon) and Closed-Source (fglrx) video drivers. Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/portage/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the AMD/ATI graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: available drivers, hardware gen, required VIDEO_CARDS variable

Open source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="radeon"

Closed source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

Nvidia

Users can choose between Open (nouveau) and Closed-Source (nvidia) video drivers. Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/portage/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the Nvidia graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: nouveau + nvidia-drivers versions, hardware gen, required VIDEO_CARDS variable

Open source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="nouveau"

Closed source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

different settings for nouveau and nvidia

Other

Multiple Cards (Hybrid Graphics)

recommended make.conf VIDEO_CARDS Hybrid intel/ati:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx intel"

Virtual Machine Guests

(details?) These settings are used by Parallels VM's and presumably others

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="vesa vga"

Raspberry Pi

(details?)

Install

once your video cards variable is set in make.conf merge changes into your system

root # emerge -avuND world

eselect profile?

Configure X.org

Intel

?

Nvidia

nvidia-xconfig, etc.

AMD/ATI

aticonfig, etc.

root # aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Configure framebuffer

What to put in boot.conf etc. Assumes that the kernel is correctly configured.

Intel

?

Nvidia

• settings for nouveau
• settings for nvidia-drivers
• How to use sys-apps/v86d

AMD/ATI

• settings for fglxr
• settings for radeon, etc.

Finalise and test

• eselect opengl

   Note

change the number of card eselected to match the card of your system

root # eselect opengl list
root # eselect opengl set 1

• eselect opencl

   Note

some setups can make use of opencl

root #eselect opencl list
root #eselect opencl set 1

• reboot/test process

Tips and Tricks

compressed video playback

• VDPAU, VA-API
• how to set up mplayer, etc.

Troubleshooting

• what to do if only a blank screen
• nvidia-drivers users updating media-libs/mesa