Framebuffer console mode generator

Give it the requested screen resolution and refresh time (vsync period), and it gives you the modelines for fbset (/etc/fb.modes), SVGATextMode (/etc/TextConfig) and XFree86 (/etc/XF86Config).

On modern monitors, you probably have to specify the blank part lengths for left, right, top and bottom of screen too.

(Both are found in the same archive)

Missing options.
modetest - video mode composer v1.2.1.6 (C) 1992,2002 Bisqwit

Developes a screen mode.
Usage: modetest <options> [<...>]
Options:
    -V, --version                                 Version information
    -X, --hslen <num>                             Horizontal sync length. Range: 0..1 s, default: 1e-6 (1 microsecond)
    -Y, --vslen <num>                             Vertical sync length. Range: 0..1 s, default: 46e-6 (46 microseconds)
    -h, --help                                    Help
    -n, --ignoretest                              Ignore mode testing
    -r, --refresh <num>                           Screen refresh rate.
    -x, --xres <visible>[+<invisible>[/<left%>]]  Horizontal resolution.
    -y, --yres <visible>[+<invisible>[/<top%>]]   Vertical resolution.

You must specify at least xres, yres and refresh.
Current assumed monitor and display card limits (used in warnings):
    Horizontal sync (hsync) range: 30 .. 70 kHz
    Vertical sync (refresh) range: 50 .. 120 Hz
    atyfb maxs: h_disp=2048, h_sync_start=4096, hslen=248,
                v_disp=2048, v_sync_strt=2048, vslen=31

The program tries to set the screenmode with fbset command.
You might want to redirect the stderr to a file in case the fbset command
fails and renders the screen garbled: modetest [<options>] 2>logfile.txt

Example: modetest 2>tmptmp -x1280+296 -y1024+39 -r60
         (gives the screenmode I'm using with my framebuffer console)
         (actually -x1280+296/78.4 -y1024+39/99 to center it)

(Note that you need write access to /dev/vcsa0 and a working fbset (v2.1) program to fully gain the features this program has to offer.)

fbmodes version 1.2.1.6
Copyright (C) 1992,1999 Bisqwit (http://iki.fi/bisqwit/)

Generates various type of video mode entries with given settings

Usage: fbmodes [-?xyfrdXYmV]

  -?, --help          Help
  -x, --xres n        Requested horizontal resolution (default: 256)
  -y, --yres n        Requested vertical resolution (default: 256)
  -f, --hfreq n       Horizontal pixel clock/Hz (default: 31500)
  -r, --refresh n     Specify (vertical) display refreshment rate/Hz
                       (default: hfreq/ylen or 120)
  -xl,--xlen n        Specify video line width/pixels (default: xres*3/2)
  -yl,--ylen n        Specify number of scanlines (default: hfreq/refresh)
  -d, --depth n       Specify bitness (used in fb.modes) (default: 8)
  -X, --xofs n        Specify hsyncstart-xres (default: (xlen-xres)/2)
  -Y, --yofs n        Specify vsyncstart-yres (default: (ylen-yres)/3)
  -xs,--hslen n       Specify hsync length/pixels
                       (default: min(40,(xlen-xres)/2-1))
  -ys,--vslen n       Specify vsync length/pixels
                       (default: min(10,(ylen-yres)/2-1))
  -fx,--fontxres n    Specify fontxres (used in TextConfig) (default: 8)
  -fy,--fontyres n    Specify fontyres (used in TextConfig) (default: 8)
  -m, --mem n         Video memory size/kB (default: 4000)
  -V, --version       Version information

The order of the parameter elements is not important.
Also any of them can be omitted.

Pparameter translation algorithm:
 If hfreq was specified and refresh was not specified,
     refresh gets calculated from hfreq/ylen.
 Else if refresh was not specified, it is assumed as 120.
 Next if ylen was not specified, it is calculated from hfreq/refresh.
 If ylen, refresh and hfreq were specified, ignore hfreq.
 Next, if hslen and vslen were not specified, calculates them as documented.

(For my "ATY Mach64" framebuffer and Belinea 10 70 20 monitor)

mode "2000x1750-40"
    # D: 186.602 MHz, H: 70.683 kHz, V: 39.687 Hz
    geometry 2000 1750 2000 1750 8
    timings 5359 434 70 29 1 136 1
    hsync high
    vsync high
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/fbmodes -x360 -y256 -d32 -ys3 -xs48 -f50000 -m1024
mode "360x256-120"
  geometry 360 256  360 1000  32
  timings 39746  24 72  104 53  48 3
endmode
    
#~/src/fbmodes/fbmodes -x320 -y256 -d32 -ys3 -xs48 -f50000 -m1024
mode "320x256-120"
  geometry 320 256  320 1000  32
  timings 43642  22 69  104 53  48 3
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/fbmodes -x360 -xl460 -y240 -d32 -ys3 -X30 -xs20 -f35000 -m256 -r120
mode "360x240-120"
  geometry 360 240  360 728  32
  timings 62254  50 30  31 17  20 3
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/fbmodes -x320 -y240 -d32 -ys2 -xs48 -f45000 -m1024
mode "320x240-120"
  geometry 320 240  320 1000  32
  timings 48414  22 69  88 45  48 2
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/fbmodes -x576 -y432 -d32 -ys3 -xs48 -f50000 -m512
mode "576x432-120"
  geometry 576 432  576 910  32
  timings 23328  32 79  33 18  48 3
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/modetest -x320+50/20 -y200+100/70 -r120 -X2.5e-6 -Y58e-6
mode "320x200-120"
    # D: 14.799 MHz, H: 36.360 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 320 200   320 200   8
    timings 67574  10 40  70 30  37 3
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

#~/src/fbmodes/modetest -x384+50/35 -y288+40/80 -r120 -X2.5e-6 -Y58e-6
mode "384x288-120"
    # D: 19.145 MHz, H: 39.720 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 384 288   384 288   8
    timings 52232  17 33  32 8  48 3
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x256+95/40 -y320+30 -r120 -X0 -Y1e-6
mode "256x320-120"
    # D: 14.784 MHz, H: 42.120 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 256 320   256 320   32
    timings 67640  38 57  27 3  0 1
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x400+60/48 -y320+50/60 -r120
mode "400x320-120"
    # D: 21.472 MHz, H: 44.640 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 400 320   400 320   8
    timings 46572  28 32  30 20  21 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x 432+70/50 -y 320+30 -r 120
mode "432x320-120"
    # D: 22.071 MHz, H: 42.120 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 432 320   432 320   8
    timings 45308  35 35  27 3  22 1
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x352+116/35 -y288+120/70 -r124
mode "352x288-124"
    # D: 25.064 MHz, H: 50.840 kHz, V: 124.000 Hz
    geometry 352 288   352 288   8
    timings 39897  40 76  84 36  25 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x640+100/97 -y360+30 -r120
mode "640x360-120"
    # D: 36.503 MHz, H: 47.040 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 640 360   640 360   8
    timings 27394  97 3  27 3  36 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x640+200 -y480+50 -r120
mode "640x480-120"
    # D: 57.264 MHz, H: 63.840 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 640 480   640 480   8
    timings 17462  160 40  45 5  57 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x512+110/90 -y384+30 -r120
mode "512x384-120"
    # D: 32.648 MHz, H: 49.920 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 512 384   512 384   8
    timings 30630  99 11  27 3  32 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x720+250/45 -y480+200/50 -r100
mode "720x480-100"
    # D: 71.100 MHz, H: 68.300 kHz, V: 100.000 Hz
    geometry 720 480   720 480   8
    timings 14064  112 138  100 100  71 3
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x640+160/58 -y272+240/60 -r120
mode "640x272-120"
    # D: 52.551 MHz, H: 61.680 kHz, V: 120.000 Hz
    geometry 640 272   640 272   8
    timings 19029  92 68  144 96  52 2
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

# Generated with: modetest -x632+240/42 -y476+180/50 -r100
mode "632x476-100"
    # D: 61.485 MHz, H: 65.900 kHz, V: 100.000 Hz
    geometry 632 476   632 476   8
    timings 16264  100 140  90 90  61 3
    vsync high
    hsync high
endmode

I have made this much different screen modes to play mpeg4 videos full screen without software rescaling.

The utilities to use MPlayer in Linux framebuffer console can be found at http://iki.fi/bisqwit/source/mplayscript.html.

The package now contains fb2x.rb, a Ruby script to convert the mode descriptions from fb.modes to modeline format used by X11.
Usage:
    ruby fb2x.rb < fb.modes > modelines.txt

Desired resolution: x , Hz
Sync area: x
Screen position: % left, % top

Note: All fields must be filled!
Set the desired resolution to be what you want. 640x480, 90 Hz is a nice example.
Sync area is the amount of blank space the video card must render. It's usually something like 25% of the screen width and height. Try 100 for starters, grow or shrink it then if it seems too small or big.
And screen position decides how much of the sync area is at left/right and top/bottom. 50 and 50 are good starters.

modetest has been written by Joel Yliluoma, a.k.a. Bisqwit,
and is distributed under the terms of the General Public License (GPL).

If you happen to see this program useful for you, I'd appreciate if you tell me :) Perhaps it would motivate me to enhance the program.
As of 21.8.2002, still nobody has emailed me anything about this program, although I have seen hits and downloads from this page many times a day for half a year already.

• Doublescan-modes and interlaced modes are not supported, as I am unable to test them. The Linux atyfb driver does not implement them. Therefore, the low resolution modes (320x200 for example) don't look as good as you might expect.
• Being able to produce screenmodes like 320x1024 @ 120 fps, you might damage your monitor while playing with these utilities. Newer monitors don't usually suffer a lot, but older ones might. I offer no warranty whatsoever. However, if you happen to make your monitor explode or at least damage when using this program, you are encouraged to tell me about it.
• The programs have *no* kind of database of standard video modes. Therefore, when using modetest, you almost always have to specify the blank area sizes and positions explicitly. It has been made as easy as possible though.
• Flat displays (LCD, TFT) are not so flexible in clocking as CRT displays are. If you have a 1024x768 flat display, there most probably is no way to get 1280x1024 resolution with it. I have a 1280x1024 Belinea monitor (model 10 70 20), and it can display even 2000x1750 when given suitable input.

If you have problems using this program or ideas how to develop it, email me your questions or ideas. Please do not omit the details.

Only tested with GNU make and GCC version 3.03 in Linux.
Mode tester (visualizer and tester) part works only on Linux (it uses /dev/vcsa0 and fbset).

$ make
$ su
# make install

If you do not want to install libargh (included in the archive), do not use "make install" and edit Makefile and enable the STATIC linking instead of DYNAMIC.

The official home page of fbmodes is at http://iki.fi/bisqwit/source/fbmodes.html.
Check there for new versions.