Chapter 3. HD GVO Software Configuration and Troubleshooting

This chapter shows you how to configure the TVO board for High Definition Graphics Video Output (HD GVO). It also shows you how to identify and resolve possible problems. The examples below are not based on installations at any SGI customer site.

Configuring High Definition Graphics Video Output

  1. Display the Video Format Combiner window, by opening a UNIX shell and entering the following line:

    /usr/gfx/ircombine -gui

    Figure 3-1. Video Format Combiner Window


  2. Double-click the Channel 0 button in the Video Format Combiner window.

    The Select Format window appears, where you select the desired video format, as shown in the example in Figure 3-2.

    Figure 3-2. Select Format Window


  3. Select the desired video format at 60 Hz for channel 0 (for a high-resolution monitor), then click the OK button.

  4. Double-click the HDGVO button in the Video Format Combiner window.

    HDGVO automatically configures a 1920 x 1080 display resolution, which is indicated in the lower left corner of the Video Format Combiner window (see Figure 3-5).

    If you want another output format, select Channel > Attributes from the menu bar at the top of the Video Format Combiner window.

    The HDGVO Attributes window appears, as shown in the example in Figure 3-3.

    Figure 3-3. HDGVO Attributes Window


  5. Click the Output Format button in the HDGVO Attributes window, then choose the desired output format.

  6. Click the Colorspace button and choose the desired colorspace.

    If you want alpha output from VBOB, you must click the Pixel Format button, and select RGBA10.

    For descriptions of other fields in the HDGVO Attributes window, see the Infinite Reality Video Format Combiner User's Guide (007-3279-00x).

  7. Click the VBOB Sync Source button, choose a VBOB Sync Source (either Internal for stand-alone operation or Locked to an external source), and then click the Close button.

    For more information on the VBOB Sync Source options, see your SGI Video Breakout Box User's Guide (007-4243-00x).

  8. Click the Edit Globals button in the lower right corner of the Video Format Combiner window.

    The Combination Attributes window appears.

    The default Sync Source is Internal.

  9. Click the Sync Source button, and choose External, as shown in Figure 3-4.

    Figure 3-4. Combination Attributes Window (after choosing External as the Sync Source)


  10. In the Sync Format text field, enter the error message that appears in the Error field, located near the bottom of the Video Format Combiner window (see Figure 3-1).

  11. Click the Close button.

    The error message disappears, and <none> appears in its place, as shown in Figure 3-5.

    Figure 3-5. Video Format Combiner Window (after setting up HDGVO output)


  12. Click the Download Combination button at the bottom of the Video Format Combiner window to build your video format combination.

    For more information on downloading a combination, see the Infinite Reality Video Format Combiner User's Guide (007-3279-00x).

  13. Click the File menu, save the configuration, then click the OK button.

    You can also choose Save to EEPROM in the File menu to save the configuration in the prom. Then the configuration is automatically loaded each time you boot your system.

Using irsaudit for Limited Checks

The irsaudit provides only a limited check on individual TVO boards. When you run irsaudit, the Window Manager should not be running, because irsaudit needs to directly control the graphics hardware. You can stop the Window Manager system using /usr/gfx/stopgfx from root. For more information on the Window Manager, see your Desktop User's Guide (007-1342-160 or later).


Note: You cannot run irsaudit from the Graphics Console.

You must have root privileges to run irsaudit. For more details, see the irsaudit(1) man page.

If you enter irsaudit with no arguments following the command, the system runs a standard set of tests that halts when a first failure is identified. This can be useful for testing the general state of a new or upgraded system.