[clue-tech] Ubuntu Media PC and HDTV

[Dan Harris]

I had a passable MythTV installation running for a few years, but it has 
some quirks.  After trying to upgrade from KnoppMyth ( the original 
install ) to Debian Etch and having a ton of problems with package 
errors I decided to wipe the whole thing and install Ubuntu.  I've had 
great luck with Ubuntu and hardware recognition on other machines.

The install works flawlessly, but I am having a lot of problems getting 
it to play nice with my Mitsubish HD1080 television.  It is 5 or 6 years 
old now, one of the earlier HD units with no DVI inputs.
I am trying to run it using an Nvidia GeForce4 MX with S-VIDEO out.  I'm 
not a home theater expert, but I do know that this TV does not support 
your regular 4:3 screen resolutions of 1024x768, etc..  RIght now, I am 
able to run it at 640x480, but the fonts are terrible ( hurts my head to 
read the screen ) and a lot of applications won't even fit in 480 
vertical so the OK and CLOSE buttons are off screen.

I have been googling for hours reading about modelines and such and 
frankly, I can't make heads or tails of what will work for *this* 
setup.  The Gnome program "Screen Resolution" only has the standard 
resolutions and even adding additional "Modes" to the display section of 
xorg.conf does not seem to affect anything.  It's like Gnome is ignoring 
whatever is in there and using only what is set in the GUI utility.

To complicate things further.. even the CONSOLE looks terrible after 
entering X.  When first booting up, if I don't go into Xorg, the fonts 
are perfectly readable in the console.  But, after starting Xorg and 
then switching back to the console, the fonts are jagged and just as 
unreadable as under X!  Also, I tried to use mplayer to play a DVD and 
the DVD picture is very jagged ( even in full screen ) at any resolution 
I've tried. I'm not even sure how to query for something like this on 
google due to the sea of kind-of-sort-of-similar-but-not-it problems out 
there.

The console font ugliness did not happen in my previous KnoppMyth 
installation..  But, how the heck do you troubleshoot ugly fonts in the 
*console*?!

To recap:

1) Console looks perfect until I start Xorg
2) After starting Xorg the fonts are unreadable and can't pick a 
resolution via the Screen Resolution GUI that jives with my HDTV
3) Switching back to console, the fonts are now ugly too
4) Playing DVDs, the picture is very jagged ( probably caused by the 
same thing thats screwing up my fonts )

My goals are:

1) have readable fonts in Xorg so my daughter can play her flash games 
in the browser
2) Play DVD's at the same quality as my normal DVD player

I'm at my wits end with this myth box and ready to trash it and install 
Media Center edition or something..  ANY help would be appreciated on this!


Thanks

-Dan