AdvanceMame and advv utility

[benwillcox]

I posted this on the AdvanceMame mailing list, but there doesn't seem to be much traffic on there so I thought I'd try on here...:

I'm using AdvanceMame on Linux with an ATI card connected to an RGB TV. Using the framebuffer I run 'fbset pal' which allows me to view the Linux console on the TV, outputting the required 15kHz signal. I have modified the necessary bits in advmame.rc and advmenu.rc so it does display on the 15Khz TV.

So I want to run advv to set up the video modes, but as soon as I run it, it seems to revert the video output to 31Khz, so I can't see the picture on my TV! And then when I quit out of it I have to run fbset again to get my console visible again.

My question is, how does advv (and advcfg) choose what video mode to display it's interface? I'm sure anyone using a fixed frequency 15khz monitor must have come across this issue?
Also, when I select a game from advancemenu, whilst the game is loading the frequency again reverts to 31KHz , and then displays correctly again when the game actually starts to run.

Cheers,
Ben.

[Thenasty]

make sure that you advmame.rc and advmenu.rc has the right pclock,hclock,vclock.

Here is an example for 15khz Arcade Monitor.

device_video_pclock 5-50
device_video_hclock 15.75
device_video_vclock 50-60

[benwillcox]

make sure that you advmame.rc and advmenu.rc has the right pclock,hclock,vclock.

Thanks, I did add similar values already, and AdvanceMenu and AdvanceMame do display OK. However it's just the tweaking of the video modes using advv and whilst AdvanceMenu is launching AdvanceMame  that it ignores those settings and reverts to 31khz.
It seems that advv is changing the framebuffer settings when it loads, and AdvanceMenu changes the fb settings when it launches the emulator. Why doesn't it just leave it alone?!

Ben

[wpcmame]

My question is, how does advv (and advcfg) choose what video mode to display it's interface?

From advv documentation

The program at startup tries to set a text mode supported by
your hardware to show his data.

If a modelines named `default_text' is present in your
configuration file the program use it.

If correct `device_video_p/h/vclock' options are found in your
configuration file the program try to use a text mode that
match your clock configuration from a list of predefined
modes and the modes present in the configuration file.

If no one of these modes match your configuration the current
text mode is used.

[benwillcox]

[
From advv documentation

Ah thanks, I must have missed that bit in the docs! It doesn't actually specify which config file it's referring to - I assume it uses advmame.rc though..?

I added a default_text modeline but it had no effect, but now I think it might be something to do with the aty128fb module:

I removed my ATI rage 128 card and put in a Nvidia Riva TNT2 (I belive these are supposed to work good with AdvanceMame). I loaded rivafb and again did 'fbset pal'.
It seems that the settings are not identical to the ATI card as in this mode I do get a display on the TV but the picture is slightly stretched vertically compared to the ATI, and the output of fbset -x is slightly different. (Not sure why that should be the case? fb driver differences?) Also the OSD on the TV comes on as though the sync is out of range, although as I said I can see the picture OK.

This time loading advv it keeps the current mode, which is what I would expect (yay!)
However, selecting /any/ of the valid modes, such as 320x200 the TV will not sync.

ARGH!

(I'm compiling a 2.6.6. kernel right now to see if anything's changed in the newer fb drivers that may work better).

[Antix]

I had huge problems with ADVMAME and my ATI Radeon card. ADVV and ADVCFG just wouldnt run at all.

I swapped to a GeForce2MX card and all worked immediately.

I have heard of a couple people have issues with ATI's as well.