From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Tue Feb 18 2014 - 13:04:18 CST

Carlos,
  I haven't looked at the latest Windows 7 drivers, but I would
expect the issues to be very similar. Does the NVIDIA driver indicate that
the screen is running in stereo? When you try quad-buffered mode within
the NVIDIA driver, what does the screen do?

Cheers,
  John

On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 11:53:04AM -0500, Carlos Simmerling wrote:
> thanks John. I'm running windows 7 professional.
>
> On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 11:34 AM, John Stone <johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu> wrote:
> > Carlos,
> > Ah, I had missed the startup message you included when I read
> > your first note. All of the VMD stereo modes other than "QuadBuffered"
> > are implemented by rendering code within VMD itself, and they do not
> > depend on the graphics driver or any special hardware capabilities.
> > So, the fact that you are able to use the "SideBySide" or other modes
> > just indicates that your TV can work with the VMD-supplied mode, but
> > that's separate from the issue of having the Quadro's stereo sync and
> > other features working.
> >
> > The VMD "QuadBuffered" stereo mode relies entirely on the GPU and
> > its driver for stereoscopic display. This is the best mode to use
> > if you want the IR or RF stereo emitter to remain in proper sync with
> > the displayed images, but it requires that the GPU drivers and windowing
> > system be configured correctly, and that the GPU and driver will actually
> > support the target display. If you're running on Linux, then the thing
> > to do is to check the contents of /var/log/Xorg.0.log and look for
> > the word "Stereo". Here's an example of the kinds of output you're looking
> > for, as seen on a couple of our machines:
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Option "Stereo" "10"
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Option "ForceStereoFlipping" "true"
> >
> > Here's a machine that has stereo enabled:
> > (II) Setting vga for screen 0.
> > (II) Setting vga for screen 1.
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Option "MetaModes" "2560x1600 +0+0"
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Enabling 2D acceleration
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Display (Samsung SyncMaster (DFP-0)) does not support NVIDIA
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): 3D Vision stereo.
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA GPU Quadro 7000 (GF110GL) at PCI:8:0:0 (GPU-0)
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Memory: 6291456 kBytes
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): VideoBIOS: 70.10.4a.00.01
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Detected PCI Express Link width: 16X
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Valid display device(s) on Quadro 7000 at PCI:8:0:0
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): CRT-0
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): CRT-1
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Samsung SyncMaster (DFP-0) (boot, connected)
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): DFP-1
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): CRT-0: 400.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): CRT-1: 400.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Samsung SyncMaster (DFP-0): Internal Dual Link TMDS
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Samsung SyncMaster (DFP-0): 330.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): DFP-1: Internal Single Link TMDS
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): DFP-1: 330.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Using HorizSync/VertRefresh ranges from the EDID for display
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): device Samsung SyncMaster (DFP-0) (Using EDID frequencies
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): has been enabled on all display devices.)
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Validated MetaModes:
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): "2560x1600+0+0"
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Virtual screen size determined to be 2560 x 1600
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): DPI set to (101, 101); computed from "UseEdidDpi" X config
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): option
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
> > (==) NVIDIA(1): RGB weight 888
> > (==) NVIDIA(1): Default visual is TrueColor
> > (==) NVIDIA(1): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Option "Stereo" "10"
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Option "ForceStereoFlipping" "true"
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): USB IR emitter stereo requested
> > (WW) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): For stereo to work with Xinerama, stereo X configuration
> > (WW) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): option should be enabled on all X screens in the X server.
> > (WW) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): Stereo is disabled on one (or more) X screens, while
> > (WW) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): Xinerama is enabled. Stereo visuals will not be
> > (WW) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): available.
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): OpenGL stereo forced
> > (**) NVIDIA(1): Option "MetaModes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
> > (**) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): Enabling 2D acceleration
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): Display (Acer HN274H (DFP-0)) supports NVIDIA 3D Vision
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(0): stereo.
> > (II) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): NVIDIA GPU Quadro 7000 (GF110GL) at PCI:9:0:0 (GPU-1)
> > (--) Feb 17 16:21:29 NVIDIA(1): Memory: 6291456 kBytes
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's a machine that has stereo disabled currently:
> > (II) Setting vga for screen 0.
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
> > (==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Option "Stereo" "0"
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-3"
> > (**) Feb 17 17:20:19 NVIDIA(0): Stereo disabled by request
> > (**) NVIDIA(0): Option "MetaModes" "DFP-0: nvidia-auto-select +2560+520, DFP-3: 2560x1600 +0+0; DFP-0: nvidia-auto-select +2560+0, DFP-3: 2560x1600 +0+0; DFP-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0, DFP-3: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0"
> > (**) Feb 17 17:20:19 NVIDIA(0): Enabling 2D acceleration
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Display (Acer HN274H (DFP-0)) supports NVIDIA 3D Vision
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): stereo.
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Display (HP ZR30w (DFP-3)) does not support NVIDIA 3D Vision
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): stereo.
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA GPU Quadro K6000 (GK110BGL) at PCI:131:0:0 (GPU-0)
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Memory: 12582912 kBytes
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): VideoBIOS: 80.80.16.00.01
> > (II) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Detected PCI Express Link width: 16X
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Valid display device(s) on Quadro K6000 at PCI:131:0:0
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): CRT-0
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Acer HN274H (DFP-0) (boot, connected)
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): DFP-1
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): DFP-2
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): HP ZR30w (DFP-3) (connected)
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): DFP-4
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): DFP-5
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): CRT-0: 400.0 MHz maximum pixel clock
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Acer HN274H (DFP-0): Internal Dual Link TMDS
> > (--) Feb 17 17:20:21 NVIDIA(0): Acer HN274H (DFP-0): 330.0 MHz maximum pixel clo
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 08:06:04AM -0500, Carlos Simmerling wrote:
> >> Hi John,
> >> thanks for the quick reply.
> >> I included VMD's output in my original post- yes, it says stereo, and
> >> I can indeed get VMD to do stereo if I pick side by side mode in VMD.
> >> I'm using win 7 pro (though I'd upgrade to win 8 if I knew that would
> >> solve the problem). The TV is HDMI only, unfortunately. The quadro
> >> card has only DVI outputs, so I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable.
> >>
> >> I'm hoping to find a way to do quad buffered stereo at a reasonable
> >> refresh rate.
> >> Carlos
> >>
> >> On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 12:53 PM, John Stone <johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu> wrote:
> >> > Hi Carlos,
> >> > I'm not familiar with the TV you're using, but I can say a few
> >> > things that are broadly true of a wide range of HDTVs that support
> >> > stereo that may also apply in your case.
> >> >
> >> > If a TV has a DVI input (unlikely), then one is sometimes able to use it
> >> > just like any other stereo display.
> >> >
> >> > If the TV uses HDMI, then the options for stereo will depend
> >> > somewhat on which operating system the computer is running what
> >> > video card, and what driver are being used.
> >> >
> >> > In regards to the NVIDIA GPUs, the "Quadro" GPUs have the best support
> >> > for stereoscopic display across all OS platforms. Last I knew however,
> >> > HDTVs are considered a special case, and at least on the Windows platform
> >> > there was/is a special driver that one had to use to allow stereoscopic
> >> > display to an HDTV over HDMI (3DTV Play) for games and the like:
> >> > http://www.nvidia.com/object/3dtv-play-overview.html
> >> >
> >> > I just looked up the NVIDIA web site regarding stereoscopic display,
> >> > and they have clearly rewritten much of it since the last time I looked:
> >> > http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-professional-users.html
> >> >
> >> > I would expect that the Quadro would have a good chance of working with
> >> > a 3D HDTV, but you will likely have to set the NVIDIA driver's stereo
> >> > mode to one that your TV agrees with. If you tell me which OS
> >> > you're running, we can work through a few of the details there.
> >> > The most important thing is to see if VMD lists "STEREO" during the
> >> > OpenGL feature startup messages that it prints to the text console.
> >> >
> >> > Cheers,
> >> > John Stone
> >> > vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu
> >> >
> >> > On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 02:25:25PM -0500, Carlos Simmerling wrote:
> >> >> Hi all,
> >> >>
> >> >> I'm trying to optimize my stereo viewing.
> >> >> I have windows 7 pro, a quadro fx-4600 and a samsung UN60F8000BF LCD
> >> >> TV (http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN60F8000BFXZA) that came with
> >> >> active stereo glasses. I also have an old stereographics emitter with
> >> >> 3-pin DIN connector that plugs into my quadro card, along with some
> >> >> stereographics glasses. VMD tells me this at startup:
> >> >> Info) OpenGL renderer: Quadro FX 4600/PCIe/SSE2
> >> >> Info) Features: STENCIL STEREO MDE CVA MTX NPOT PP PS GLSL(OVF)
> >> >>
> >> >> So, what I need help with is optimizing my 3D viewing. So far I can
> >> >> only get this setup to work when I select side by side 3D in VMD, and
> >> >> on the TV I also select side by side and use the glasses that came
> >> >> with it. It's ok, but the glasses are cheap and there's some bleed
> >> >> through, and of course I lose resolution.
> >> >>
> >> >> I suspect I'd be better off using the emitter and the expensive SG
> >> >> glasses. When I plug in the emitter, the red light goes on so it seems
> >> >> to be working. If I select stereo/quadbuffered in VMD, it looks like
> >> >> it's doing the right thing, but using the SG glasses doesn't seem to
> >> >> sync properly.
> >> >>
> >> >> A few other questions:
> >> >> 1) do the settings in the Nvidia control panel under "manage 3D
> >> >> settings" impact VMD? In there you can choose the 3D mode,
> >> >> antialiasing, etc. I don't know if that controls the openGL part.
> >> >> 2) Is it possible to send a >60HZ signal to these screens? It claims
> >> >> it is 240Hz, but I don't know if that's internal interpolation or
> >> >> accepts inputs >60Hz.
> >> >>
> >> >> thanks!
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
> >> > Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
> >> > University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
> >> > http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/ Phone: 217-244-3349
> >> > http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/
> >
> > --
> > NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
> > Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
> > University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
> > http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/ Phone: 217-244-3349
> > http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/

-- 
NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/           Phone: 217-244-3349
http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/