Starvin’ Marvin

I came back to this issue today. While I’m waiting for an “apt-get upgrade” on my ps3 machine I decided to enlighten you how to setup correctly your video resolution. So what you have to do is to play a little bit with ps3videomode command. If you try this on CLI:

jsantos@clarke:~$ ps3videomode -h
ps3-video-mode (ps3-utils) 2.0.2
Usage:
ps3-video-mode [options]
Options:
--help, -h print this message
--video, -v set video mode ID
--full, -f use full screen mode
--color, -c use HDMI full range
--dither,-d use dither ON mode
Video mode ID:
0:auto mode
YUV 60Hz 1:480i 2:480p 3:720p 4:1080i 5:1080p
YUV 50Hz 6:576i 7:576p 8:720p 9:1080i 10:1080p
RGB 60Hz 33:480i 34:480p 35:720p 36:1080i 37:1080p
RGB 50Hz 38:576i 39:576p 40:720p 41:1080i 42:1080p
VESA 11:WXGA 12:SXGA 13:WUXGA
full screen mode: + 128
dither ON mode : + 2048
Example:
ps3-video-mode -v 3 -f 720p 60Hz with full screen mode.
ps3-video-mode -v 131 Same as above.
If no argument is given, displays the current video mode.
Send bug reports to Geoff Levand .

First off all, you need stop GDM before proceeding. This is not an exact science here so you have to see the options available for you. In my case I have a Half HD TV so I can get 1080i tops. So looking for the table obtained above it seems that I should use 4 mode (ps3videomode -v 4), right? Wrong! It didn’t work well for me, i got the image shifted to one side and cut. Then I tried the full screen mode (128 + 4, so ps3videomode -v 132). Not yet there, although it worked on CLI, when I started GDM I got my LCD to 576p. That sucked, but I didn’t give up: I tried dither ON mode (2048 + 4 - ps3videomode -v 2052). Worked OK both on CLI and with a GDM restart!

So now I know how to set my resolution correct, lets make it permanent:

sudo vim /etc/event.d/ps3videomode

Then write this on the file:

start on runlevel 2
exec /usr/bin/ps3videomode -v INPUT_YOUR_VIDEOMODE

That’s it! Reboot and check if it is OK. My experience says that gnome based ubuntu has a jerky performance so I’m currently trying something lighter like XFCE based desktop (Xubuntu) and cleaning some startup apps that I do not need.

Next steps will be to check mplayer’s performance and get the damn wireless to work. And… A screenshot just for you:

Well, I can’t get a new device without trying to put Linux on it. The same happened to my PS3. And before I forget how I did it, I’m posting here my instructions with all the twists and turns.

First of all, lets see the pre-conditions:

• As we need to reformat PS3 hard disk, you need to backup your stuff: you don’t want to loose you save game in level 837 where the mythic bad ass boss appears with a BF287 blaster that you’re trying to get though for three week, do you?
• A USB keyboard and mouse - I bought a cheap(est) wireless combo.
• A burned CD (or DVD) with Ubuntu OS - use this image (Ubuntu Playstation 3 Desktop PC iso file)

That’s it. Ok, now the good clean fun. The first thing you need to do is to format the PS3s hard disk:

• Go to [Settings] > [System Settings] > [Format Utility]. Choosing [Yes] here will not format everything, it will take you to the next screen - don’t worry, trust me.
• Choose [Custom] and [Allot 10GB to the Other OS] - it’s more than enough.
• Choose [Quick Format] and confirm - here we go! I hope you didn’t forget to backup the save games, now it’s to late.
• When the format is completed, press X to restart the system. Restart didn’t work for me, I had to physically unplug the power on my PS3.
• Check everything is OK - you should be in XMB again with no save games.
• Load the burned CD or DVD in the tray and restart by pressing [Yes] at the [Default System] > [Other OS] prompt.
• If everything turn out ok, you should have something like this in your TV.

This is an Ubuntu Live CDROM
If in doubt, just press Enter.
kboot: _


• Just obey and press enter.
• Probably your monitor resolution will not be detected. Live with that. (TIP: Simply hold down the keyboard Alt-key while you click and drag the mouse to position the window so you can see the Forward buttons on each screen.)
• Just follow the instructions, it’s as simple as installing Ubuntu on a Desktop PC.
• Go grab a snack - it will take a while.
• When the installation completes, click the Restart now-button. The CD will be automatically ejected. Press enter.
• Again, it won’t reboot. Just use the normal I/O button to force a shutdown. I/O again to power it up.
• You should be on kboot again. Hit Enter. Wait for a while, and you will soon be greeted by the Ubuntu login screen. Congratulations, you have successfully installed Ubuntu on your PS3.

For now, this is all I have. You’ll probably be very disappointed with the resolution and performance (GNOME will eat all your RAM), but I promise that I’ll post some tweaks that worked nice for me.

And the gadget saga continues: now I bought a PS3!

I bought an Ipod Nano. I love it! Isn’t it beautiful?