composite refresh rate falls back to 50Hz, which is wrong in most cases

Bug #1009338 reported by Daniel van Vugt
40
This bug affects 8 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Compiz
Fix Released
Low
Daniel van Vugt
Compiz Core
Fix Released
Low
Łukasz Zemczak
compiz (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
Precise
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

[Test Case]
1. Run ccsm
2. Click on Composite
   -> Confirm that the Refresh Rate is set to 60 by default (you can click reset to default to be sure of that)

Only for devices that have problems with sync to vblank and xrandr refresh rate detection:
3. In ccsm Composite options, disable Detect Refresh Rate
4. Log out and in again
   -> Try to verify that compiz is running 60 Hz by default

[Regression Potential]
No regression potential

Original description:

The composite plugin chooses its refresh rate in this order:
  1. Try to sync to vblank and match the monitor's real refresh rate.
  2. Discover the hardware refresh rate from the xrandr extension.
  3. Fall back to the user-configured refresh rate option, usually configured using CCSM.

#1 used to work for most drivers. In Ubuntu 12.04, it now only works for intel and radeon drivers at most. This is because fglrx, nouveau and nvidia all default to disabling sync to vblank.

#2 works for all drivers except nvidia, which fails to report the correct refresh rate in xrandr (bug 92599).

#3 always works but rarely looks correct. Because most LCDs run at 60Hz and composite falls back to 50Hz.

We can't do anything about #1 and #2 in compiz, but we should fix #3.

WORKAROUND:
1. Run ccsm (from package compizconfig-settings-manager).
2. Click on Composite.
3. Disable: Detect Refresh Rate
4. Set: Refresh Rate = 60
5. Log out and in again.

Alternatively, if you're looking at this bug because of problems with the NVIDIA driver, try the workaround listed at the top of bug 92599 instead.

Related branches

summary: - composite refresh rate defaults to 50Hz, which is wrong in most cases
+ composite refresh rate falls back to 50Hz, which is wrong in most cases
Changed in compiz:
importance: Medium → Low
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

Fix committed into lp:compiz at revision 3246

Changed in compiz:
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Changed in compiz-core:
status: New → In Progress
importance: Undecided → Low
assignee: nobody → Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)
milestone: none → 0.9.7.10
description: updated
Changed in compiz-core:
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

Fix committed into lp:compiz-core/0.9.7 at revision 3108

Revision history for this message
Brian Murray (brian-murray) wrote : Please test proposed package

Hello Daniel, or anyone else affected,

Accepted compiz into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/compiz/1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.1 in a few hours and then in the -proposed repository. Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you please change the bug tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not, change the tag to verification-failed. In either case details of your testing will help us make a better decision. Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu Precise):
status: New → Fix Committed
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :
Download full text (7.6 KiB)

This bug was fixed in the package compiz - 1:0.9.8+bzr3249-0ubuntu1

---------------
compiz (1:0.9.8+bzr3249-0ubuntu1) quantal-proposed; urgency=low

  * New upstream snapshot.
    - Fall back to a refresh rate that is more likely to look correct; 60Hz.
      (LP: #1009338)
    - Benchmark plugin should consume its key binding, and not pass the key to
      the underlying window. (LP: #1009320)
    - Avoid needless STL operations leading to expensive heap operations.
      (LP: #1006335)
    - Fix a typo that was causing (LP: #1002606)
      (widthIncBorders/heightIncBorders)
    - Check if the window is decorated before trying to change its event window
      states (which won't exist if not decorated) (LP: #1007754)
    - Use the XDamage extension more efficiently (the way it was designed to be
      used). This dramatically reduces CPU usage, reduces wakeups, and
      increases frame rates. It also solves at least one observed performance
      bug (LP: #1007299) and probably several more.
    - Avoid constructing and destructing lots of strings on every single event,
      which was wasting lots of CPU (LP: #1005569)
    - md LINGUAS doesn't exist, it's mnk (Mandinka in ISO 639-3)
    - Move grid plugin to google test and don't depend on the plugin for the
      test (LP: #1005009)
    - Don't read plugin.Initialized and test the value. (LP: #1004848)
    - libcompizconfig's install () commands were still using the old includedir
      and libdir variables rather than their libcompizconfig_* variants.
      (LP: #1005176)
    - Execute the cmake files separately to ensure that DESTDIR is respected.
      (LP: #1005177)
    - Don't set_target_properties on a target that might not exist
      (LP: #1005008)
    - Don't allow windows which we weren't even tracking as decoratable to
      become decorated if they try and change their hints. (LP: #963794)
    - Change the mouse pointer while dragging windows in expo. Just like the
      ubuntu branches do. (LP: #987647)
    - Fix uninitialized memory use (LP: #1004338)
    - Fix uninitialized variable (LP: #1004335)
    - Delay unbinding of pixmaps until then next rebind (LP: #729979)
      (LP: #1002602)
    - Don't drop plugins from the list to try and load before you've even tried
      to load them. Doing so makes missing plugins silently ignored instead of
      an error message (LP: #1002715). It also means valid plugins in more
      unusual, but real locations in LD_LIBRARY_PATH will never get loaded
      (LP: #1002721).
    - If running test cases under a real X server, we don't care if Xvfb is
      missing (LP: #994841)
    - Don't assume pkg_check_modules always sets _PREFIX (LP: #993608)
    - Don't clear selections in ~PrivateScreen because it causes a race between
      the existing and the new compiz instances, breaking --replace and
      non-replace behaviour. (LP: #988684) (LP: #989545)
    - Always paint with infiniteRegion as the clip region if the window is
      transformed and always use the supplied region if painting with offset or
      on transformed screen. (LP: #987639)
    - Add synchronization primitives to the decoration protocol so that there
      isn't a r...

Read more...

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Miklos Juhasz (mjuhasz) wrote :

I confirm that with the proposed package the Refresh Rate is set to 60 by default.

tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package compiz - 1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.1

---------------
compiz (1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.1) precise-proposed; urgency=low

  [ Łukasz 'sil2100' Zemczak ]
  * Cherry-pick upstream patches:
    - CMake Error at FindCompiz.cmake:84 (include): include could not find load
      file: CompizDefaults (LP: #993608)
    - compiz (decor) - Warn: failed to bind pixmap to texture (LP: #929989)
    - gtk-window-decorator crashed with SIGFPE in
      _decor_blend_horz_border_picture() (LP: #963794)
    - [callgrind] compiz spends ~25% of its time constructing/destructing
      strings in PrivateScreen::handleActionEvent (LP: #1005569)
    - gtk-window-decorator crashed with SIGSEGV in meta_get_decoration_geometry
      (LP: #1007754)
    - composite refresh rate falls back to 50Hz, which is wrong in most cases
      (LP: #1009338)
    - [callgrind] compiz spends ~7% of its time inserting into and destructing
      the events list in PrivateScreen::processEvents() (LP: #1006335)

  [ Didier Roche ]
  * debian/control:
    - change Vcs-Bzr to point to precise branches
 -- Lukasz 'sil2100' Zemczak <email address hidden> Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:02:31 +0100

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu Precise):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Hello Daniel, or anyone else affected,

Accepted compiz into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/compiz/1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please change the bug tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not, change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

tags: removed: verification-done
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Miklos Juhasz (mjuhasz) wrote :

Using the proposed package the refresh rate is set to 60 by default.

tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Adam Conrad (adconrad) wrote :

Hello Daniel, or anyone else affected,

Accepted compiz into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/compiz/1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.4 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please change the bug tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not, change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

tags: removed: verification-done
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Miklos Juhasz (mjuhasz) wrote :

Using the proposed package the refresh rate is set to 60 by default.

tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Adam Conrad (adconrad) wrote : Update Released

The verification of this Stable Release Update has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regresssions.

Changed in compiz:
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Changed in compiz-core:
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Changed in compiz-core:
status: Fix Released → Fix Committed
Changed in compiz-core:
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Wolter HV (wolterh) wrote :

This bug is still present! I am using Ubuntu 13.04 amd64 with an nVidia 8600M GT.

To post a comment you must log in.
This report contains Public information  
Everyone can see this information.

Other bug subscribers

Remote bug watches

Bug watches keep track of this bug in other bug trackers.