I'm trying to get my Ubuntu HTPC system to run an X session on its HDMI output. When I boot the system I see the boot messages and GNOME login screens on both the VGA-connected LCD and the HDMI-connected TV. When I login to GNOME, the two monitors' displays are part of a single virtual screen, so the HDMI screen isn't usable unless I use GNOME's display configuration option. But that forces both to have identical resolutions. So my question is, how can I configure Xorg or GNOME to allow my two monitors (VGA, HDMI) to each have independent displays with differing resolutions. That way, I can get a full GNOME session displayed at 1080i or 720p, even though the VGA output's resolution is different from that. Oh, and if I simply turn off the VGA-connected LCD during boot, the system ends up still acting like that LCD is present and doesn't default to the HDMI-connected TV as its monitor. Cheers.

I'm using an ASUS P5Q-EM motherboard. The video is generated by an Intel G45 controller. I've compiled/installed the latest Intel graphics driver (xf86-video-intel 2.6.0).

The xorg.conf file doesn't seem to do much to help or hurt, despite many variations I've tried. xrandr doesn't seem to return all the modes that the HD monitor supports, but it seems to be reporting the HD monitor as going into 1080i mode.

The only way I've been able to get the HD monitor to show a decent picture (other than during POST and up till X starts) is by using an xrandr command to have the system send 640x480 VGA mode video with 0,0 offsets to both the VGA and HDMI outputs.

On the other hand, there's never been any problem getting HD onto the monitor from both a Roku Netflix box (with latest firmware) and a Vudu VOD box.

So all in all, I have the feeling that if I could simply launch an X session focused solely on the 1080i HDMI output -- perhaps turning the VGA output off entirely -- it would work, since xrandr's verbose report currently indicates that the video controller's HDMI output goes into what I think is 1080i (1920x540 with interlace enabled) but nothing at all is showing up on the HD monitor's screen.

@quantumstate: thanks for the info... I'll experiment with some of what's found in your xorg.conf file.