Ubuntu or Kubuntu on a IBM Thinkpad T21 or T22 Video Driver Fix

I recently upgraded to Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron and experienced problems with Xorg and my savage video card.  Traced it back to the AGPSize and AGPMode options for the savage driver.  Now have working 3D acceleration aka DRI and AIGLX.  I've been missing that since the upgrade to version 7.xx.  Turns out AGPSize defaults to a 16MB window which causes a lockup or failure on my IBM Thinkpad T21 and T22 with acceleration turned on.  The Thinkpads have only 8MB video ram.

FYI I actually use Kubuntu but I upgraded all my Kubuntu systems just fine using the Ubuntu CD.

The working, 3D accelerated xorg.conf from my IBM Thinkpad T22:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier    "Generic Keyboard"
    Driver        "kbd"
    Option        "XkbRules"    "xorg"
    Option        "XkbModel"    "pc101"
    Option        "XkbLayout"    "us"
    Option        "XkbOptions"    "lv3:ralt_switch"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier    "Configured Mouse"
    Driver        "mouse"
    Option        "CorePointer"
    Option        "EmulateWheel"        "true"
    Option        "EmulateWheelButton"    "2"
    Option        "ZAxisMapping"        "4 5 8 9"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier    "Synaptics Touchpad"
    Driver        "synaptics"
    Option        "SendCoreEvents"    "true"
    Option        "Device"        "/dev/psaux"
    Option        "Protocol"        "auto-dev"
    Option        "HorizEdgeScroll"    "0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier    "Configured Video Device"
    Option        "AGPMode"        "2"
    Option        "AGPSize"        "8"
    #Option        "ShadowStatus"        "true"
    #Option        "ShadowFB"        "true"
    #Option        "NoAccel"        "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier    "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier    "Default Screen"
    Monitor        "Configured Monitor"
    Device        "Configured Video Device"
    DefaultDepth    16
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier    "Default Layout"
    Screen        "Default Screen"
    #InputDevice    "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

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Fix for iPhone not syncing some video

I use the iPhone. Before upgrading iTunes and the iPhone firmware I was able to load video on the iPhone using iTunes. Now I have problems getting the same video to sync to the iPhone. I also have problems getting some video podcasts to sync to the iPhone that used to sync just fine.

I did some research using ffmpeg -i on some of the files that synced and some of the ones that wouldn't sync. I found that the video that wouldn't sync all had something in common. The aspect ratio was showing up as 0:1 (for DAR and PAR).

I googled some iPhone video conversion parameters and found an ffmpeg parameter that gets any video to sync, -aspect 16:9. Now I just need to come up with a set of ffmpeg video conversion parameters that play for more than a few seconds before the audio drops out and the video stops playing.

Gonna try doing an ffmpeg copy and report back the results.

Update 2008-03-08

I found out a lot. The 0.49 version of ffmpeg that comes with ffmpegX works fine. It was either patched to deal with the QuickTime mpeg4 issues or uses default setting that work with QuickTime. Turns out QuickTime needs square pixels for mpeg4 and the harddup video filter to avoid a frame copy problem when it converts to the mpeg4 format as the duplicate frame flag gets lost in the translation. I haven't figured out how to do this with ffmpeg. But all the info on this issue is dealt with in a section of the mencorder documentation under the heading QuickTime. Mencoder uses ffmpeg under the "-lavc" flag.

I'll update with the details after I perform some tests.