# The Hitchhiker's Guide to X386/XFree86 Video Timing

## (or, Tweaking your Monitor for Fun and Profit)

## Eric S. Raymond esr@snark.thyrsus.com

Thanks (from an original by Chin Fang fangchin@leland.stanford.edu; portions derive from a how-to by Bob Crosson crosson@cam.nist.gov,This is version 1.0, Jan 8th 1993.

## 1. Introduction

## 2. How Video Displays Work

## 3. Basic Things to Know about your Display and Adapter

## 4. Interpreting the Basic Specifications

## 5. Tradeoffs in Configuring your System

## 6. Memory Requirements

## 7. Computing Frame Sizes

## 8. Black Magic and Sync Pulses

## 9. Putting it All Together

## 10. Questions and Answers

## 11. Two More Example Calculations

## 12. Fixing Problems with the Image.