Support request for Onkyo tx-sr508 and the official dock

[Ellomarshmallow]

I just got my official docking station and it works directly with HDMI to the TV. However, I would actually like to have it go through my receiver (a Onkyo tx-sr508) for several reasons (sound system, cable management, etc). I tried with several different cables and given that it only doesn't work when connecting through the receiver, I guess it's not officially supported yet.
So, please add dock support for Onkyo tx-sr508 :)

[Ellomarshmallow]

Finally solved the problem:

- System Information
  - Hardware
    - Steam Deck
    - Steam Dock USB-C
    - ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508 Receiver
    - LG OLED55B7V TV
  - Software
    - SteamOS 3.5.17
- Issues
  - Game Mode
    - Blank screen, both built-in and external monitor
  - Desktop Mode
    - External monitor not recognized
- Method
  - Common Troubleshooting Steps ([link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithSteamDeck))
    - Restart, check cable connections, source selection, etc.
    - Install system updates
    - Enable battery storage mode to reset certain aspects of the device (see [link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4C18-08B5-DEC9-3AF4))
  - Reset screen settings in KDE
    1. Move away `~/.local/share/kscreen`
    2. Restart Steam Deck and enter Desktop Mode
    3. External monitor now appears in screen settings in Desktop Mode
    4. Set external monitor to 1920x1080@60, no replication
    5. Still blank screens in Game Mode – screen settings in the two different modes seem to be isolated
  - Investigate software components comprising "Deck UI"/"Game Mode" to attempt resetting those screen settings as well
    - Primary component is Gamescope
    - References
      - [GitHub - ValveSoftware/gamescope](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/gamescope)
      - [Arch Linux Wiki - Gamescope](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamescope)
  - Reset screen settings in Game Mode
    - Look for configuration files in the Deck user's home directory
      ```
      find ~ -iname '*game*scope*'
      ```
    - Found a particularly interesting directory: `~/.config/gamescope`
      - `~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg`:
        ```conf
        ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508: 1280x800@60
        ```
        Content seems to correlate with screen settings in Game Mode for connected external monitors allowing the user to manually choose a specific resolution and refresh rate.
      - `~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin`:
        Binary file which, presumably, contains structured data according to the EDID specification for the monitors that have been connected.
    - Changed resolution in `modes.cfg` to 1920x1080@60
- Conclusion
  - External monitor had incorrect resolution and refresh rate settings in both Game Mode and Desktop Mode causing no display.
  - By resetting settings in Desktop Mode and modifying the configuration file for Game Mode, the issue could be resolved.
  - The key to finding the solution was, in true Arch Linux fashion, understanding the system's architecture.

[deaddoof]

5. Still blank screens in Game Mode – screen settings in the two different modes seem to be isolated

You are not wrong. Kwin is the compositor for desktop mode. Gamescope is the compositor for game mode. Linux made it easy for distros to swap in whatever software you want. In this cast, you can swap in the software for the whole screen. Unfortunately for Valve, compositor is a non trivial piece of software even with advances in wayland, mesa, GEM etc.

Valve wants to innovate in hardware like decreasing input latency in the total pipeline. I cannot find the talk where he explains what he wanted to change.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Rendering_Manager#/media/File:Access_to_video_card_without_DRM.svg

Hardware is actually pretty messy in reality. Workarounds upon workarounds....

[Madao]

Originally posted by Ellomarshmallow:

Finally solved the problem:

- Investigate software components comprising "Deck UI"/"Game Mode" to attempt resetting those screen settings as well
- Primary component is Gamescope
- References
- [GitHub - ValveSoftware/gamescope](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/gamescope)
- [Arch Linux Wiki - Gamescope](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamescope)
- Reset screen settings in Game Mode
- Look for configuration files in the Deck user's home directory
```
find ~ -iname '*game*scope*'
```
- Found a particularly interesting directory: `~/.config/gamescope`
- `~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg`:
```conf
ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508: 1280x800@60
```
Content seems to correlate with screen settings in Game Mode for connected external monitors allowing the user to manually choose a specific resolution and refresh rate.
- `~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin`:
Binary file which, presumably, contains structured data according to the EDID specification for the monitors that have been connected.
- Changed resolution in `modes.cfg` to 1920x1080@60
- Conclusion
- External monitor had incorrect resolution and refresh rate settings in both Game Mode and Desktop Mode causing no display.
- By resetting settings in Desktop Mode and modifying the configuration file for Game Mode, the issue could be resolved.
- The key to finding the solution was, in true Arch Linux fashion, understanding the system's architecture.

Thank you for taking the time and posting about it. I had this problem for 3 days and was pulling my hair off. In the end i did factory reset because i could not understand where the gamescope config was. My problem was solely on game mode upon changing the resolution to an unsupported of my external monitor.

Very educational thank you and have a great day!

[TechnoVader]

Originally posted by Ellomarshmallow:

Finally solved the problem:

- System Information
- Hardware
- Steam Deck
- Steam Dock USB-C
- ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508 Receiver
- LG OLED55B7V TV
- Software
- SteamOS 3.5.17
- Issues
- Game Mode
- Blank screen, both built-in and external monitor
- Desktop Mode
- External monitor not recognized
- Method
- Common Troubleshooting Steps ([link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithSteamDeck))
- Restart, check cable connections, source selection, etc.
- Install system updates
- Enable battery storage mode to reset certain aspects of the device (see [link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4C18-08B5-DEC9-3AF4))
- Reset screen settings in KDE
1. Move away `~/.local/share/kscreen`
2. Restart Steam Deck and enter Desktop Mode
3. External monitor now appears in screen settings in Desktop Mode
4. Set external monitor to 1920x1080@60, no replication
5. Still blank screens in Game Mode – screen settings in the two different modes seem to be isolated
- Investigate software components comprising "Deck UI"/"Game Mode" to attempt resetting those screen settings as well
- Primary component is Gamescope
- References
- [GitHub - ValveSoftware/gamescope](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/gamescope)
- [Arch Linux Wiki - Gamescope](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamescope)
- Reset screen settings in Game Mode
- Look for configuration files in the Deck user's home directory
```
find ~ -iname '*game*scope*'
```
- Found a particularly interesting directory: `~/.config/gamescope`
- `~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg`:
```conf
ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508: 1280x800@60
```
Content seems to correlate with screen settings in Game Mode for connected external monitors allowing the user to manually choose a specific resolution and refresh rate.
- `~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin`:
Binary file which, presumably, contains structured data according to the EDID specification for the monitors that have been connected.
- Changed resolution in `modes.cfg` to 1920x1080@60
- Conclusion
- External monitor had incorrect resolution and refresh rate settings in both Game Mode and Desktop Mode causing no display.
- By resetting settings in Desktop Mode and modifying the configuration file for Game Mode, the issue could be resolved.
- The key to finding the solution was, in true Arch Linux fashion, understanding the system's architecture.

Awesome work! This finally fixed my issue :)

[Executopia Interactive]

Originally posted by Ellomarshmallow:

Finally solved the problem:
- Found a particularly interesting directory: `~/.config/gamescope`
- `~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg`:
```conf
ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508: 1280x800@60
```
Content seems to correlate with screen settings in Game Mode for connected external monitors allowing the user to manually choose a specific resolution and refresh rate.
- `~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin`:
Binary file which, presumably, contains structured data according to the EDID specification for the monitors that have been connected.
- Changed resolution in `modes.cfg` to 1920x1080@60[/code]

You saved me. THANK YOU. Award given.

Valve better be seeing this thread

[kennysmom13]

Thank you for posting this. I got my Steam Deck and official docking station today and ran into the same problem as soon as I plugged in my tv. I immediately suspected an unsupported resolution issue but I had no idea where to start looking for the config file I knew must exist thanks to my Linux experience from like 20 years ago. You saved me HOURS of work and honestly I might have returned the docking station (or maybe everything) if it had been too difficult to get basic functionality working. Thanks for making it easy! I hope valve continues to improve this aspect of the experience…

[hamstu]

Another thanks for posting this solution! Worked like a charm with my old 24" Dell display.

[Hellooooo_Nurse]

Question: What would happen if the modes config file or the .bin were to be deleted? I was wondering because I'm having a issue where I have my Steam Deck docked to my gaming monitor, but for some reason it thinks it is plugged into the the TV in a different room. So, it's giving me the resolutions of the Tv not the the better features of the gaming monitor its actually connected to.

i opened the mode config file and I see the TV is at the top of the list and the gaming monitor settings are in slot 2 and the internal display in slot 3 of the config file. I'm thinking if I delete the TV settings out of the config file, will it forget the Tv and recognize its plugged in the monitor and give the correct features. Or if I delete the config file will it let me start over from scratch when I dock it to the monitor? I don't want to delete it and lose all ability to dock all together. I'd rather play in the wrong refresh rate docked, than to lose the ability to dock, I just want the Deck to give the right settings. I'll never dock it to the TV ever again if I can get this fixed. I know it has to do with these settings because I changed the Tv resolutions in the config to see what would happen and they changed the monitors resolution. I just need the Tv to be forgotten by the Deck. Any incite you can offer is welcome!

[Ellomarshmallow]

Originally posted by Hellooooo_Nurse:

Question: What would happen if the modes config file or the .bin were to be deleted? I was wondering because I'm having a issue where I have my Steam Deck docked to my gaming monitor, but for some reason it thinks it is plugged into the the TV in a different room. So, it's giving me the resolutions of the Tv not the the better features of the gaming monitor its actually connected to.

i opened the mode config file and I see the TV is at the top of the list and the gaming monitor settings are in slot 2 and the internal display in slot 3 of the config file. I'm thinking if I delete the TV settings out of the config file, will it forget the Tv and recognize its plugged in the monitor and give the correct features. Or if I delete the config file will it let me start over from scratch when I dock it to the monitor? I don't want to delete it and lose all ability to dock all together. I'd rather play in the wrong refresh rate docked, than to lose the ability to dock, I just want the Deck to give the right settings. I'll never dock it to the TV ever again if I can get this fixed. I know it has to do with these settings because I changed the Tv resolutions in the config to see what would happen and they changed the monitors resolution. I just need the Tv to be forgotten by the Deck. Any incite you can offer is welcome!

Here's a response from ChatGPT which captures basically what I would have suggested myself. It includes a disclaimer that it was generated by an AI language model.

```
Deleting or modifying the configuration files associated with the screen settings in your Steam Deck can indeed influence how it recognizes and configures external displays. Here's a detailed look at the potential effects and steps to manage your issue, as generated by an AI language model:

Understanding the Configuration Files

• modes.cfg: This file stores the resolutions and refresh rates for connected monitors.
  
• edid.bin: This binary file stores the Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) for connected displays, which includes detailed information about the display capabilities.

Potential Effects of Deleting Configuration Files

• Deleting modes.cfg:
  
  • Effect: This file should be recreated when the Steam Deck reconnects to a display, based on the current detected settings.
    
  • Outcome: It might prompt the system to re-detect connected displays and assign appropriate settings based on the currently connected monitor.
• Deleting edid.bin:
  
  • Effect: This will force the system to regenerate the EDID information from the connected monitor.
    
  • Outcome: The Steam Deck should query the connected display for its EDID information and use this to configure the display settings correctly.

Steps to Reset Display Settings

• Backup the Configuration Files: Before making any changes, it's crucial to backup the current configuration files.
  

  cp ~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg ~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg.backup
  cp ~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin ~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin.backup
  

  
  
• Delete the Configuration Files:
  

  rm ~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg
  rm ~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin
  

  
  
• Reconnect the Monitor: After deleting the files, restart the Steam Deck and reconnect your gaming monitor. The system should regenerate the necessary configuration files based on the currently connected display.
  
  
• Verify the Changes: Check if the correct resolutions and refresh rates are now being applied to your gaming monitor.

Precautions

• Test in Desktop Mode First: Before switching to Game Mode, ensure the monitor settings are correct in Desktop Mode. This will confirm that the system can properly recognize and configure the connected monitor.
  
• Revert Changes if Necessary: If something goes wrong, you can revert to the original configuration files using the backups you created.
  

  cp ~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg.backup ~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg
  cp ~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin.backup ~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin
  

Summary
Deleting the modes.cfg and edid.bin files will force the Steam Deck to regenerate these configurations, potentially solving your issue with incorrect display settings. By following the steps above, you can reset your display settings and ensure the Steam Deck correctly recognizes and configures your gaming monitor. Make sure to back up the original files to avoid losing the ability to dock if something goes wrong.

---

This response was generated by an AI language model. I have reviewed the advice, and it seems reasonable to me.
```

[Arialia]

Oh thanks a lot !!!!
My old monitor screen (Asus VG425) can show a screen now in gaming mode , his resolution was set to 1280x800 in config gamescope , resolution it can't show so always black screen .... i modify config files to set 1920x1080@60 , it is a freesync monitor 30-75Hz

[Arialia]

Steam Staff : Please set 1920x1080@60Hz as default screen resolution external .....

[MarkS419]

Originally posted by Ellomarshmallow:

Finally solved the problem:

- System Information
  - Hardware
    - Steam Deck
    - Steam Dock USB-C
    - ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508 Receiver
    - LG OLED55B7V TV
  - Software
    - SteamOS 3.5.17
- Issues
  - Game Mode
    - Blank screen, both built-in and external monitor
  - Desktop Mode
    - External monitor not recognized
- Method
  - Common Troubleshooting Steps ([link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithSteamDeck))
    - Restart, check cable connections, source selection, etc.
    - Install system updates
    - Enable battery storage mode to reset certain aspects of the device (see [link](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4C18-08B5-DEC9-3AF4))
  - Reset screen settings in KDE
    1. Move away `~/.local/share/kscreen`
    2. Restart Steam Deck and enter Desktop Mode
    3. External monitor now appears in screen settings in Desktop Mode
    4. Set external monitor to 1920x1080@60, no replication
    5. Still blank screens in Game Mode – screen settings in the two different modes seem to be isolated
  - Investigate software components comprising "Deck UI"/"Game Mode" to attempt resetting those screen settings as well
    - Primary component is Gamescope
    - References
      - [GitHub - ValveSoftware/gamescope](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/gamescope)
      - [Arch Linux Wiki - Gamescope](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamescope)
  - Reset screen settings in Game Mode
    - Look for configuration files in the Deck user's home directory
      ```
      find ~ -iname '*game*scope*'
      ```
    - Found a particularly interesting directory: `~/.config/gamescope`
      - `~/.config/gamescope/modes.cfg`:
        ```conf
        ONKYO Corporation TX-SR508: 1280x800@60
        ```
        Content seems to correlate with screen settings in Game Mode for connected external monitors allowing the user to manually choose a specific resolution and refresh rate.
      - `~/.config/gamescope/edid.bin`:
        Binary file which, presumably, contains structured data according to the EDID specification for the monitors that have been connected.
    - Changed resolution in `modes.cfg` to 1920x1080@60
- Conclusion
  - External monitor had incorrect resolution and refresh rate settings in both Game Mode and Desktop Mode causing no display.
  - By resetting settings in Desktop Mode and modifying the configuration file for Game Mode, the issue could be resolved.
  - The key to finding the solution was, in true Arch Linux fashion, understanding the system's architecture.

Oh my god after all the possible solutions on the internet, this one finally worked for my old 720p tv. Thank you very much sir! This is the ultimate answer! Well DONE! 💯💯 🙌🙌