Monitor crops the top and bottom from the install program

Support and Help
1

Ubuntu Version:
ubuntu-22.04.5-live-server-amd64

Desktop Environment (if applicable):
n/a

Problem Description:
I’m trying to install ubuntu server onto a MacMini. I have used Balena Etcher to burn the ISO onto a USB flash drive and I’m able to initiate the install process by booting from the EFI disk.

I’m using a Panasonic TV monitor capable of 720p @ 50Hz (model: TH-32A400Z).

The boot process begins and it’s immediately obvious that the monitor is not playing nicely. The left hand side of the output is cropped. The lines that I expect to look like this:

[ OK ] system message

is displayed like this:

K ] system message

When the installer has booted I do not see the top four or five lines, nor do I see the buttons or the menu to select my response.

Having installed Ubuntu previously I knew that the default commands were going to be OK most of the time. However, at the screen to configure the partitions I couldn’t see enough to make an choice.

Relevant System Information:
n/a

Screenshots or Error Messages:
I found the screen by screen installer instructions which helped me with the simple options but not the complex ones.

As an example of the problem, here is the Installer Update screen shown in the tutorial.
uncropped

Here is what I am able to see on the monitor

cropped

What I’ve Tried:
I had hoped that this was a common problem. It appears as though it is common enough during a GUI desktop install and that there are suggestions for tweaking settings via the GUI.

I did find instructions suggesting that I use F6 to open install options prior to installing. The advice was to specify a VGA code in the boot options.

I was not able to get exactly the same outputs described. F6 did not work in the initial screen but included instructions to use “e” to edit the install instructions. I did that and added the text

“-- vga=771”

then pressed F10. This did nothing to resolve the problem.

Any suggestions?

1 Like
2

This is a bit of an “out of the box” response. TV’s are known for being difficult especially with aspect ratios. Have you tried different ones with the remote control?
They can sometimes end up with very troublesome aspect ratios.

Just a thought!

3 Likes
3

Modifying the aspect ratio via the TV monitor’s own software is an excellent suggestion.

I had searched the options in the monitor’s settings menu and couldn’t find any options to do that. I had to go online to find a manual to discover that the “aspect” button, sitting in the middle of the remote control, is the way to control that.

thank you

4

Modifying the aspect ratio got the top and bottom onto the screen and allowed me to complete the installation. Thanks again @prcowley.

However, there is still frustration, now that I’m logged in. This is not aspect ratio issue. I’ve got large black columns on the left and right of area being used for display.

The first four characters are still being clipped. My user name is macadmin and the screen displays the prompt like this:

dmin@db01:~$

5

Does your monitor/TV have an “overscan” setting ? That is usually responsible for such cropping …

6

The monitor does have an overscan setting, which was ON. Turning it OFF hasn’t influenced the way that ubuntu prints to the screen.

I tried rebooting, hoping that there might be something early in the boot process that would affect things but it’s still the same.

Correction:
The overscan setting did nothing because I’d forced the aspect ratio to 4:3.

Changing the aspect ratio back to 16:9 with overscan off has corrected the problem.

1 Like
7

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