Using a HDTV as a 2nd screen

[Bad2theBone]

I want to hook up my LCD HDTV to my PC as a 2nd screen. I temporarily hooked it up to the VGA port of my MoBo with my primary panel on the DVI port. The system auto-detected the tv once I launched the GUI gnome-display-properties creating a virtual display of my desktop. Unfortunately both the top and bottom panels moved to the TV with the background, the desktop icons stayed on display 0. My intention is to use the TV for playing videos on my system. The following is my configuration:

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H http://gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3516#sp
Display 0: ViewSonic VX2250wm-LED http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktop-monitors/lcd/x-series/vx2250wmled.htm
Display 1: Vizio VA220E http:///www.vizio.com/lcd-hdtvs/va220e.html

Fedora 14 2.6.35.10-72.fc14.x86_64
Gnome Desktop Environment
xrandr progrma version 1.3.3
server reports RandR version 1.3
not sure of the version but using the ATI OpenSource radeon driver with Comp-Fusion 3D and Emerald Themes (not sure if that all beyond the driver has anything to do with this).

I want to use the embedded iGP HD 4290 with Display 0 on the DVI port and Display 1 on the VGA port and am planning on getting the necessary cable to hook it up as the TV is not near my desk. Now for some questions:

1. What do I need to do to clean up the display(s)? I don't mind the virtual display setup, but I want the top and bottom panels to remain on Display 0 and be able to place VLC on Display 1.

2. Is there a way of having a 5th desktop locked into Display 1 and my normal 4 Desktops on Display 0 instead of one large virtual display?

3. I do have an older PCIe x16 HD 3650 card. Would I be better off installing that as Device 1 for Display 1? Also am I better off using HDMI if I go this route? I would still want to route audio through my onboard audio instead of the TV sound which kinda sucks.

4. I think this is the last question. Obviously Display 1 wouldn't always be there, is there a way to have the system switch back to my normal setup of just using Display 0? The cable would be still connected and the TV maybe turned on but in TV mode instead of using the VGA input, so I'm not sure if it would drop the return signal when operating that way as the VGA logic would still be powered up.

Let me know if I need to clarify anything on this.

[pythagorean]

Hybrid Crossfire works with 3000 series radeon cards, so you might be able to plug that graphics card into the x16 slot and get the second monitor working properly. Otherwise, I doubt it. In any case, you should get a better graphics card with dual monitor support because you are not going to be able to do much with the integrated graphics on that motherboard.

As for routing the sound through the onboard audio rather than HDMI... in the pulse audio device chooser you can pick which device to put the sound through, so that wouldn't be an issue.

[Bad2theBone]

Hybrid Crossfire works with 3000 series radeon cards, so you might be able to plug that graphics card into the x16 slot and get the second monitor working properly. Otherwise, I doubt it. In any case, you should get a better graphics card with dual monitor support because you are not going to be able to do much with the integrated graphics on that motherboard.

So if I go with the PCIe x16 card for the TV I would be able to keep it as a separate desktop instead of one virtual desktop? Is this automatic or do I need to do manual intervention? If it creates one virtual desktop, can I at least control the positioning of icons and panels?

As for routing the sound through the onboard audio rather than HDMI... in the pulse audio device chooser you can pick which device to put the sound through, so that wouldn't be an issue.

That's what I thought, I'll have to see how it plays out if I go that route. This is just a temporary setup as I eventually plan on building a dedicated STB as a FE for MythTV with a separate dedicated BE.

[Bad2theBone]

Hybrid Crossfire works with 3000 series radeon cards, so you might be able to plug that graphics card into the x16 slot and get the second monitor working properly. Otherwise, I doubt it. In any case, you should get a better graphics card with dual monitor support because you are not going to be able to do much with the integrated graphics on that motherboard..

Ok, so today I got a 6ft HDMI cable, installed my HD 3650 into the x16 slot, nothing to do in BIOS since the only option to set is for primary monitor initialization, and system booted with my main monitor only. When I do a lspci I'll see both boards, the 3650 and the embedded 4290, but I can't seem to get any output to the VIZIO hooked up to the 3650 card. I also had tried to change the BIOS to initialize the PEG slot (PCIe x16) first inplace of onboard chip, and that caused the video to go out the 3650 card onto the VIZIO, but I couldn't get anything out through the onboard chip to my ViewSonic, again even though the kernel "saw" both devices.

[pythagorean]

From a googling of Hybrid Crossfire and looking at the AMD/ATI site...

"Start with a motherboard based on the AMD 780 Chipset with integrated ATI Radeon™ Graphics. Next, add an ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series graphics card. The result is a potent performance and productivity combination called ATI Hybrid Graphics.

The specific combination of the ATI Radeon HD 3400 graphics card and the motherboard with an AMD 780 chipset turns on ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™ and ATI SurroundView™ Technology. Always present with the ATI Radeon HD 3000 Series is ATI PowerPlay™ power management technology."

So, it won't work with your card.

[Bad2theBone]

Unfortunately I have the AMD 890GX chipset and getting another MoBo at this time is out of the question. As this is only a temporary setup, I'm hoping to be able to get hardware to build a small box that'll hang off my LAN as a dedicated MythTV FE and use my PC as a dedicated BE and a Homerun ntwk Tuner box.for DVR functions. The best I can do right now is maybe a budget ATI Video card that is closer to the embedded chipon this MoBo. I might try going VGA with the ViewSonic allowing for HDMI to the VIZIO of the embedded video.

[Bad2theBone]

Update from additional testing. I am able to boot all the way into X using kernel 2.6.29, so Fedora 11 would work, but I'd rather get Fedora 14 working. Any suggestions?