tvservice

tvservice is a command line application used to get and set information about the display, targeted mainly at HDMI video and audio.

Typing tvservice by itself will display a list of available command line options.

Options

-p, --preferred

Power on the HDMI output with preferred settings.

-o, --off

Powers off the display output.

Important Note: Powering off the output using this command will also destroy any framebuffers/dispmanx layers associated with the display. These are NOT re-established with a subsequent power on, so will result in a blank screen.

A better option is to use the vcgencmd display_power option, as this will retain any framebuffers, so when the power is turned back on the display will be the returned to the previous power on state.

-e, --explicit="Group Mode Drive"

Power on the HDMI with the specified settings

Group can be one of CEA, DMT, CEA_3D_SBS, CEA_3D_TB, CEA_3D_FP, CEA_3D_FS.
Mode is one of the modes returned from the -m, --modes option.
Drive can be one of HDMI, DVI.

-t, --ntsc

Use 59.94Hz (NTSC frequency) rather than 60Hz for HDMI mode.

-c, --sdtvon="Mode Aspect [P]"

Power on the SDTV (composite output) with the specified mode, PAL or NSTC, and the specified aspect, 4:3, 14:9, 16:9. The optional P parameter can be used to specify progressive mode.

-m, --modes=Group

where Group is CEA or DMT.

Shows a list of display modes available in the specified group.

-M, --monitor

Monitors for any HDMI events, for example unplugging or attaching.

-s, --status

Shows the current settings for the display mode, including mode, resolution, and frequency.

-a, --audio

Shows the current settings for the audio mode, including channels, sample rate and sample size.

-d, --dumpid=filename

Save the current EDID to the specified filename. You can then use edidparser <filename> to display the data in a human readable form.

-j, --json

When used in combination with the --modes options, displays the mode information in JSON format.

-n, --name

Extracts the display name from the EDID data and shows it.

-l, --list

Lists all attached displays and their display ID.

-v, --device=display

Specifies the ID of the device to use; see the output of --list for available IDs.