How to limit resolution of other applications? (Steam Link)

Help and Support Raspberry Pi
1

I use Steam Link. My display device offers 2160p@30Hz. Not @60Hz because of a 10m HDMI cable.

Steam Link client automatically chooses the highest available resolution for its UI, which is 2160p. The Steam Link client itself offers no settings to lower the UI resolution.

I need it to stay within the limits of 1080p@60Hz in order for games to display smoothly, but Steam Link itself has no way of limiting resolution.

What are my options to limit the resolution? Can I launch steamlink with some env prefix? I would’ve try xrandr if that was an option on OSMC. Maybe tvservice kan be used? I’ve no idea.

(Running steamlink on a regular Raspbian installation on the same Pi worked fine and Steam Link stayed within the desktop resolution of 1080p.)

2

First of all, I don’t use “Steam link” or have a Pi4 to test with. But since you didn’t get an informed reply rather quickly, I thought I’d take a look at it quickly, this is what my “Google-fu” came up with:

  1. There is a setting in Steam-link, where you abide by client resolution restrictions, check that out.
  2. Tvservice is the way I would have gone before Pi4 release. I’ve heard something about it being fazed out. I don’t know what commands are “preferred” these days, since I don’t own the hardware. But in steam link client addon, I would add some code to limit/set preferred resolution to 1080p after Kodi closed and client software started.

Sorry not much help, but I wanted you to know that setting client resolution and forcing the connection to abide by that is the suggested solution. Whether or not tvservice is the actual command, i can’t be sure. Hope this helps a little bit at least.

3

Thanks for your reply joakim_s!

tl;dr: Steam Client UI resolution ≠ Steam stream resolution (the latter for which there are options)

What you’re referring to as client resolution restrictions is actually not about UI resolution but the resolution of the Steam stream itself. The Steam Link client UI operates independent of stream resolution. Since the Steam Link correctly detects a maximum resolution of 2160p it adopts this resolution for its UI, while accepting (and scaling up) the 1080p stream coming in from the Steam host. (Unfortunately for me this resolution means 30Hz)

Now it really should come down to Steam Client to either prefer 60Hz or let users manually set the UI res, but alas.