Using xrandr instead of nvidia-settings

On my Linux Ubuntu 12.04 machine, the nvidia-settings app has been crashing, preventing me from changing screen resolution or refresh rate (I like to switch to 24fps for watching movies so that slow pans don't look all jerky).  I'm using a G210 video card, and getting errors like this when I run nvidia-settings from the command line:

The program 'nvidia-settings' received an X Window System error.
This probably reflects a bug in the program.
The error was 'BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation)'.

xrandr to the rescue!  Turns out it's not just for screen rotation and reflection; it can also do resolution and refresh rate:

$ xrandr --output HDMI-0 --mode 1920x1080 --rate 24.0

(Try running it without arguments to see what resolutions and refresh rates are possible)