Metropol

Is it possible to set a custom screen resolution. I'm using my TV output to show things, on a TV. But the TV is 16:9 and I can only get an output from the PC of 4:3 so when playing 16:9 material I end up with a weird, annoying 4:3 cutout. Does anyone know how to set a custom res, say 1024 x 576 etc?

You can do that with Powerstrip http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm, but it sounds like you're using an analogue output? I'm not sure if that would as well if you were using VGA/DVI/HDMI. The other option is to use a media player that can crop and strech video to any configuration, such as VideoLAN (VLC).

I use HDMI to a HD telly, but I also use the S-Video (which i want in 16:9) to a smaller preview monitor.

Netizen wrote:The other option is to use a media player that can crop and strech video to any configuration, such as VideoLAN (VLC).

I can confirm this is by far the best option - I use VLC for precisely this reason and it works like a charm.

You may be having the same issue I was when connecting my laptop to my new plasma telly. The plasma is 1024x768 and obviously 16:9. But 1024x768 in pc screen resolutions is 4:3. And a laptop with onboard graphics doesn't have the most advanced options on it.

I found Zoomplayer to be the answer in playing back things in the right aspect ratio.

Is it possible to set a custom screen resolution. I'm using my TV output to show things, on a TV. But the TV is 16:9 and I can only get an output from the PC of 4:3 so when playing 16:9 material I end up with a weird, annoying 4:3 cutout. Does anyone know how to set a custom res, say 1024 x 576 etc?

Have you updated the drivers recently? With many graphics cards (even integrated/shared memory ones) if you upgrade to the latest drivers you will then get widescreen resolutions offered in the display control panel.

This can work for older cards too - even my old nVidia GeForce 4 MX4000 (of 2003 vintage, IIRC) now has widescreen offerings (not that I have a widescreen monitor to use them on).

cwathen wrote:This can work for older cards too - even my old nVidia GeForce 4 MX4000 (of 2003 vintage, IIRC) now has widescreen offerings (not that I have a widescreen monitor to use them on).

Shame on you cwathen You're missing out on the full splendour of the Metropol header without a widescreen monitor.

They're quite reasonably priced now; I paid less than half the price for this one last month than for the old standard LCD monitor about 3 years ago.