(5/31/00) Advantages Of A HTPC: What do YOU use it for?
(10/14/00) A DEFINITIVE GUIDE: Displaying Custom Resolutions on HDTV!
NOTES:
1 . This information predates the Radeon but also applies to Radeon
2. Some of the links below may be broken due to site changes at referenced sites.
"Many people are tearing their heads off trying to get computer images on a HDTV
set to display at anything higher than 640x480. I have decided that this needs a
definitive guide!
This information guide supersedes the wonderful-but-now-outdated Mark
J Foster's 1080i timings for HDTV (Nov 1999) as being the most detailed integrated
guide on the Internet for a computer connected to a HDTV set. This guide will assist you
in configuring a computer to work at very high resolutions via direct VGA output with
ANY HDTV set (bypassing low resolution S-Video) even if the TV manufacturer says that
their HDTV does not support computers!
Because of the newer PowerStrip 3.0 software, the HDTV modes that results from this
thread will be MUCH more accurate than the ones from Mark J Fosters' original
instructions which are based on older software. So if you were unable to get a HDTV
picture displayed properly using the Nov 1999 instructions, try again using these
instructions - you will find it a lot easier this time!
GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS
Custom resolution: Ability to choose any computer resolution in single pixel
increments. For example 1352x773 or 1360x1024.
Custom timings: Ability to change the scanrate without changing computer
resolution, as well as modify the size of sync signals, to fit the specs of a particular
display. This also includes ability to choose refresh rate in tiny fractions of a Hz.
Progressive scan: Display is done in a VGA-like fashion by drawing all the scan
lines of an image one at a time, during one vertical refresh .
Interlaced: Display is done in a TV-like fashion by drawing odd-numbered scan
lines in one vertical refresh, and even-numbered scan lines in the next vertical refresh.
Positive/negative polarity: Some displays use positive or negative polarity for
horizontal and vertical sync, while others can support both. Most computer monitors and
high end CRT projectors work with any polarity combination. You usually will not need to
worry about this.
Resolution-within-resolution: Also called "letterboxing" by some. VERY
useful for HDTV televisions. A trick to allow displaying a computer mode on a display that
cannot directly support the mode. For example, a HDTV set cannot natively do 1024x768, but
it is possible to run 1024x768i in the middle of 1920x1080i for full HDTV compatibility
while being able to play videogames that require standard computer resolutions. It can
also be a way of solving excessive overscan on HDTV sets.
PowerStrip: Shareware computer software that allows you to adjust all the above.
You can download version 2.X or later at www.entechtaiwan.com . Registered users
may be able to obtain the PowerStrip 3.0 beta from Entech Taiwan for use at their own
risk.
RGBHV: These are cables and jacks for Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal-Sync, and
Vertical-Sync. The signal is identical to VGA, except that they are in 5 separate cables
instead of a single VGA cable. HDTV can be done at full resolution over VGA or RGBHV.
YPbPr: This is component video, which many HDTV sets have. In order to connect a
computer, you will need a converter to convert YPbPr into VGA.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO CARD
Many video cards will work fine on a HDTV set at 640x480. However, GeForce series cards
are the favourite here because:
They have sharper than average DVD picture (its VGA twice as sharp as Hollywood Plus
VGA!)
They support custom resolutions, even 1352x773 at 93 Hz.
They support interlaced, so you can do 1080i
They have contrast/saturation/hue adjustments
They are very fast
They are great for 3D videogames too
They are very well supported in this forum
They can letterbox lower computer resolutions inside higher computer resolutions
Additionally, VGA/HDTV DVD picture quality varies from video card to video card. The
best picture quality generally comes from GeForce cards. (ATI Radeon cards are great too
BUT do not support custom resolutions at this time. So it's not a good option for HDTV set
owners at this time!) For an example of picture quality difference between video cards,
please see GeForce256 versus
G400 review 1 and GeForce256 versus
G400 review 2. Many video cards have been tested, but none come as close in terms of
BOTH flexibility *AND* picture quality. So, if you want the best, get a GeForce series
card. The ultimate is currently the GeForce2 GTS (as of October 14, 2000).
Custom resolutions are essential in order to safely shatter the 640x480 barrier with a
HDTV set.
RECOMMENDED CABLES AND ADAPTORS
For best picture quality from a HDTV, you should never use "TV-Out", using
S-Video or composite cables between your computer and HDTV set. Video over S-Video or
composite is always 480i, even if you try to do 800x600. This is why text looks fuzzy and
terrible - because computer video is downconverted to 480i by the RAMDAC chip behind the
TV-Out, S-Video or composite jack.
You should always use VGA output to connect to a HDTV set. First, you need to
determine what type of input that your HDTV set has any of the following (in order of
preference, starting with the most preferable method):
RGBHV input jacks
This is identical to VGA, but these jacks are better quality than the tiny 15-pin VGA
jack, and will degrade the signal less. If your HDTV set uses RGBHV jacks, you only need
an adaptor cable. Sometimes the jacks are BNC type, and sometimes the jacks are RCA type.
You can buy high quality adaptor cables at BetterCables.com. If you are in a pinch
or a hurry, and don't mind cables of somewhat less quality, you may be able to buy
prefabricated 6-foot-length VGA-to-RGBHV BNC adaptor cables at your local computer stores,
because they are used for high end 21" monitors. Many 21" monitors have RGBHV
jacks, just like the rear of some HDTV sets, so some of your local high end computer
stores, may stock them. Your business superstore might have them, but you may have to call
around or hunt around. But remember: a 42-feet BetterCables.com cable produces less
degradation than many of these store bought 6-feet cables!
Standard VGA input jack
If so, then you've got is pretty easy! All you need is a plain vanilla VGA cable between
your computer and your HDTV set. For the best quality VGA cable, purchase one from BetterCables.com!
YPbPr component video input jacks
If your HDTV set uses only YPbPr component video inputs, you will need to purchase a
converter box (such as an Audio Authority) to convert high resolution VGA into YPbPr that
is compatible with your HDTV set. You will also, additionally, need the correct cable to
connect your HTPC to the converter box, and then another cable to connect the converter
box to the HDTV set. Please consult BetterCables.com for the right
high-quality cables for your converter box situation with your specific brand of HDTV set.
Either way - the bottom line is that ANY HDTV set will work with a Home Theater
Computer, provided you follow the above steps.
Let me begin that you can often safely do 640x480 at 60 Hz from any PC on any HDTV set.
If this is all you need, then you do not need to read the following.
You can output almost anything to a HDTV set, as long as the horizontal scanrate is
31.5 Khz or 33.75 Khz (or 45 Khz if your HDTV can do 720p), and the vertical refreshrate
is 60 Hz. (30 Hz for interlaced) Just like the old adage, "You can have it in any
color, as long as it is black!".
All HDTV sets can safely support 480p, 540p, 960i, and 1080i. If you are lucky enough
to have a HDTV set that supports 720p too, then you can also do 1440i. Horizontal
resolution is not important here, as the HDTV set can safely support any horizontal
resolution (within certain restrictions, as will be explained later).
480p and 960i is 31.5 Khz horizontal scanrate
540p and 1080i is 33.75 Khz horizontal scanrate
720p and 1440i is 45 Khz horizontal scanrate
The letter "p" stands for progressive scan (non-interlaced).
The letter "i" stands for interlaced.
What is horizontal scanrate? Scanrate is the number of scanlines generated per
second. As an example, 480p is actually 480 visible scanlines and 45 invisible scanlines
(vertical blanking interval, or the "sync" interval) for a total of 525
scanlines generated per 480p refresh. There are 60 refreshes per second at 60 Hz. This
means 525 scanlines times 60, equals 31500. There you go, that's 31.5 Khz horizontal
scanrate!
You can do interlaced resolutions that have twice the number of scanlines as a
progressive scan resolution. You can think of interlaced resolutions as being the same
thing as progressive scan resolutions, except that every other refresh (this is called
"fields") has the whole image offset downwards by half a scanline. So that the
second 540p refresh "fills in the gaps" between the scanlines of the previous
540p refresh! So basically, two 540p fields combine to make a single 1080i image. At the
same vertical refresh rate (per field), 540p and 1080i has the same horizontal and
vertical scanrate - which means it is safe to do 540p on all HDTV sets that supports 1080i.
As long as almost exactly the same number of scanlines are generated per second for both
540p and 1080i. The same goes for the other vertical resolutions.
A few early HDTV's can only do 1080i and only 480p. In this case, do not attempt to do
480p or 960i with these HDTV's, unless you put them inside 1080i timings. (Letterboxing
480p inside 540p is a recommended workaround).
Some HDTV sets are improperly advertised as being able to do 720p. BE VERY CAREFUL to
make sure that this is done by the HDTV set, and not by the settop box! Some HDTV sets can
only do 720p through a settop box (which converts 720p to 1080i). You should NOT attempt
to try to use 720p timings. Use 480p/540p/960i/1080i timings instead with such HDTV's.
Horizontal resolution does not matter - you can display any horizontal resolution on a
HDTV set. Also, it is possible to display lower vertical resolutions by letterboxing the
computer resolution inside the middle of a higher computer resolution! Like doing
1024x768i in the middle of a 1920x1080i signal.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INTERLACED HDTV VIDEO - AND WHY IT IS BAD FOR
HTPC
Interlacing must be done for 960i and 1080i. However, interlacing is not good for
computer text - this causes a lot of flickering! Also, most people prefer 480p or 540p
when it comes to playing back DVD's on a HDTV set. Those who are lucky enough to have true
720p HDTV sets will prefer to use 720p for DVD playback.
Also, some GeForce cards do not do interlaced properly; they simply vibrate even
scanlines up/down rather than interlace between both odd and even scanlines. This means
you've lost half of vertical resolution, and the even scanlines are simply vertically
pixel doubled. There should have been more vertical resolution during stationary computer
desktop images (if the GeForce interlace was working properly). This may or may not be
fixed in newer GeForce drivers or newer versions of PowerStrip. Currently, most people
never try to do 960i or 1080i, especially for GeForce video card setups.
To clear up any confusion, HDTV always uses 60 Hz vertical refresh. This is the refresh
rate that I will refer to throughout this document. For 480p, 540p, and 720p, there is no
confusion - it is always 60 Hz.
However, for 1080i (and 960i or 1440i) there is some confusion. Some people say 1080i
is 30 Hz, and other people say 1080i is 60 Hz. Both groups of people are correct - when
you consider 1080i is all of the following:
30 full frames per second; and
60 fields per second (odd scanlines or even scanlines); and
60 vertical blanking intervals per second (60 sync signals per second).
This is exactly where the number 30 comes from. You may remember the old days where
interlaced 1024x768i used IBM 8514-compatible computer monitors were referred to as 43.5
Hz or 87 Hz even though there is only one refresh rate for 1024x768i used on IBM 8514/A -
this is precisely the same confusion occuring as well.
Most forum members prefer to refer to HDTV as always being 60.0 Hz. However, PowerStrip
needs to be told to do 30 Hz when doing 960i or 1080i, even though there are actually 60
vertical blanking intervals per second. So we need to bear this in mind when adding
interlaced resolutions to PowerStrip.
To keep your life easier - don't worry about interlaced resolutions. Worry only by
adding progressive scan computer resolutions, such as 540p.
POWERSTRIP: ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE FOR HTPC USERS WITH HDTV SETS
Let me begin that you can often safely do 640x480 at 60 Hz from any PC on any HDTV set.
If this is all you need, then you do not need to read the following.
This makes it possible to "break the 640x480 barrier" on a HDTV set.
Ever dream of playing Unreal Tournament at sharp 1920x1080i from your HTPC? Or
playing DVD's upconverted to 960x540p?
This is when life get very interesting (or complicated)!
What makes this possible? PowerStrip! PowerStrip is a power user software program
available from EntechTaiwan.com.
It allows you to tweak your computer video card to the max, and do a lot of other useful
stuff!
You can download a shareware version of PowerStrip. Unfortunately, it is only
PowerStrip version 2.x. To do custom resolutions safely on a HDTV set, you must use
PowerStrip 3.0. The instructions that follow in this article assumes that you are
using PowerStrip 3.0. My instructions will not work on PowerStrip 2.x.
Next, you contact Entech Taiwan to obtain the PowerStrip 3.0.56 beta (or
later) that is available for registered users.
Install PowerStrip 3.0.56 into the same directory.
Add a shortcut to the PowerStrip 3.0 executable to your StartUp folder
of StartMenu->Programs, so that PowerStrip 3.0 loads everytime you boot your computer.
DOING HDTV COMPATIBLE COMPUTER RESOLUTIONS WITH POWERSTRIP
Let me begin that you can often safely do 640x480 at 60 Hz from any PC on any HDTV set.
If this is all you need, then you do not need to read the following.
As an exercise, we will begin by creating 960x540p. This will guide you through all the
essential steps of using PowerStrip. These instructions are compatible with PowerStrip
version 3.0.56 (October 15, 2000) and may be different with newer versions of PowerStrip.
If so, please let me know and I will amend these instructions if I can.
First, hook up an ordinary 15" or bigger computer monitor to your
computer. Do NOT hook your computer up to your HDTV yet! You want to do your testing on a
computer monitor first before connecting your HTPC to a HDTV set.
Make sure PowerStrip 3.0 is installed and you see a PowerStrip icon in
your Windows system tray next to your clock.
Right-click on the PowerStrip icon and then select "Display
Profiles"->"Configure".
Click "Advanced Timings options..." button. (You might be
startled at the airplane cockpit style screen that pops up. Don't worry too much. Do not
touch anything in this screen yet.)
Click "Custom Resolutions..." button
Underneath New Resolution, enter the desired custom resolution. For this exercise, enter 960 in the first box (horizontal) and 540 in the second box
(vertical) Note: If entering a number greater than 540 in the second box, you must enable the
"Interlaced" checkbox right now at this point.
Enter "60" as the Refresh Rate under "Vertical". Note: If you enabled the "Interlaced" checkbox, use "30" instead of
"60"
Click "Add new resolution"
If your video driver supports the custom resolution, you will be
prompted "The display driver has accepted the new resolution. Do you want to try to
switch to the new resolution at this time?"
Click "Yes"
Click "Close". You're back to "Advanced timings
options".
Look at the "Total" number under "Vertical
Geometry". There are two "Total" numbers, so make sure you are looking at
the one under "Vertical" instead of "Horizontal".
Vertical Total MUST be match 525 or 563. Use the smallest possible vertical total that is
at least 5% bigger than your desired vertical computer resolution. This means the
following:
480p - Vertical Total must equal 525 lines (on 480p capable HDTVs)
540p - Vertical Total must equal 563 lines (on 1080i capable HDTVs)
720p - Vertical Total must equal 750 lines (on 720p capable HDTVs)
960i - Vertical Total must equal 525 lines (on 480p capable HDTVs)
1080i - Vertical Total must equal 563 lines (on 1080i capable HDTVs)
1440i - Vertical Total must equal 751 lines (on 720p capable HDTVs)
Increase or decrease the Vertical Total until it matches one of the above numbers. For the 960x540 exercise, make sure the Vertical Total is 563. Note: You are not restricted to computer resolutions matching 480/540/960/1080, as long
as Vertical Total are 525 or 563. Basically, you will be letterboxing a computer
resolution inside a higher resolution that is supported by your HDTV set. For example,
1024x768i centered in the middle of 1920x1080i. In this case, you need a Vertical Total of
563. Note: For your information, 960i/1080i is actually 951 and 1125 total lines
respectively. But do not enter these in PowerStrip! The timings are per-field even when
vertical scanrate is per-frame (30.0 during interlaced) - this is a confusing point! So
enter 525 or 563 respectively for 960i/1080i instead. Note: For many video cards, interlaced resolutions work best when configured with an
odd number of scanlines. This forces the GeForce card to do an even number of scanlines
for one field and odd number of scanlines for the next field. Thus, the one-line
difference between 720p and 1440i.
Now look for "Refresh rate" (Vertical) and "Scan
rate" (Horizontal).
Increase or decrease these values until you get as close as possible to:
Vertical Refresh Rate of 60.0 Hz ...(or 30.0 Hz for interlaced)
Horizontal Scan Rate of 31.5 Khz or 33.75 Khz ...(or 48.0 Khz for 720p *if* supported)
This means that:
480p and 960i should use Horiz Scan Rate as close to 31.5 Khz as possible
540p and 1080i should use Horiz Scan Rate as close to 33.75 Khz as possible
720p and 1440i should use Horiz Scan Rate as close to 45.0 Khz as possible For the 960x540 exercise, aim for a 33.75 Khz horizontal scan rate.
Your adjustments will often jump by counts of 0.3. Everytime you adjust one of these
adjustments, it will affect the other. The two are interrelated! Just keep alternating
between adjusting "Horiz Scanrate" and "Vertical Scanrate" in an
attempt to get as close as possible to the above values!
Try to get less than 0.1 away from the goal, so try:
Vertical Refresh Rate between 59.9-60.1 (progressive) or 29.9-30.1 (interlaced)
Horizontal Scan Rate between 31.4-31.6 for 480p or 960i
Horizontal Scan Rate between 33.65-33.85 for 540p or 1080i
Horizontal Scan Rate between 44.9-45.1 for 720p or 1440i (*if* true 720p is supported!)
Otherwise, your HDTV may not be able to display anything! Your HDTV set has very, very,
very, very fussy and tight tolerances.
Click "Ok" at the bottom of Advanced timings options.
Click "Save as" near the bottom of the PowerStrip Display
dialog box under "Profiles".
Enter the new name for the custom resolution.
Click "Ok"
Finally, disconnect the computer from the computer monitor and and
connect to the HDTV set (do not turn off the computer when doing this!).
Turn on the HDTV set.
Cross your fingers - your Windows Desktop should display itself after having adjusted
the above! If the image looks stable, then go to the next section.
If you want to study another source of wonderful information about configuring a
computer for a HDTV set, take a look at the Mark
J Foster's 1080i timings for HDTV (Written November 1999). It is a great guide that
still has very useful information. Be warned that some of the
TWEAKING POWERSTRIP ON A HDTV SET
While the computer is connected to the HDTV set, you can go back to make adjustments by
right-clicking on the PowerStrip icon and then select "Display
Profiles"->"Configure" and then clicking "Advanced Timings
options..." button. Do NOT make adjustments or click anything (except
"Cancel" button) without being familiar with what you are clicking on - this
advanced screen is very dangerous. A single click on the wrong number or button and your
HDTV screen may blank out or screw up automatically. In this case, unplug the HTPC
immediately (or turn off the HDTV set first, if faster to do so) Then re-connect your HTPC
to your computer monitor. This is what you should do whenever something is wrong with the
image on the HDTV set.
You may run into the following common problems with computer images on a HDTV set. Here
are included solutions, in the order that you should follow:
Computer Image is too tall for HDTV set
The proper way to fix this is to refer to the next section, "FIXING VERTICAL
OVERSCAN/UNDERSCAN ON A HDTV DISPLAY".
Important! Fixing this is somewhat cumbersome and requires creating a new custom computer
resolution all over again. Try to live with it for now if possible - play a DVD for fun.
You cannot safely fix this by adjusting PowerStrip vertical image size adjustment.
Computer image is too narrow or too wide for HDTV set.
The proper way to fix this is to refer to the next section, "FIXING HORIZONTAL
OVERSCAN/UNDERSCAN ON A HDTV DISPLAY". Important. You will need to readjust
timings. But resist the temptation to use the PowerStrip picture size and position
adjustment buttons!
Computer image does not appear or is badly distorted
Unplug your HTPC from the HDTV set immediately! Connect your computer monitor back to the
HTPC. Then you will need to follow steps 12 and 13 of the previous section,
"DOING HDTV COMPATIBLE COMPUTER RESOLUTIONS WITH POWERSTRIP" to make sure that
the VGA signal from your HTPC is as close as possible to HDTV specifications. If
you can, try to get even closer than you were before, to 31.5/33.75 Khz horizontal
scanrate (or 45.0 Khz for 720p HDTVs). If you fail, there are a few last resorts you can
do while following steps 12 and 13 of the previous section: (A) Try the remedy for "Computer image is too narrow or too wide for HDTV
set" listed above. Chances are that the horizontal retrace is well beyond spec of
your HDTV set - this can happen when the computer image is too wide or too narrow. (B) Try changing the horizontal scanrate by a fraction of 1% - if you were a value
close to 33.8 Khz before, try a value close to 33.7 Khz this time around. Do NOT go
more than 1% below or above 31.5/33.75 Khz (and 45.0 Khz for 720p HDTV's). (C) Try adding one to eight pixels total to the horizontal front porch or back
porch.
Computer image is flickering
If you are doing interlaced resolutions such as 960i or 1080i, this is normal. There is
nothing you can do about the flickering. Just make sure that you've followed the steps in
the previous section correctly (especially critical steps 12 and 13!) If this is a
non-interlaced resolution, then something is wrong and you should unplug the computer and
replug your computer monitor into the HTPC.
Windows taskbar is 100% fully chopped off at bottom of screen
Resize the Windows Taskbar by dragging its edge upwards, to make it thicker. If you cannot
see the Windows Taskbar to do this, unplug the computer from the HDTV set and connect to
your computer monitor. After you're done, reconnect to the HDTV set.
Computer image is offset towards the left or right
Under "Position and size" click the left or right arrow to move your computer
image leftwards or rightwards until it is centered (Ignore the other buttons; ignore the
text that says "Pick up and move"). You can normally keep the computer connected
to your HDTV set while doing this adjustment.
Computer image is not vertically centered
Under "Position and size" click the up or down arrow to move your computer image
upwards or downwards until it is centered vertically, until it has an equal amount of
overscan at the top and bottom. (Ignore the other buttons; ignore the text that says
"Pick up and move"). You can normally keep the computer connected to your HDTV
set while doing this adjustment.
FIXING HORIZONTAL OVERSCAN/UNDERSCAN ON A HDTV DISPLAY
IMPORTANT! Resist the temptation to resize the computer image while the computer is
connected to the HDTV set. This is VERY important! Why? Because the procedure of resizing
the image WILL change the horizontal and vertical scanrate. With most HDTV sets, you will
experience frustration if you try to resize the image without testing on a regular
computer monitor first.
First, unplug the computer from the HDTV set and plug it into your
compuer monitor.
Right-clicking on the PowerStrip icon and then select "Display
Profiles"->"Configure" and then clicking "Advanced Timings
options..." button.
Now, under "Position and size" click the sideways double arrow
buttons ("><" or the "<>") to shrink/grow the horizontal
image size. If your image was too wide on the HDTV, click the "><" button.
If it was narrow instead, click the "<>" button. Do NOT adjust vertical
image size, as this will mess up the timings. Resist this temptation to adjust vertical
size, it will not always work with most HDTVs!
Since your computer is not currently connected to the HDTV set, you need
to make a guess at how many times you need to click the horizontal resize buttons. The
horizontal size of the image on your computer monitor does not always equal the horizontal
size of the image on the HDTV set. One click will usually resize by about 1% at a time.
Don't do more than 10 clicks.
Because the act of doing the resizing often affects Horizontal Scan Rate
and Vertical Refresh Rate, you will need to readjust them to compensate. Repeat steps
12-13 in the previous section, "DOING HDTV COMPATIBLE COMPUTER RESOLUTIONS WITH
POWERSTRIP" to make sure Horizontal Scan Rate is as close as possible to 31.5/33.75
(or 45.0 for 720p) and that Vertical Refresh Rate is as close as possible to 60.0 for
progressive scan. (30.0 for interlaced).
Finally, disconnect the computer from the computer monitor and and
connect to the HDTV set (do not turn off the computer when doing this!).
If the image changed size but is still too wide or too narrow, repeat
steps 1 through 5 above, doing fewer or more clicks on the resizing buttons as necessary.
FIXING VERTICAL OVERSCAN/UNDERSCAN FOR HTPC ON A HDTV DISPLAY
Try to live with vertical overscan if you can, because
However, if you want to fix overscan, then follow these steps:
Keep your computer connected to the HDTV set at this moment.
Now, try to estimate how much total overscan there is.
An easy measuring guide is the thickness of the Taskbar while it is resized to its minimum
thickness. We know that the taskbar is about 30 pixels thick. Another guide is to use
DisplayMate with an overscan test pattern. Try to find out approximately how many taskbar
thicknesses that the overscan is equal to. You can drag the taskbar around to do measuring
estimates. If the overscan is about half the thickness of the taskbar at the bottom, and
half at the top, then you have about 30 pixels worth of vertical overscan.
Next, decide on a new custom vertical resolution to use.
Subtract the value you estimated in the above step, from your current custom resolution.
Example: if your vertical computer resolution is 540 pixels, and you have estimated
overscan of about 30 pixels, use a new custom vertical resolution value of 510.
Now unplug the computer from the HDTV set and plug it into your computer
monitor.
Finally, follow ALL the steps in "DOING HDTV COMPATIBLE COMPUTER
RESOLUTIONS WITH POWERSTRIP" to add this new custom resolution.
Tip: You can keep horizontal resolution the same, or change it - you can increase or
decrease horizontal resolution while you're at it. Or you can keep it a 16:9 resolution so
that the pixels are square shaped on a 16:9 HDTV display. If you have an RCA or Toshiba
4:3 HDTV set, then you can use a 4:3 resolution such as 1440x1080i if desired.
You now should have no more overscan anymore!
If desired, feel free to follow "TWEAKING POWERSTRIP ON A HDTV
SET" to optimize your computer image.
If you are having underscan problems (black gaps at the top and bottom), you can
increase vertical resolution instead of decreasing it. Just do the above steps, except
increase vertical resolution instead of decreasing it.
VIDEOGAMES ON A HDTV SET
While some videogames such as Unreal Tournament supports custom computer reolutions,
many videogames require standard computer resolutions. First, try to figure out if the
videogame can support custom computer resolutions. Test with your desktop computer monitor
first, trying to get the videogame to start in a custom computer resolution.
If not, then you will need to follow the steps in "DOING HDTV COMPATIBLE
COMPUTER RESOLUTIONS WITH POWERSTRIP" by creating custom timings out of standard
800x600, 1024x768, 1280x960 or 1280x1024. To fill the whole screen properly, I recommend
sticking to 640x480, or going all the way up to 1280x960 or 1280x1024.
Force the games to run at 60Hz. (30Hz for interlaced, although the game may
treat it as 60Hz - it depends on the software). First, you need to make sure that your
videogames always runs at 60 Hz. Stick to Windows videogames that uses the latest version
of DirectX7, since PowerStrip has control over them. One of the ways to force the
videogames to run at 60 Hz is to use a monitor .inf file of a monitor that does not
support anything beyond 60 Hz.
Underscan problems. Be warned that you cannot fix underscan problems with
800x600i and 1024x768i. If you want to play videogames at 800x600i or 1024x768i (centered
in the middle of 1920x1080i) you will be stuck with letterbox bars at the top and bottom
of your computer image!
Fill the whole screen. If you want videogames to fill your FULL screen at
standard computer resolutions, use 640x480 (via 480p), 1280x960i (via 960i), or 1280x1024i
(via 1080i). Those with 720p HDTV's can have success with 800x600 (via 720p) or 960x720
(via 720p).
CHANGELOG
2000-10-15 Added warning about 720p, thanks to trbarry
2000-10-15 Added more remedies to try if HDTV does not show PC image
2000-10-15 Added link to Greg Roger's Information
2000-10-15 Added 720p timings information
2000-10-15 Corrected 720p scanrate to 45 Khz
2000-10-14 Fixed some typos
