Widescreen Help

Fish40 · 10-30-09, 06:36 AM

Hi guys, I know I'm late to the game of widescreen monitors, but last night I picked up a 21" LG widescreen. I started up SH4, and the screen was cropped at the top and bottom. Actually, I got as far as the main menue screen, but assumed the game would appear in the same manner. I tried IL2 1946, and my jaw dropped at the difference the widescreen makes. I thought there was a thread on this very topic somewhere, but can't seem to find it. Any help would be appreciated.

rosentorf · 10-30-09, 06:50 AM

Hi Fish40,

I have a 24" Widescreen. With my screen everything works properly. Sorry if I am asking a dumb question but since you did not give a lot of information of your setting: Did you change your resolution to a widescreen resolution (like 1680x1050 or 1920x1200)?
When I used a 4:3 Resolution like 1280x1024 in fullscreen mode it would crop my picture too. I am not sure though if on top-bottom or just the sides...I'll check tonight if I can.

Fish40 · 10-30-09, 07:09 AM

Thanks for the reply. I'm currently running 1280x960. IL2 sizes up beautifully. Do I need to go higher?

I'm getting decent performance from my old rig now. Upping the res may drag me down. Is there no other way?

rosentorf · 10-30-09, 07:19 AM

There should be no necessity to go higher. Just the ratio should be the same as your screens ratio.

Sorry it's hard to asses your problem from so far away

What you can try is to try out different resolutions of differen ratios until you find the one that fit's your screen better. But it does not seem to be the problem if your run the same resolution with IL2 and it is fine there.

Are you sure that IL2 (I never played it) does not stretch the picture?

I think your best call is to play with the resolutions and to see how behaves...maybe gives you a clue to fix your problem. But I understand that can be annoying beacause you alwas have to restart SH.

Also you could try windowed mode. Then you might see better if your resolution needs to be higher in the vertical or horizontal.

10-30-09, 10:19 AM

When I got mine (it's a 23") and ran SHIV it looked a little strange. I had to try different resolutions, but next time I loaded the up the game it displayed properly.

Maybe check and see if there are any updated graphics / monitor drivers for your setup, and check settings for your vid card.

Fish40 · 10-30-09, 10:24 AM

Still not haveing any luck. I set the monitor to 1600x900 via the CCC of my x1650pro. This is the highest available setting. I started up SH4, but I don't see any matching resolution in the graphics options. I'm kinda mentally chalanged when it comes to this stuff, so if anyone could do a "step by step" for me I'd appreciate it.

rosentorf · 10-30-09, 11:29 AM

Who out there has a 21" screen? And what resolution are you running? That info would be interesting.

@Fish40
I am at work so I can't check anything right now. Please post your screens native resolution or model. If I get a chance I'll check at home tonight. Tomorrow for sure if the problem still persists.

Task Force · 10-30-09, 11:32 AM

go up to your screen max res, and go down till you like what you see.

Fish40 · 10-30-09, 12:36 PM

Here's what I know. First I take back what I said about IL2. On closer inspection, the image is streched, but at least it fills the screen. I did some research on the IL2 site, and you could alter the conf.ini file to obtain the higher res. needed for widescreen.

I have an LG model W2053TX monitor. The native res is 1600x900. I have adjusted my desktop to this res via the CCC of my X1650pro card. I believe the monitor is 16:9. If I go into the SH4 menue, I don't find any such res. Obviously the game supports widescreen because people are running it in widescreen. I'm missing something here. Thanks for your help. Hopefully this could be resolved.

As a sidenote, I originaly tried to start the game with my original settings: 1280x960. This resulted in the image filling the screen width wise, but was cropped height wise. Again, I only went as far as the main menue, but assumed the game would show in the same manner.

rosentorf · 10-30-09, 01:42 PM

I had a look just now. What I think could be your problem is the ratio of the resolution. Your ratio is 16/9 or 1600/900 = 1.7777 . This ratio is only represented by the resolution of 1920x1080 in SH4. Your first choice 1280x960 has the ratio of 1280/960 = 1.3333 also apparently a resolution that is also not supported by.
I tried a little bit on my own PC and I think desktop resolution an resolution in SH4 have nothing to do with each other if you run in full screen mode. Unfortunately your screen ratio is only supported by a resolution higher than your screen can support. The resolution the most similar to 16/9 ratio is 1360x768 = 1.7708 or 85/48 (this shows in the drop down menu next to the resolutions). Try this resolution if available. The next most fitting would be 1280x768 = 1.6666, or if you rather have a picture that is cropped horizontally, choose 1440x900 as it will fit your screen vertically. You can always calculate the ratio and compare it to your screens ratio.

I hope this helps!

Fish40 · 10-30-09, 02:17 PM

Thanks for the help. I'll try that. I managed to alter the conf.ini file of IL2. While the menue screens appear cropped, the in game screen is simply outstanding. I tried useing a 1440x900 res. No more image distortion. Circular gauges appeared oval shaped befor the fix, now they're perfect. I'm hopeing I could get SH4 to show just as well.

Faamecanic · 10-31-09, 09:30 PM

Im running a 23" WS (Acer).... 1920X1080 is what I use (native res for my monitor)

gutted · 10-31-09, 11:33 PM

i dont currently have SH4 installed right now.. but his could prove helpful:

Alot of games (like medieval total war 2) have a widescreen option you can toggle on/off in their settings. This does not mean what you think it does. It makes it look like you are watching a widescreen moving on a square TV.

To get "real" widescreen so it fills your monitor you need to leave that unchecked and set your resolution to a widescreen format (16:9 or 16:10).

as i said, i dont have SH4 installed right now so i cant check for you.. but someone should look and see if there is one of those "hokey" widescreen toggles.

one thing to note about LCD's. They have a native resolution.

Setting your desktop (or game) to a different resolution will always have it stretched to fit your monitor. So it's best to have your desktop and games set to your native resolution for best quality else you will get blurry images.

with that in mind.. the only way you would get a cropped image is if you have some sort of useless widescreen option turned on.

Fish40 · 10-31-09, 11:43 PM

I don't think SH4 has that widescreen option you mention. What I did was set my desktop res to 1440x900. The native res of the monitor is 1600x900. When I went into SH4, those options were there. The only cropped images are the menue screens. The ingame screen is full wide. Looks like all is well now.

gutted · 11-01-09, 01:50 AM

umm yeah, the menu screens are cropped.

btw, you are better off setting your desktop & games to the same resolution. You get quicker alt-tabs and less problems when doing so.

10-30-09, 06:36 AM	#1
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Widescreen Help Hi guys, I know I'm late to the game of widescreen monitors, but last night I picked up a 21" LG widescreen. I started up SH4, and the screen was cropped at the top and bottom. Actually, I got as far as the main menue screen, but assumed the game would appear in the same manner. I tried IL2 1946, and my jaw dropped at the difference the widescreen makes. I thought there was a thread on this very topic somewhere, but can't seem to find it. Any help would be appreciated.

10-30-09, 07:19 AM	#4
rosentorf A-ganger Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 76 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 0	There should be no necessity to go higher. Just the ratio should be the same as your screens ratio. Sorry it's hard to asses your problem from so far away What you can try is to try out different resolutions of differen ratios until you find the one that fit's your screen better. But it does not seem to be the problem if your run the same resolution with IL2 and it is fine there. Are you sure that IL2 (I never played it) does not stretch the picture? I think your best call is to play with the resolutions and to see how behaves...maybe gives you a clue to fix your problem. But I understand that can be annoying beacause you alwas have to restart SH. Also you could try windowed mode. Then you might see better if your resolution needs to be higher in the vertical or horizontal. Last edited by rosentorf; 10-30-09 at 08:23 AM.

10-30-09, 11:32 AM	#8
Task Force Rear Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SPACE!!!! Posts: 10,142 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	go up to your screen max res, and go down till you like what you see. __________________ Task Force industries "Taking control of the world, one mind at a time"

10-30-09, 06:50 AM	#2
rosentorf A-ganger Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 76 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 0	Hi Fish40, I have a 24" Widescreen. With my screen everything works properly. Sorry if I am asking a dumb question but since you did not give a lot of information of your setting: Did you change your resolution to a widescreen resolution (like 1680x1050 or 1920x1200)? When I used a 4:3 Resolution like 1280x1024 in fullscreen mode it would crop my picture too. I am not sure though if on top-bottom or just the sides...I'll check tonight if I can.

10-30-09, 07:09 AM	#3
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the reply. I'm currently running 1280x960. IL2 sizes up beautifully. Do I need to go higher? I'm getting decent performance from my old rig now. Upping the res may drag me down. Is there no other way?

10-30-09, 10:19 AM	#5
Sevrin Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	When I got mine (it's a 23") and ran SHIV it looked a little strange. I had to try different resolutions, but next time I loaded the up the game it displayed properly. Maybe check and see if there are any updated graphics / monitor drivers for your setup, and check settings for your vid card.

10-30-09, 10:24 AM	#6
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Still not haveing any luck. I set the monitor to 1600x900 via the CCC of my x1650pro. This is the highest available setting. I started up SH4, but I don't see any matching resolution in the graphics options. I'm kinda mentally chalanged when it comes to this stuff, so if anyone could do a "step by step" for me I'd appreciate it.

10-30-09, 11:29 AM	#7
rosentorf A-ganger Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 76 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 0	Who out there has a 21" screen? And what resolution are you running? That info would be interesting. @Fish40 I am at work so I can't check anything right now. Please post your screens native resolution or model. If I get a chance I'll check at home tonight. Tomorrow for sure if the problem still persists.

10-30-09, 12:36 PM	#9
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Here's what I know. First I take back what I said about IL2. On closer inspection, the image is streched, but at least it fills the screen. I did some research on the IL2 site, and you could alter the conf.ini file to obtain the higher res. needed for widescreen. I have an LG model W2053TX monitor. The native res is 1600x900. I have adjusted my desktop to this res via the CCC of my X1650pro card. I believe the monitor is 16:9. If I go into the SH4 menue, I don't find any such res. Obviously the game supports widescreen because people are running it in widescreen. I'm missing something here. Thanks for your help. Hopefully this could be resolved. As a sidenote, I originaly tried to start the game with my original settings: 1280x960. This resulted in the image filling the screen width wise, but was cropped height wise. Again, I only went as far as the main menue, but assumed the game would show in the same manner.

10-30-09, 01:42 PM	#10
rosentorf A-ganger Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 76 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 0	I had a look just now. What I think could be your problem is the ratio of the resolution. Your ratio is 16/9 or 1600/900 = 1.7777 . This ratio is only represented by the resolution of 1920x1080 in SH4. Your first choice 1280x960 has the ratio of 1280/960 = 1.3333 also apparently a resolution that is also not supported by. I tried a little bit on my own PC and I think desktop resolution an resolution in SH4 have nothing to do with each other if you run in full screen mode. Unfortunately your screen ratio is only supported by a resolution higher than your screen can support. The resolution the most similar to 16/9 ratio is 1360x768 = 1.7708 or 85/48 (this shows in the drop down menu next to the resolutions). Try this resolution if available. The next most fitting would be 1280x768 = 1.6666, or if you rather have a picture that is cropped horizontally, choose 1440x900 as it will fit your screen vertically. You can always calculate the ratio and compare it to your screens ratio. I hope this helps!

10-30-09, 02:17 PM	#11
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the help. I'll try that. I managed to alter the conf.ini file of IL2. While the menue screens appear cropped, the in game screen is simply outstanding. I tried useing a 1440x900 res. No more image distortion. Circular gauges appeared oval shaped befor the fix, now they're perfect. I'm hopeing I could get SH4 to show just as well.

10-31-09, 09:30 PM	#12
Faamecanic Ace of the Deep Join Date: May 2005 Location: Off your Stb side with good solution Posts: 1,065 Downloads: 44 Uploads: 0	Im running a 23" WS (Acer).... 1920X1080 is what I use (native res for my monitor)

10-31-09, 11:33 PM	#13
gutted The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Orleans, LA. Posts: 1,379 Downloads: 487 Uploads: 11	i dont currently have SH4 installed right now.. but his could prove helpful: Alot of games (like medieval total war 2) have a widescreen option you can toggle on/off in their settings. This does not mean what you think it does. It makes it look like you are watching a widescreen moving on a square TV. To get "real" widescreen so it fills your monitor you need to leave that unchecked and set your resolution to a widescreen format (16:9 or 16:10). as i said, i dont have SH4 installed right now so i cant check for you.. but someone should look and see if there is one of those "hokey" widescreen toggles. one thing to note about LCD's. They have a native resolution. Setting your desktop (or game) to a different resolution will always have it stretched to fit your monitor. So it's best to have your desktop and games set to your native resolution for best quality else you will get blurry images. with that in mind.. the only way you would get a cropped image is if you have some sort of useless widescreen option turned on.

10-31-09, 11:43 PM	#14
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	I don't think SH4 has that widescreen option you mention. What I did was set my desktop res to 1440x900. The native res of the monitor is 1600x900. When I went into SH4, those options were there. The only cropped images are the menue screens. The ingame screen is full wide. Looks like all is well now.

11-01-09, 01:50 AM	#15
gutted The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Orleans, LA. Posts: 1,379 Downloads: 487 Uploads: 11	umm yeah, the menu screens are cropped. btw, you are better off setting your desktop & games to the same resolution. You get quicker alt-tabs and less problems when doing so.