anyone know what video card can do 1366x768 resolution via dvi? i wanta match my hdtv's native resolution. i have a sony KDF-E55A20

It's usually a limitation of the display. The EDID value your display sends the card will usually limit your resolution choises. If you run Moninfo you will find out what the limitations are.

anyone know the cheapest card to get for this setup?

anyone know the cheapest card to get for this setup?
almostinsane is right, it isn't just the video card, the display also has to tell your PC that it supports 1366x768, many don't send that timing data (and don't accept even when forced either) because they assume it will be connected to standard consumer equipment (which of course comply with the standard resolutions like 720p or 1080i).

Anyway a GeForce 6 or 7 series as well as the new ATI X1000 series should be able to do it via DVI.

The current NVidia drivers allow you to bypass the EDID. Uncheck "Hide resolutions that this monitor does not support". There is also an "Advanced Timing" option. I use these to get 1366x768 on my PLV-70 that reports only 1024x768 via EDID.

The 6600GT has hardware features that unload the CPU especially for HD playback when used with the NVidia PureVideo decoder. (Note that the 6800GT does NOT have the same features.) If you have a PCI-E mobo, the 7600GT adds some more features for HD de-interlacing.

That doesn't mean the monitor will accept the custom res. Most displays on accept HDTV standards over hdmi.

if that is the case, anyone know know of a video card that can output in component as well as dvi? p.s. my tv only has hdmi, i have a cable that converts dvi to hdmi... if that matters...

if that is the case, anyone know know of a video card that can output in component as well as dvi? p.s. my tv only has hdmi, i have a cable that converts dvi to hdmi... if that matters...
The cards recommended earlier also do component output, but they won't do 1366x768 over component. 1366x768 is only possible over DVI and sometimes VGA.

My Sony HS20 projection TV has an error in the EDID that was mentioned earlier in this thread. Using the "hide" feature does not allow output of 1366x768 because there are only descrite resolution setting allowed in "computer" or "Video GBR" mode over DVI/HDMI. The best I've managed is 1176x664 (after adjusting for overscan) at 60Hz due to these limitations. It seems the TV's just weren't designed for good support of those resolutions. Hopefully with newer models they'll start to think of HTPC users...

I run THREE 32" LCD panels from 1) a 5500FX 2) a 6800GT, and 3) from a 7800GTX, and they ALL support 1366 x 768. Its just THAT easy. Even the cheapo 6200GS and all those $50 nVidia cards will do 1366 x 768. You might have to do 1368 x 768, but you won't notice a difference.

And I am using DVI for ALL my connections. When I didn't have my 3rd panel, I was using one of the LCD's for two of my computers and I had to use the VGA output for the Geforce 5500. And it STILL looked the exact same and worked fine.

you guys think the following cards can handle 1366 x 768 resolutions?

1.) ati radeon 7500
2.) NVIDIA Quadro NVS 50 PCI 64Mb DVI w/TV-Out
3.) 128mb ATI Saphire PCI Video Card, DVI and VGA output

hi, i just got my new panasonic 50PX60U, i have one big Q now, i use it with my PC, and i cannot set the resolution to anything higher than 1280*720. i am using ATI RADEON 7000 series, it does not have the exact 1366*768, but have many others all the way to 2048*1536.
so does anyone know how i can use higher resolution? isn't it suppose to be better to feed in 1280*768 other than 1280*720, since the panel itself is 768? i am also interested in the 1920*1080, since the manual said it supports 1080p signal....

or does anyone know where is the better place/thread to ask about this?
Thanks!

are you guys sure component can't except 1366x768? if it can, do i have to buy a transcoding device or can i just buy a dvi to component cable?

anyone know the cheapest card to get for this setup?
The NVIDIA FX5200 (eg. Diamond Stealth S90 GeForce FX 5200 / 128MB / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out) will work. ATI cards have problems when working with HDMI (still requires PowerStrip).

Both the NVIDIA and ATI cards normally will not get bootup screens when working with HDMI. I think this is caused by the lack of certain resolutions and frequencies on the HDTVs HDMI interface required during boot up. A DVI to DVI connection usually works 100% correctly. The lack of boot up screens is common to most HDTVs when using the HDMI interface. It occurs on both my Sharp 45" LCD and Sony 34" CRT using either NVIDIA or ATI cards. It has also been reported by others on the forum.

Also your HDTVs HDMI port may only support 1280x720 instead of 1366x768 since that is not a HDTV resolution.

anyone know if a ati radeon 7000 dvi-i port can do YpbPr?

anyone know if a ati radeon 7000 dvi-i port can do YpbPr?
The digital part of the output should which goes to digital DVI or HDMI. The analog should be RGB which normally goes to VGA and not component. Although, I could be wrong and the analog could be YCbCr.

so since its RGB i can't connect it to my component connections on my HDTV? do you know of a video card off hand that outputs in the right format?

Why do you want to use component instead of HDMI?

hdmi restricts inputs to only 1280x720, my hdtv's native resolution is 1366x768... know of any video cards off hand?

1366x768 probably will not work on either one since neither is desigend for a PC interface. Typically component and HDMI are only designed for HDTV signals. DVI and VGA are designed to support most XGA and WXGA resolutions.

i found one, ati radeon 9500 supports what i need.

Usually, the only way to support non HDTV resolutions through component or HDMI would be to fudge it. As example, select 1920x1080 and then underscan it to 1366x768 and then stretch it. I don't know how well that would work. Also due to overscan issues anyway, it's almost impossible to get the exact resolution on HDMI or component even if the native resolution is 1280x720. Usually there is overscan and that has to be adjusted to reduce the resolution anyway.

I got both the 1920*1080 and 1280*768 work on my panny 50 now, but both have the overscan problem. i didnt try powerstrip yet. since mostly i watch movies only, so a little bit overscan is ok with me. But why does the TV always have the overscan problem? why cannt it shink the signal? do we have to use powerstrip to feed in several more lines to get over it?

I got both the 1920*1080 and 1280*768 work on my panny 50 now, but both have the overscan problem. i didnt try powerstrip yet. since mostly i watch movies only, so a little bit overscan is ok with me. But why does the TV always have the overscan problem? why cannt it shink the signal? do we have to use powerstrip to feed in several more lines to get over it?
Generally the HDMI and component is used for HDTV signals. The DVI is what is supposed to be used for PC. If your native resolution is the resolution you are trying to use on a DVI interface, many HDTVs have the capability to set Dot by Dot and will map 1:1 for that resolution. Usually any resolution other than the native resolution, it just doesn't bothering trying to receive that data and then stretching it to the exact size for that screen since that is not the way HDTVs work.

The following article describes why overscan is part of a TV.

http://www.anandtech.com/multimedia/showdoc.aspx?i=2181

Thanks mterzich.
I have one urgent BIG problem now.
In order to perfectly feed in 1366*768 signal, i tried powerstrip following some recommendation here. After some mess around, i accidently choosed a resolution not suitable for my CRT monitor ( the horizontal freqnency is a fraction number, used for LCD if i remember correctly under the predifined resolution). Then it said the windows needs to restart to see if the driver will accept this resolution. I cliked "OK".
Then BIG problem came. My PC cannot reboot any more, the CRT monitor ( corrected to motherboard vedeo card, by intel) is always black, showing nothing.
Since the add-on ATI vedeo card wont work before i can login to windows, no output singal at all for the ATI card.
So i reboot into "safe" mode. it took 30 minutes to get in. Then the display setting could not be changed, with only one basic relosution there. So i told the system to "recover" to yesterday's config. After this it still could only boot into safe mode. ( i am typing in this now in this low resolution) and in control panel -> device manager, no matter how i update the driver, or disable/enable the video card, the PC still cannot boot normally. It already took me 5 hours now, since each time for safe mode it took 30 minutes to get in.

I suspect powerstipe wrote something to the system registry, so that it overwrites the vedeo card setting even after the driver is re-installed. and the powerstrip's setting was used by windows each time when it boots up.

So how can i remove these powerstrip settings? i tried search registry, ( powerstrip was uninstalld by my "system recovery" approach). I also tried to run powerstrip again to set the correct setting, but safe mode does not allow powerstrip to run.

Someone/anyone pls help..... pls forvie me if this is not the right place to ask, but i am really frustrated now....

Try removing the video card driver completely in the hardware device manager while in the safe mode. You will have to reinstall the driver, but you should be able to boot up normally and see the screen.

Finally got my PC back working correctly again now. Dont want to mess around with ps any more, since it might easily cause these disaster problem.
Now my pc is feeding in 1280*720 to my plasma TV, although it can feed in 1920*1080 and 1280*768, but this is the one with least overscan. So i choose it.
I guess since my video card does not support 1366*768, no matter how ps manipulates, the underlying driver wont do anything good and correctly.
Anyway nothing is perfect in this world....

I have a Nvidia 6800 card. I now use 1360x768 resolution on Viewsonic 32" LCD (it has a 1366x768 res.). Do I miss anything other than 3 pixels at the sides (i.e clarity, sharpness etc.). How do I setup the graphic card if I want to go to 1368x768. I don't see this res. in the options. I don't know how to set, custom res. or advanced timings. Is there any tutorial for setting up 6800 to output 1368x768. What is the advantage for this resolution in terms of PQ.


Thanks.

I'm interested in doing 1366 x 768 (although 1360 or 1368 would be acceptable) via the VGA connection, to my Panny plasma TV. Will an ATI X300 video card support this? I have a chance to get a good deal on a PC with this card, but I'll pass if it won't work. Any advice is appreciated.

I'm interested in doing 1366 x 768 (although 1360 or 1368 would be acceptable) via the VGA connection, to my Panny plasma TV. Will an ATI X300 video card support this? I have a chance to get a good deal on a PC with this card, but I'll pass if it won't work. Any advice is appreciated.

the ATI's don't support 1366. They only support multiples of 8 in resolutions over both VGA and DVI.

the new nVidia cards can handle a 1366 resolution but only via DVI.

the ATI's don't support 1366. They only support multiples of 8 in resolutions over both VGA and DVI.

the new nVidia cards can handle a 1366 resolution but only via DVI.

Could you tell me how to setup 1366 on EVGA 6800 card with the latest Nforce drivers. Thanks.

Can't walk you through it as unfortunately I'm still on a 9800 Pro, but you should be able to adjust your resolution pixel by pixel in one of the advanced ares of the control panel if you are using DVI. My friend has his 50" plasma pixel perfect at 1366 over DVI and it's gorgeous. Maybe someone else can weigh in with buttonlogoy for you.

My 7900GT video card will output a 1368x768 resolution but it looks terrible on my Sony HS20 and the software sets it as a 1080i display type. I think the reason my TV and many others don't work properly at native resolution is because the EDID doesn't accept them (don't ask me why). So, the EDID sets the resolution as 1280x720 and when overscan is adjusted it ends up as 1176x664. The output looks good but of course it's much lower than it's native resolution.

So, even if you can output that resolution you should check to see if your TV supports it in the EDID.

Maybe someone else can weigh in with buttonlogoy for you.

Good phrase. I just did this for my 6600GT last night so it's reasonably fresh.

With the plasma selected as primary monitor, go into the Nvidia control panel and add a custom resolution of 1368x768.

In the advanced timings control panel you will need to enable flat panel scaling and then set the "back-end active" to 1365 or 1366 depending on you panel.

A picture of the panel is available here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7184461&highlight=1365+nvidia#post7184461

Good phrase. I just did this for my 6600GT last night so it's reasonably fresh.

I actually missed an 'o' in the spelling. It should be 'buttonology' :)

I really need to snag an nvidia card that can do 1366x768, but I'm holding out an an video card upgrades until I can get something from nvidia that supports HDCP...just in case.

I really need to snag an nvidia card that can do 1366x768, but I'm holding out an an video card upgrades until I can get something from nvidia that supports HDCP...just in case.

I was in the same boat as you, but the way things are going I figure it's going to be at least a year or so before the whole DRM/HDCP/Vista/BluRay/HDDVD/..... even begins to stabilize.

Given that you can get 6600GTs and 7600GSs relatively cheap right now I figured it was worth pulling the trigger now.

It's really strange how there are lots of projectors and plasmas with WXGA (1366 x 768) as the native resolution, but there don't seem to be a lot of video cards that do that resolution for PCs. What's even more strange is that there are plenty of laptops (like from Sony or Toshiba) that will do WXGA, so the reason doesn't appear to be a technical one. While I suppose it's cheaper to get a PC and perform some hack to get it to work at 1366x768, I'm wondering if I should just get a laptop that does it right out of the box, so I don't have to fool around any more than is neccesary.

There are tons of video cards that do 1366x768, every card on the market for the past 5 years can do it.

What people aren't understaning is it is the display makers that are imposing this limitation. The EDID value, the resolutions that the display will accept, is exchanged between the HDMI/DVI port on the display and the video card. Most of the time this value is HD resolutions only - 1080i/720p/480p, because this port is expected to be used for HD.

There are tons of video cards that do 1366x768, every card on the market for the past 5 years can do it.

What people aren't understaning is it is the display makers that are imposing this limitation. The EDID value, the resolutions that the display will accept, is exchanged between the HDMI/DVI port on the display and the video card. Most of the time this value is HD resolutions only - 1080i/720p/480p, because this port is expected to be used for HD.
I plan on using the VGA port on my Panny TH-50px500u. Are you saying that any video card (made in the past 5 years) should be able to do 1366 x 768 (without using powerstrip, or some other hack)?

I plan on using the VGA port on my Panny TH-50px500u. Are you saying that any video card (made in the past 5 years) should be able to do 1366 x 768 (without using powerstrip, or some other hack)?
He is right that many cards could support just about any WXGA resolutions that the display device indicates that it can support. However, the problem is that the older boards have no way to support resolutions (overscan and custom resolutions) that the display device does not support. I think the new boards and PowerStrip do some fudging in that they are really using a higher supported resolution than is desired and then by applying a large amount of overscan so that only the desired resolution is displayed on the screen (the rest will be off the screen area) but still use a large memory map but only enter data in the area to be displayed. As an example, if 1366x768 is desired and the only resolution that the display device supports are 1280x720 and 1920x1080, the board would use the 1920x1080 resolution and then create enough overscan to have the desired 1366x768 displayed on the screen. A 1920x1080 map is created but only the center 1366x768 will be used for displayed data. You'll notice that all custom resolutions above 1280x720 is always indicated as a 1080i resolution on the TV. It would have to use one of the defined resolutions from the display device since that is all the display device supports. I hope my assesment is correct.

There are tons of video cards that do 1366x768, every card on the market for the past 5 years can do it.

What people aren't understaning is it is the display makers that are imposing this limitation. The EDID value, the resolutions that the display will accept, is exchanged between the HDMI/DVI port on the display and the video card. Most of the time this value is HD resolutions only - 1080i/720p/480p, because this port is expected to be used for HD.
Yeah, this is my problem using the Sony HS20 TV. My 7900GT video card will output that resolution but the damn TV EDID doesn't support it. So, I'm only able to get 1368x768 after jumping through many hoops and then after a reboot it won't keep those settings. The problem with many display devices is the EDID, which I think is often blamed on the video card.

The problem with many display devices is the EDID, which I think is often blamed on the video card.

I'm new to the Nvidia control panel, but isn't there an "ignore EDID" data in it somewhere?

the ATI's don't support 1366. They only support multiples of 8 in resolutions over both VGA and DVI.

the new nVidia cards can handle a 1366 resolution but only via DVI.
Thanks for all your posts on the subject. What you have said is consistant with what I've seen in my testing. It seems like everytime I see a good buy on a PC (that would fit in my entertainment center), it never has an nVidia card.
:D

BTW, you wouldn't happen to know if the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 does 1366 x 768? I saw a good price on a Dell with that.
:confused:

unlikely, the drivers/capabilities of the intel onboard processors are a good ways behind both ati and nvidia. the solution may be to just drop a 6600GT (or better) in the pc yourself if you're looking to prebuilt

or another option would be to look at a smaller company like 2PartsFusion (i think that's their name, they advertise on htpcnews.com) to build you a pc

I'm new to the Nvidia control panel, but isn't there an "ignore EDID" data in it somewhere?
It can be ignored for many video drivers in Windows.

1) Go into Display Properties -> Settings, and then click on "Advanced...".

2) When the next dialog box comes up, select the Monitor tab, and then uncheck the box that says "Hide modes that this monitor can not display". (and of couse click on the "Apply" button).

3) Then click on the Adapter tab, and click on the "List All Modes" button.

I attached pictures for step 2 & 3.

There are tons of video cards that do 1366x768, every card on the market for the past 5 years can do it.

What people aren't understaning is it is the display makers that are imposing this limitation. The EDID value, the resolutions that the display will accept, is exchanged between the HDMI/DVI port on the display and the video card. Most of the time this value is HD resolutions only - 1080i/720p/480p, because this port is expected to be used for HD.

Actually the EDID value isn't normally the problem, that can be ignored by the driver. I came across this in the faq for powerstip while trying to get 1:1 mapping for a syntax olevia LCD (1366x768).

A common question among, e.g., plasma owners, is why horizontal timings cannot be specified in terms of individual pixels - i.e., why 848x480 instead of an optimal 852x480, or 1368x768 instead of the native 1366x768?

The reason is that graphics cards almost invariably do horizontal timing in terms of character clocks of 8 pixels, rather than in terms of individual pixels - a legacy of the original Motorola 6845 CRT controller. At the hardware register level, 848x480 is actually programmed as 106 character clocks x 480 lines - 106 characters of 8 pixels each equals 848 total pixels. Likewise, 1366 pixels isn't possible - the closest possible values are 1368 (171 character clocks) or 1360 (170 character clocks).

Hence a horizontal resolution that isn't evenly divisible by an 8 pixel character clock is not possible on display hardware that claims compatibility with VGA (and pre-VGA) standards. You either live with a couple of pixels of overscan, or settle for a couple of pixels blank border.

One exception to this horizontal timing rule is ATI new X1K and Matrox's Parhelia and P-series, which use pixels rather than character clocks to generate horizontal timings.

Another exception is the old Kyro 2 - still used on special purpose graphics cards from some manufacturers. The Kyro 3 is also capable of pixel-perfect resolutions at the hardware level, but the generic drivers do not allow this.

Also: for digital (not analog) timing, NVidia cards have always used individual pixels rather than character clocks of 8 pixels, even though effective changes have tended to be in character clocks anyway. Again: this only applies to DVI-D/HDMI, not analog VGA or DVI-A connections.

Brandon

It can be ignored for many video drivers in Windows.

1) Go into Display Properties -> Settings, and then click on "Advanced...".

2) When the next dialog box comes up, select the Monitor tab, and then uncheck the box that says "Hide modes that this monitor can not display". (and of couse click on the "Apply" button).

3) Then click on the Adapter tab, and click on the "List All Modes" button.

I attached pictures for step 2 & 3.
My problem with EDID isn't up to that point (which I can get to) but after. After I go to the "List all modes" and choose the 1386x768 @ 56Hz option (which is in there) I get a windowed (1024x768) output. I have to go back into the "GeForce 7900 GT" tab and under "Advanced Timings" then under the "Timing standard" dropdown I have to select either GMT, GTF or CTV to get a nice 1368x768 output. It looks just great. The problem comes after a reboot in which case I'm right back to a 1024x768 window.

Perhaps I'm attributing this to the EDID falsely but I can't think of what else could be causing the problem (as the EDID contains the 1024x768 setting). Maybe it's just coincidence but it's a tricky one.

Edit: Forgot to mention. This wouldnt' be a problem if I was able to just reapply the timings setting and be good to go, but the problem is whenever I switch to a game or any other app that uses a custom resolution setting it resets the whole shebang back to 1023x768. Well, that and the fact that games only detect the option to do 1024x768 and not the higher 1368x768. If it's not the damn EDID then what could be the cause?

mnn1265, have you tried adding the custom resolution in the Nvidia control panel as shown in the picture I linked to earlier in the thread?

I'm pretty sure for this to work you have to have the DVI connected panel as the primary display BTW.

Once you do that you should be able to get 1366x768 to your display, although you will need to actually select 1368x768 in the control panel.

mnn1265, have you tried adding the custom resolution in the Nvidia control panel as shown in the picture I linked to earlier in the thread?

I'm pretty sure for this to work you have to have the DVI connected panel as the primary display BTW.

Once you do that you should be able to get 1366x768 to your display, although you will need to actually select 1368x768 in the control panel.
Yes and thanks as that's how I actually managed to get the 1368x768 to display in the first place. As I mentioned though it only works if I change the timing selection in the timings drop down menu and then the setting doesn't keep.

The 1368x768 setting continues to be applied in the control panel the entire time whether it's a 1368x768 or a windowed 1024x768 output. Curiously though, when the 1368x768 is actually being displayed the TV shows it to be 1368x768 and when the 1024x768 is being displayed that's what it shows as the output.

It is the only (single) display connected via DVI.

Hmm. Got me stumped.

Thanks for getting me as far as you did... at least now I know how nice 1368x768 actually looks on my HS20. My guess is some smart person has figured out a way around this problem and hopefully I'll get it working eventually.

What I've been doing the last year or so is using "Video GRB" mode with a resolution of 1280x720 and then using the overscan compensation feature in the NVidia driver control panel. It looks fine and works well with games and such but unfortunatly only nets me a 1177x667 resolution. Under this mode NVidia recognizes the "Sony HS20" monitor driver.

Using the "Computer" setting I'm able to get the 1367x768 resolution to work but with the problems I've described (can't maintain the res after reboot etc.) and NVidia recognizes only a "Plug and play" monitor. I think that driver w/ the Sony EDID is probably causing the problem. I think I'll go dust-off powerstrip and see if I can make a custom monitor driver for it and see if that helps. Can't think of anything else to try at this point.

Thanks again for the help.

mnn1265:

If your monitor is being recognized as "Plus and play" then you are using automatic detection. This is bad. Never, never use autodetect. Here is the procedure to fix it:

1. Download the following file:

davemon.INF (http://chromasubs.com/Misc/davemon.INF)

Here's the comments from the first section of the INF:

; DAVEMON.INF
;
; This is a Setup information file for monitors
; supported in the Windows 98 product.
; It was hacked out of MONITOR6.INF
; I was annoyed that my plug & play monitor was only supported up to 1600x1200 after I discovered
; accidentally that it could display well over 1900x1200. I found this from the default driver
; but that only supported refresh rates of 60Hz.
;
; I decided to create my own "no limits" driver, which simply enables all the modes of my GeForce2Pro card.
;
;
; Copyright (c) 2002, David Pietromonaco


2. Go to your display properties.
3. Click Settings tab
4. Click Advanced button
5. Click Monitor tab
6. Now, find the check box beside "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display", and if there's a check in it, UNCHECK it.
7. Next, the first section at the top will say "Monitor Type". Click the Properties button.
8. In the window that appears, click the Driver tab
9. Click Update Driver
10. In the window that pops up, click "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)"
11. Now click Next
12. Now click the second radio button titled "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install."
13. Click Next
14. Uncheck "Show compatible hardware". When you do this, you'll see lots of manufacturers and models appear.
15. Click the Have Disk button.
16. In the window that pops up, click the Browse... button.
17. In the window that pops up, go to the location where you saved davemon.INF and select it, then click the Open button.
18. Now back at the previous window, click the OK button.
19. You will now be back at the "Hardware Update Wizard" window, in which a single Model will now be listed, namely "NoLimits monitor for GeForce2Ti/Pro/GTS". Click the name once to select it.
20. Click the Next button. A window will/may pop up warning you that the driver isn't signed. Click the Continue Anyway button.
21. Now click the Finish button.
22. Back at the previous window, click the Close button.
23. Back at the previous window, click the OK button.
24. And finally back at the Display Properties window, click the OK button.

OK, phase 1 complete. You have to OK all the windows before the new device's modelist will become active. Now we'll go back in there and see all the modes your adapter will do:

25. Go to your display properties.
26. Click Settings tab.
27. Click Advanced button.
28. Click the Adapter tab.
29. Click the List All Modes... button.

Now you can pick a mode to your heart's content. If you have an NVidia card, you can also create custom mod8 resolutions. If your have a DVI device, you may even be able to create non-mod8 ones. Remember though that DivX only does mod4 horizontal resolutions. This does not include 1366, unfortunately.

Isochroma, thanks for your help. Even though I had already created a custom .inf file for the HS20 in powerstrip (that allowed larger resolutions) I tried the DAVEMON.INF. It worked just fine except I ended-up with the same problem.... namely the 1368x768 or any higher resolution I attempted was displayed in a 1024x768 window that required me to pan with the mouse to see the rest of the desktop.

I just can't seem to get past the restrictions in the EDID of 1024x768 even with a driver that allows me to go higher.

Yes, there's a secondary limitation that is imposed at the hardware/driver level when connecting via DVI/HDMI. The recommendation is to do what I will do in 8 months time when the 37HL95 arrives: use VGA!

VGA will always work (apart from length limitations - VGA extender cables are available) and considering the low bandwidth of 60/72/75 Hz. 1368x768, the analog fuzziness should not be visible even with an extender.

Regarding extra length, I tested a 6' extension cable with my current 21" ViewSonic P220f monitor at a resolution of 1600x1200x88 Hz (bandwidth of 253.4 MHz), and noticed very very slightly less sharpness on close inspection (less than 1 foot) (total length ~12 ft. including the standard cable).

Now, using an LCD at 1368x768x60 Hz. gives us 94.6 Mhz., or 1/2.679th the bandwidth (37.3% of my test). This means any analog blurring should be absolutely invisible with 12' of VGA cable.

So long as your card has a DVI port that also outputs analog, you just plug in a cheap ($25) DVI->VGA adapter plug and away you go! Analog displays do send DDC info to the card, but modes are not enforced, ever.

One disadvantage is you will be SOL for HDCP, but it's unlikely your card/display both support it anyway.

Finally, after long reading of this forum, it is my opinion that DVI/HDMI are not a good idea for connecting computers to TVs. Not dissing the interfaces per se., but their implementations in TV-class devices tend to be very rigid and mode-limited. You may luck out and get a functional, pixel-perfect sync between your PC and such a device, but this is not likely to occur at the resolution you'd want.

In contrast, the flexible nature of VGA means devices that use a VGA-interface chip tend to support many resolutions and refreshes. Also, no video card on the market restricts output modes when connected via VGA, while almost all do thru DVI.

If you're lucky enough to own a Westinghouse or other model where the manufacturer has specifically made efforts to accomodate users, then you could get nice 1:1 1920x1080, etc. Such manufacturers can be counted on half the fingers of one hand, unfortunately.

For people with ATI cards, Catalyst 6.4 drivers are now out.
No, I haven't even downloaded them yet ;)

I have a ATI 9500 Pro with a Dell W2306C LCD display (1366x768 native resolution). Am I missing anything by having it set to 1360x768? It looks clear enough and I'm not dealing with any over and underscan (that I am aware of). It's currently running on VGA.

I've noticed though that the display will detect and correct overscan at startup only if whatever is displayed is reasonably bright. If the right area of the screen happens to be dark, it will detect the wrong area and chop off part of the image. You then need to tell it to detect again or cycle it to a component and back to VGA. Is this kind of thing normal? Not a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance.

I'm just curious if there's some untapped potential in that display that I'm not using because it's not set to 1366x768.

I own a Westinghouse 27w7 and also use 1360x768 even though the panel is listed as 1366x768 native. There is no underscan or overscan, so maybe it truely is 1360 pixels wide?

I think this entire thread is a good lesson to all. Only buy TVs with VGA inputs! It will save you hours of headaches!

thats the same conclusion i came to as well. i have a samsung 32" LNS3251D and i can only get 1x1 mapping on vga. 1280 gives me over scan, 1366 gives me horrible underscan, and messing with custom resolutions is a headache. my main issue with vga and my display is the sharpness and detail compaired to dvi>hdmi. vga seems washed and not as vibrant. right now im still trying to figure out if maybe going with an nvidia card (7600gs) will fix my problem. i hear some people say it can't be done with edid, and others say it can be in the nvdia drivers. i've picked up a few tips along the way, so i think i'll fire up my box tomorrow and give it a shot again.

mnn1265:

If your monitor is being recognized as "Plus and play" then you are using automatic detection. This is bad. Never, never use autodetect. Here is the procedure to fix it:

1. Download the following file:

davemon.INF (http://chromasubs.com/Misc/davemon.INF)

Here's the comments from the first section of the INF:

; DAVEMON.INF
;
; This is a Setup information file for monitors
; supported in the Windows 98 product.
; It was hacked out of MONITOR6.INF
; I was annoyed that my plug & play monitor was only supported up to 1600x1200 after I discovered
; accidentally that it could display well over 1900x1200. I found this from the default driver
; but that only supported refresh rates of 60Hz.
;
; I decided to create my own "no limits" driver, which simply enables all the modes of my GeForce2Pro card.
;
;
; Copyright (c) 2002, David Pietromonaco


2. Go to your display properties.
3. Click Settings tab
4. Click Advanced button
5. Click Monitor tab
6. Now, find the check box beside "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display", and if there's a check in it, UNCHECK it.
7. Next, the first section at the top will say "Monitor Type". Click the Properties button.
8. In the window that appears, click the Driver tab
9. Click Update Driver
10. In the window that pops up, click "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)"
11. Now click Next
12. Now click the second radio button titled "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install."
13. Click Next
14. Uncheck "Show compatible hardware". When you do this, you'll see lots of manufacturers and models appear.
15. Click the Have Disk button.
16. In the window that pops up, click the Browse... button.
17. In the window that pops up, go to the location where you saved davemon.INF and select it, then click the Open button.
18. Now back at the previous window, click the OK button.
19. You will now be back at the "Hardware Update Wizard" window, in which a single Model will now be listed, namely "NoLimits monitor for GeForce2Ti/Pro/GTS". Click the name once to select it.
20. Click the Next button. A window will/may pop up warning you that the driver isn't signed. Click the Continue Anyway button.
21. Now click the Finish button.
22. Back at the previous window, click the Close button.
23. Back at the previous window, click the OK button.
24. And finally back at the Display Properties window, click the OK button.

OK, phase 1 complete. You have to OK all the windows before the new device's modelist will become active. Now we'll go back in there and see all the modes your adapter will do:

25. Go to your display properties.
26. Click Settings tab.
27. Click Advanced button.
28. Click the Adapter tab.
29. Click the List All Modes... button.

Now you can pick a mode to your heart's content. If you have an NVidia card, you can also create custom mod8 resolutions. If your have a DVI device, you may even be able to create non-mod8 ones. Remember though that DivX only does mod4 horizontal resolutions. This does not include 1366, unfortunately.

I have loaded this and get many more options but NOT 1368x768. What do I need to do to achieve this? I'm using an ATI Radeon x850xt.

http://www.ati.com/products/radeonx850/specs.html

Looks like you may be SOL. You'll see a short (probably not complete) list of modes at the bottom of the page.

However, if you uninstall your current driver and use the one from this page, you might get more modes:

http://www.omegadrivers.net/ati.php

Uh-oh: "Then I started with playing around in the resolutions. My goal, 1:1 pixel mapping with 1366x768. I had an ATI X800GTO2, modded to X850XT PE, but sold it because people said it could not do 1368, plus I wanted the 6800GS with the rumored H.264 support."

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/printthread.php?t=609443&page=5&pp=30

maybe

http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33823629&goto=nextnewest


All I can say is try both the newest official Catalyst driver and the Omega. Be sure to completely uninstall all drivers before loading new ones. After installing a driver, run powerstrip and attempt to add 1368x768 & 1360x768. You will never get 1366; no nvidia or ati card can do non-mod8 horizontal resolution.

If all fails, sell your card on ebay and buy a cheap nvidia fx5200 like mine, nice fanless silent dx9c card does any custom resolution that's mod8.

Thanks for taking the time to provide the links. That's just sad!! I'll try as you suggest.

You will never get 1366; no nvidia or ati card can do non-mod8 horizontal resolution.

That's incorrect...the never nvidia video cards will allow 1366 over DVI. You will never get it over VGA. You can build the 1366 timing using the advanced panel in the nvidia control panel. However, many tv's EDID's will not spec 1366x768 as an accepted resolution so you have to override conformance with the EDID. Then the panel may have a native resolution of 1366x768, but the tv's internal electronics may not be able to process it so you'll be screwed anyways :)

oops, you are correct! I even knew that but forgot when I was posting.

Does anyone know if the new catalyst driver for ATI offers any hope? Even if I can get 1368x768 vs 1366, that's darn close to my monitor's resolution.

Hi all,

excellent threat!!!

I am currently building an HTPC which will display on an Infocus IN76 projector (720P - 1280x720) and a Pioneer plasma 436XDE (1024X768 - European Model). I was thinking of getting one of the nvidia 7900GT - probably the Asus one. This card has two dvi outputs.

As I understand the card can output 1280x720 for the projector which has a dvi input. Will this be true 1:1 pixel mapping for the projector?

What about the plasma? It has two hdmi inputs which probably can only be fed standard hdtv resolutions. So what resolution can i use with a dvi to hdmi cable as I can not use the plasma's native?
Is it better to use a vga connection to the plasma (through vga I can use the native resolution of the plasma).
If iIT s better to use a vga on the plasma then I must buy a video card which has one dvi and one vga output and this only happens on lower end cardS.

What do you think will be the best for me?

Windows assumes square pixels. Your plasma has 16:9 DAR and 1.333:1 PAR. So you must give it 1368x768 and rely on the internal scaler. If you feed it 1024x768, everything will be stretched horizontally.

The HDMI/DVI may accept 1280x720, so may the VGA. You'll have to research & experiment to find out more.

I have a eVGA 7900GT CO video card and yes they will (as will other newer NVidia cards) output just about any custom resolution your TV can handle. The real question is what will your TV accept via DVI/HDMI. I'd check the TV's EDID and see what's in the data tables.

I am sure my plasma only accepts standard HDTV resolutions through HDMI.

Isochroma can you expand more on square and rectangular pixels? PCs assume square pixels but the pioneer plasmas use rectangular ones. Does this mean I will never achieve 1:1 pixel mapping even through vga? Also please expand why you recommend 1368x768 over 1024x768? The plasma's native is 1024x768.

I am currently connected through vga at 1024x768 and the image is perfect.
How can I check if this is 1:1 pixel mapping?

If I get a card with two dvi outputs (nvidia GT7900) waht will happen to the image on the plasma if I use 1280x720?

Why do the plasma manufacturers use these very annoying resolutions? If they manufactureed the panels at 720p resolutions then everything would be perfect. I guess with the new 1080p panels 1:1 pixel mapping would be easier achieved.

Iscochroma if a panel's aspect ratio is different to the diplay's aspect ratio does it mean that you can never bypass the internal scaler which means you will never get true 1:1 pixel mapping?

If this is true then you can never get 1:1 pixel mapping with 1024x768 and 1280x768 panels. What happens with 1368x768 panels? They are very close but not exactly 16:9.

16/9= 1.77

1366/768= 1.77

Same ratio.

Sure you can get a 1:1 pixel mapping at 1024x768. The question is, would you want to? Remember, Windows can't "see" the shape of your screen; it sees an array of 1024x768 pixels, and assumes that each pixel is as wide as it is tall, ie. 1:1 PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio).

At 1:1 PAR, 1024x768 corresponds to a display having 4/3 width/height. But since your plasma (like all 42" HD plasmas except ALIS panels) is 1024x768 but has a DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) of 16:9, content will appear horizontally stretched by 33%. Windows Vista MAY fix this problem, and OSX MAY have non-square capabilities. I haven't done the research because I'm not willing to change my entire OS just to suit the display, but maybe you are.

The way around this is to send the display a 16:9 resolution. At 768 lines, this corresponds to 1366 (or 1368 if your card is using analog) columns. Windows will be happy, and your display will "squeeze" the 136x to 1024, then physically "stretch" those 1024 over its non-square pixels. Unfortunately, you will have to rely on the internal scaler, but there aren't many other choices.

Some video player programs allow custom aspect ratios, such as MPC does. However, their controls are limited and often don't function in an intuitive way. Unless you have software that will always be used for playback and you know can be used to correct the non-1:1 PAR, then just use the display's internal scaler.

Your text will never be sharp, but then again, it generally isn't so sharp on plasmas anyway. Images should look nice.

Isochroma,

thanks very much for your reply! Your knowledge is great on this subject and very useful to me!

So to make sure I understand correctly (it's different to what you are saying about 1368x768 so please correct me if I am wrong):

My plasma's internal scaler is used to change any input resolution to the panel's native resolution (1024x768). Then the plasma has another "machine" inside that stretches the image from 4:3 PAR to the 16:9 DAR.

If you give the panel a computer input of 1024x768 then the scaler is disabled, i.e 1:1 pixel mapping but this internal "machine" is used to change the image to 16:9.

If you give it 1368x768 wouldn't the scaler kick in and downscale the resolution to 1024x768 and then the internal "machine" will do the same as above?

Are the above correct? What I am really saying is that this internal machine is always there and changes the image from 4:3 to 16:9. I hope I am not confusing things....

You'll have to check your plasma's user manual to be sure how it will deal with different input resolutions. Most plasmas have a 'stretch' mode, which means it can stretch whatever input resolution you feed it to the display's entire width/height (ie. native resolution). Panasonics do. If you have an Nvidia video card, you can also adjust horizontal & vertical size/position through the display properties applet (position only) or via powerstrip (both & more). ATI should be able to do the same.

Hi all,

So taday I am planning to buy an ATI Radeon X1700. Will I have problem to get a resolution of 1366 x 768. I will get a Samsung LCD that has both HDMI and VGA Input.

Thanks

Samsung LCDs can be driven natively only via VGA and that only supports 1360 lines.

Hi,

Do you think that I will have a good picture via VGA.

THANKS

Yes.

newera,

1366x768 is not possible within the specifications of the VGA standard...you'll need to use either 1360x768 or 1368x768.

charris,

try using DVI/HDMI and sending 1280x720 to your tv....i think you'll like it (it should maintain correct aspect ratio and display quite nicely)

Hi,

Ok Thanks. I will definitely try all solutions and check which one will be better.

Thanks.

No, 1360x768 is definitely the better choice, because it is pixel perfect. With HDMI you get only 1280x720 which will not only be interpolated but also cropped at the edges.

Do I HAVE to go VGA to get 1366(1368) x 768 with my ATI Radeon? I tried loading the new catalyst drivers & it said to attach to RGB which I will not do. I'm using DVI from my 26" HP. Will I need to live with 1280x768? HP supports 1366 x 768. I sure would like to utilize all of it.

VGA is analog, so it supports any resolution you can throw at it. The mod8 horizontal limitation is due to video cards' DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) limitations.

Here is the explanation: Horizontal timing and pixel-perfect resolutions (http://entechtaiwan.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20). You will understand everything after reading it.

And if you don't mind a lower-performing PCI card, Pixel Perfect (http://www.pixels.uk.com/products/PixPerfect/PixelperfectK2P.htm) has the solution for you. It does all resolutions - including non-mod8 ones. Here's a reseller (http://www.pixels.uk.com/) in the UK.

for more that i try i cant be able to get 1280x720 or 1368x768, if i do it i cant see my desktop tollbars or system try icons, i have to leave 1176x664 to be able to see all my desktop icons

anyone have any trick for me?

TV = Sony KDF-55WF655
VideoCard = 6800 Ultra
DVI/HDMI

Read your manual (http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/documents/specifications/KDF55WF655.pdf) carefully. There are options for vertical size and horizontal fill modes. Combined with powerstrip on your PC, you can get pixel-perfect 1280x720 (the native resolution of your TV).

i read the manual like 20 times and i cant see nothing that can help me, can you please guide me, i really apreciate you help

thanks

VGA is analog, so it supports any resolution you can throw at it. The mod8 horizontal limitation is due to video cards' DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) limitations.

Here is the explanation: Horizontal timing and pixel-perfect resolutions (http://entechtaiwan.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20). You will understand everything after reading it.

And if you don't mind a lower-performing PCI card, Pixel Perfect (http://www.pixels.uk.com/products/PixPerfect/PixelperfectK2P.htm) has the solution for you. It does all resolutions - including non-mod8 ones. Here's a reseller (http://www.pixels.uk.com/) in the UK.

I understand being divisable by 8, so 1368x768 would seem possible vs 1366x768 which is darn close. If I were to load powerstrip, can I simply set it to 1368x768? Powerstrip offers so many options I don't understand, I'm reluctant to load it & screw myself up. I don't have the option of RGB on my HP 26" & I'm using DVI.

The ATI Radeon 850XT card I have is a powerful (and expensive) one. I would hate to give up on it. I wonder if I should just be content with the 1268x768 I currently have?

So to make sure I understand correctly (it's different to what you are saying about 1368x768 so please correct me if I am wrong):

My plasma's internal scaler is used to change any input resolution to the panel's native resolution (1024x768). Then the plasma has another "machine" inside that stretches the image from 4:3 PAR to the 16:9 DAR.

If you give the panel a computer input of 1024x768 then the scaler is disabled, i.e 1:1 pixel mapping but this internal "machine" is used to change the image to 16:9.

If you give it 1368x768 wouldn't the scaler kick in and downscale the resolution to 1024x768 and then the internal "machine" will do the same as above?
Interesting way of putting it. I have just bought an LG LP421D (http://au.lge.com/md/product/prodcategorylist.do?actType=detail&currPage=1&categoryId=1000000095&parentCategoryId=1000000091&categoryLevel=4&productId=1100000729) LCD display which promised 1366x768 res and to be "PC compatible".

Rather naively, I thought I would not have the problems set out in this thread. However over DVI I can only display 1024x768 (which looks brilliantly crisp but is stretched horizontally). Any atempt to go higher sees it run foul of EDID, and any attempt to disable EDID in the drivers and show 1368x768 (or 1360, or 1280...) results in a much smaller display (ie. black borders all round) with horrible vsync flicker.

Using VGA input I can get 1360x768 (or 1368) but it is not 1x1 pixel mapping - I can see antialiasing artefacts.

Is my TV not genuine 1366x768 after all? Is it only 1024x768? That would be a bummer.

With an NVidia card you should be able to do both 1360 and 1368. ATI can do at lease 1360. Set your panel to 1:1 pixel mapping and use 1368, it will clip one column from each side. If this doesn't work, use the driver control panel and the panel's width controls to adjust the width: in the case of 1368, there should be exactly 2 columns cropped from each side.

These pixelmatch images will allow you to see what's going on. DO NOT use Windows Picture & Fax Viewer, it crops the edges by 1 or more pixels in window and fullscreen mode. Use Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm) in fullscreen mode (be SURE to select in the Options menu, Properties, Fullscreen tab, then make sure first radiobutton is selected: "Show images/movies with the original size". You MUST set this option, because by default it will scale the image to screen size in fullscreen mode. Of course, that shouldn't matter because you MUST have your screen resolution set to the exact size of the image anyway.

The pixelmatch images are all black with resolution indicative text in the center. The outer edge has a 1-pixel red line, then inside that a 1-pixel black line, and inside that a 1-pixel green line. Showing 1368 on a 1366 monitor, the top & bottom should show both red and green lines. The right & left should show 1 black column, then a green column. Various sizes are available, to test different displays:

1280x720 (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Misc/PixelMatch-1280x720.png)
1360x768 (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Misc/PixelMatch-1360x768.png)
1368x768 (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Misc/PixelMatch-1368x768.png)
1920x1080 (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Misc/PixelMatch-1920x1080.png)

You will never get 1366 via VGA (unless you use a Pixel Perfect (http://www.16-by-9.com/s8product.htm) or Parhelia (http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=5/form_keyword=parhelia/rd=1/skd=1/) card, but you have to sacrifice some performance), because the RAMDACs on most cards only support mod8 horizontal resolutions. DVI can do this, but sadly most panels only support HDTV standard resolutions via DVI/HDMI (1280x720, 1920x540i, rarely 1920x1080p)

Thanks Isochroma

I'm happy to lose a pixel each side (on my Radeon 9200) - I can see what you describe when I connect via VGA - the antialiasing of small font text which I can see must be a Windows XP thing. So all is well using analog.

No joy at all via HDMI though. 1024x168 is the maximum. It seems such a peculiar limitation - why didn't I buy a TV with DVI instead of the latest model???

VGA is okay, mind you, but the image is very soft when compared with the sharpness of the HDMI connection.

i found one, ati radeon 9500 supports what i need.

What did you end up getting to work with your E55A20? I am now trying to get my HTPC connected to my new Sony and have not even been able to get it to work with 1280 x 720. I have the ATI Radeon 9800.

I recently purchased an HP 32" LCD TV (LC3260N) thinking that I would be able to connect it to my PC using an admittedly old nVidia TI4200 card using a DVI-HDMI cable. This TV has a native resolution of 1366x768. I have since struggled for days getting things working right. 1280x720 looks pretty good but there is significant overscan on all 4 sides, presumably due to the scaling algorithm. 1360x768 and 1368x768 both have a terrible flicker problem and are currently unusable.

I have read through this thread and it seems like I should be able to use 1368x768 with a 1 pixel overscan on each side, which would be fine. But I can't get the flicker to go away. After carefully reading through the manual, I have found that there are no instructions for how to connect a PC to the TV. In fact, there is a very troublesome statement that says:

"The HDMI connector does not support PC timing. If you connect a PC using the HDMI connector on the TV, the PC may not function properly."

Could this be true?? HP would sell an LCD TV that cannot be connected to a PC?? Or is there some way I can adjust the timing from the nVidia card so that the TV will accept it?

Also, I'm guessing that 1280x720 doesn't flicker because 720p is a standard number of lines of resolution vs. 768. 1280x720 looks great otherwise (though it's certainly not ideal). If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the 1280x720 resolution fit my screen properly with no overscan, that would be great too.

I recently purchased an HP 32" LCD TV (LC3260N) thinking that I would be able to connect it to my PC using an admittedly old nVidia TI4200 card using a DVI-HDMI cable. This TV has a native resolution of 1366x768. I have since struggled for days getting things working right. 1280x720 looks pretty good but there is significant overscan on all 4 sides, presumably due to the scaling algorithm. 1360x768 and 1368x768 both have a terrible flicker problem and are currently unusable.

I have read through this thread and it seems like I should be able to use 1368x768 with a 1 pixel overscan on each side, which would be fine. But I can't get the flicker to go away. After carefully reading through the manual, I have found that there are no instructions for how to connect a PC to the TV. In fact, there is a very troublesome statement that says:

"The HDMI connector does not support PC timing. If you connect a PC using the HDMI connector on the TV, the PC may not function properly."

Could this be true?? HP would sell an LCD TV that cannot be connected to a PC?? Or is there some way I can adjust the timing from the nVidia card so that the TV will accept it?

Also, I'm guessing that 1280x720 doesn't flicker because 720p is a standard number of lines of resolution vs. 768. 1280x720 looks great otherwise (though it's certainly not ideal). If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the 1280x720 resolution fit my screen properly with no overscan, that would be great too.Look in the Plasma and LCD forum. There is a long thread concerning the HP LCD TV's, with a detailed explanation on how to get 1368x768. You will have to use DVI instead of HDMI.

Oops, I just realized you had this year's model and it looks like they dropped the DVI that the LC3200N had. I'm glad I got the LC2600N while it was still available. I still would check the plasma/lcd forum -- you should get more people who own your model there than in the HTPC forum.

Good luck,
Murray

I recently purchased an HP 32" LCD TV (LC3260N) thinking that I would be able to connect it to my PC using an admittedly old nVidia TI4200 card using a DVI-HDMI cable. This TV has a native resolution of 1366x768. I have since struggled for days getting things working right. 1280x720 looks pretty good but there is significant overscan on all 4 sides, presumably due to the scaling algorithm. 1360x768 and 1368x768 both have a terrible flicker problem and are currently unusable.

I have read through this thread and it seems like I should be able to use 1368x768 with a 1 pixel overscan on each side, which would be fine. But I can't get the flicker to go away. After carefully reading through the manual, I have found that there are no instructions for how to connect a PC to the TV. In fact, there is a very troublesome statement that says:

"The HDMI connector does not support PC timing. If you connect a PC using the HDMI connector on the TV, the PC may not function properly."

Could this be true?? HP would sell an LCD TV that cannot be connected to a PC?? Or is there some way I can adjust the timing from the nVidia card so that the TV will accept it?

Also, I'm guessing that 1280x720 doesn't flicker because 720p is a standard number of lines of resolution vs. 768. 1280x720 looks great otherwise (though it's certainly not ideal). If anyone has any suggestions on how to make the 1280x720 resolution fit my screen properly with no overscan, that would be great too.
This is exactly my situation with my LG (read earlier post). Your choice is to use 1280x720 HDMI, reducing overscan as much as possible, or 1378x768 D-Sub. I chose the latter.

How would you guys rate the ATI X800 Mobility card for notebook PCs?

umm...decent laptop gaming card, but not going to be able to do 1366x768 (none of the ATI cards really can)

Nvidia cards will do 1360x768 and 1368x768, but Radeons only do 1360x768, so you'll always be underscanning by 6 for pixel-perfect. The Nvidia cards allow the 2-pixel overscan resolution of 1368, which I plan to use.

My Radeon 9600XT works fine at 1366x768 connected via DVI to my Panasonic TH-50PHD6UY, overscanned by 2 pixels of course.

My Radeon 9600XT works fine at 1366x768 connected via DVI to my Panasonic TH-50PHD6UY, overscanned by 2 pixels of course.

So 9600XT will do 1368x768 res?

I should have been more specific: my post above referred to VGA output, not DVI/HDMI. Most LCD TVs use HDMI rather than DVI, and many of both types won't take native resolution but only HDTV standards (1280x720 and 1920x540i). Thus VGA is the only option for many if they want to achieve native resolution.

Thanks for clearing that up.

I own a Rear Projection CRT HDTV that support 720p or 1080i. I take it 1280x720 thru DVI is probably my best option?

The VGA standard doesn't allow for anything other than multiples of 8.

Soulstace...1280x720 will be easiest and it will look very good, you'll have to check the native resolution of the screen though to determine what you'll need to use for pixel perfect, and then you have to hope that you tv can process that resolution

Good point. Only I have no idea what my CRT native resolution is. lol. All I know is it does 480p/720p/1080i. Would that make it 1080i it native res? Also, it was my understanding that CRT displays were not fixed-pixel displays, but are capable of various output resolutions.

@Naylia: The VGA standard does allow for for non-mod8 resolutions. It is analog, so there are no inherent limitations for the interface per se.

You are referring to a limitation on one of the first graphics cards to support it, the "...original Motorola 6845 CRT controller (http://entechtaiwan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20)".

If you're willing to give up performance, you can buy a Pixel Perfect (http://www.pixels.uk.com/products/PixPerfect/PixelperfectK2P.htm) card which supports 1366x768 (and many other custom resolutions) through VGA.

Here is the explanation:
URL You will understand everything after reading it.

And if you don't mind a lower-performing PCI card, PixelPerfect has the solution for you. It does all resolutions - including non-mod8 ones. Here's a reseller in the UK.

So after reading his post.. Ati X1K is the way to go? Seems to me like he claims you'll get the desired resolution 1366x768 with such a card? Simple as that?

Or am I wrong. :-)

@Naylia: The VGA standard does allow for for non-mod8 resolutions. It is analog, so there are no inherent limitations for the interface per se.

You are referring to a limitation on one of the first graphics cards to support it, the "...original Motorola 6845 CRT controller (http://entechtaiwan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20)".

If you're willing to give up performance, you can buy a Pixel Perfect (http://www.pixels.uk.com/products/PixPerfect/PixelperfectK2P.htm) card which supports 1366x768 (and many other custom resolutions) through VGA.

My bad...none of the consumer grade ATI or Nvidia cards will support non-mod8 over VGA. Nvidia cards do support non-mod8 over DVI, is a more accurate statement.

. I think I'll go dust-off powerstrip and see if I can make a custom monitor driver for it and see if that helps. Can't think of anything else to try at this point.

Bingo.......PowerStrip is the solution. It enforces the custom driver to either NVidia or ATI cards after reboot. You can also tie PS to program launches like games who try to change rez, etc. One of the keys in PowerStrip is its ability to bypass the EDID by uncapping the driver resolution max...and keeping this enforcement. For the VPLHS20 (which I have and looks fabulous via DVI) the key is the 56Hz timing. Most LCD TVs have 1368x768 glass.....next gen is true 1920x1080. I know this because I work for LG.Philips LCD. The problem is the refresh rates have typically been 60Hz for all VESA rezs....except 800x600 so a 1368x768 56Hz rez is not a truly supported rez by PC industry......remember they are focused on games/graphics...not video. I personally have a ATI 9600XT and have tried to get around using Powerstrip but it is the only stable solution that sits on top of NVidia and ATI drivers to solve this resolutions problem. The options are simple.....use HDMI, Component, etc. and feed a 720P signal and deal with overscan or run a 1:1 DVI-DVI connection and use PowerStrip.

Note, in PS to UNCAP (key step) the drivers (EDID limit) you need to use the button in Advanced Timings section that looks like a Monitor by the rez bar. Hit this button and PS will tell you it will attempt to uncap your driver limit and reboot. If you are one of the many still seeing a panned whatever rez thru your 1024x768/EDID limit you missed this step. I recommend going to PowerStrip forum for help.

There are slews of threads on many forums on this subject:
http://entechtaiwan.net/forums/index.php
http://www.stevenhightower.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl
http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=399048

My bad...none of the consumer grade ATI or Nvidia cards will support non-mod8 over VGA. Nvidia cards do support non-mod8 over DVI, is a more accurate statement.
The above is very correct. The question I have to all the posting folks is if you are driving DVI-DVI do you care about the 2 pixel drop of 1366 if your ATI anyway ? I would argue the overscan of 720P running a HDMI or Component connection is far-far worse. Don't sweat the small stuff....IMHO.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Not that anybody asked but since obviously the posters on this thread are using a PJ with HTPC I assume like me you are using DVD playback. If so, I highly recommend the best HTPC DVD player TheaterTek (www.theatertek.com). This is a HTPC professional grade player and BTW uses NVidia decoders so if you have NVidia card even better. The PJ difference using TT on playback versus the others meant for standard PC DVD playback is dramatic...check it out.

I actually have no overscan issues when feeding 720p via HDMI with my LCD. I do however have noticeable artifacting of fine text due to the upscaling my tv does. Sometimes the line that makes up part of a letter will be double wide. But I really need to go back and play with powerstrip some more.

Hi all,
I am desperate for a solution:

I have a 40'' Fujitsu-Siemens Myrica V40-1 LCD TV and a Toshiba Tecra M4 laptop. I cannot set the output signal to 1366x768! :(

The Toshiba support sent me the resolutions that are supported by my video card (GeForce Go 6600) and they include 1280x800 and 1440x900 (this resolution I use in my daily work on a 19'' wide LCD monitor).

I know all the latest desktop videocards do support the 1366x768 resolution, but do the mobile cards do and if yes, which ones do?

I have tried using PowerStrip to no avail (although I am no expert in PStrip and may not know all the configurations).

Please help! Or at least point me in the right direction!

Thanks.

P.S. The same question (how to set the 1366x768 resolution on the TV from a laptop) concerns Toshiba Tecra M3, M5, Portege M200, M400 and a Dell Latitude X300 (these are the laptops used in our company).

When you say you are unable to set the resolution, do you mean that you can't select it in Windows? Or that the display doesn't show it?

Before you reply, download this file (davemon.INF (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Software/davemon.INF)) it is only a few kb.

...how to set the 1366x768 resolution on the TV from a laptopI think it would be a good idea to start with a resolution divisible by 4, hence 1364 or 1368.

Diogen.

Actually it would be a good idea to start with a resolution divisible by 8, since all ATI/Nvidia cards use mod8 horizontal resolutions (on VGA anyway). This means 1360x768 or 1368x768. Be glad also that your Tecra doesn't use ATi, because their cards will only do 1368, not 1360.

2 Isochroma: I am unable to select the required resolution in Windows. I downloaded the file, seems to be some kind of a manually created driver... where do I put it? And what else should I do to enable the native (or close to it) TV reso? A step-by-step guide would be greatly appreciated :rolleyes:

2 Diogen: what do you mean "start with the 1364 resolution"? How can I fine-tune the reso that much? Now I can choose 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024 and then - 1400x1050. Nothing in between.

Thanks for your input guys :)

These instructions allow you to unlimit your monitor, which means that you will be able to both see and select all resolutions/refresh rates your video card is capable of. Also provided are Nvidia-specific instructions on how to create and set custom refresh rates with 1-Hz. granularity, and how to shift the screen horizontally/vertically, without Powerstrip.

The davemon.INF file will unlimit your resolutions and refresh rates to allow all modes up to 2048x1536 at 240Hz refresh rate. For modes above these you will have to edit davemon.INF (it is just a text file).

The following instructions 0-33 apply to both ATi and Nvidia cards running under Windows XP.

0. Download the davemon.INF (http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Software/davemon.INF) file to a convenient location on your machine.

1. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display OR right-click on the desktop and from the context menu select "Properties"
2. "Settings" tab
3. If you have only one monitor, you can skip to the next step. If you have more than one monitor, the top area of this window will show them. Click once on the monitor you want to change the driver for; a dark-blue rectangle around it will indicate which one is selected. The following steps will replace the driver for ONLY THIS MONITOR. You need to re-do these steps for each monitor you wish to unlimit.
4. "Advanced" button
5. "Monitor" tab
6. "Properties" button
7. "Driver" tab (new window)
8. "Update Driver" button
9. Select the second radio-box "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)"
10. Click the "Next" button
11. Select the second radio-box "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install."
12. Click the "Next" button
13. Uncheck "Show compatible hardware" checkbox
14. Click "Have Disk..." button
15. Click "Browse..." button
16. In the window that pops up, go to the location that you saved "davemon.INF" NOTE: do NOT rename this file!
17. Select the file and click "Open"
18. Now you're back at the previous window, click "OK"
19. Now you're back at the previous window, you should see one item in the list "NoLimits monitor for GeForce2Ti/Pro/GTS". It is a generic .INF driver file, so don't worry about the GeForce references. Click the "Next" button. You may at this point see a warning about the driver file being unsigned. Click "Proceed anyway".
20. Click "Finish"
21. Now you're back at the previous window, click the "Close" button
22. Now you're back at the previous window, UNCHECK the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" check-box.
23. Click "OK"
24. Now you're back at the previous window. Click "OK"
25. You're done with phase 1! Pat youself on the back.

Did you notice how many alternate "non-default" choices had to be made, to bypass all the Windows hand-holding that would otherwise prevent you from seeing the total function of your video card? Now, on to the fun part:

26. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display OR right-click on the desktop and from the context menu select "Properties"
27. "Settings" tab
28. If you have only one monitor, you can skip to the next step. If you have more than one monitor, the top area of this window will show them. Click once on the monitor you want to set a new resolution/refresh rate mode for; a dark-blue rectangle around it will indicate which one is selected. The following steps will change the resolution/refresh rates for ONLY THIS MONITOR.
29. "Advanced" button
30. "Adapter" tab
31. "List All Modes..." button.
32. You will now see a list of all modes your adapter is capable of. Select the mode you want and hit OK.

33. Click the "Apply" button. Some may be incompatible with your monitor. If a particular mode doesn't work and you get a black screen, don't panic! Wait 15 seconds and Windows will restore the previous mode.

Note 1: If you have an ATi adapter, note that despite selecting certain refresh rates, the adapter may not display above a certain value; this is because there's a secondary limitation in the ATi driver. You have to use the custom ATi control panel (varies) to select the monitor properties and specify a higher max refresh rate. Even this doesn't work sometimes. Nvidia doesn't have this issue.

Note 2: ATi card users can shift/resize their screens from the ATi control panel, located in the window which pops up after clicking the "Advanced" button of the "Display Properties" window's "Settings" tab.

Note 3: You can create custom refresh rates with a granularity of 1 Hz. and also shift the screen by small increments, without PowerStrip, if you have an Nvidia adapter.

To create custom refresh rates (Nvidia cards only):

1. You must have an 80- or 90- series Nvidia driver (not the Microsoft default one).
2. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display OR right-click on the desktop and from the context menu select "Properties"
3. "Settings" tab
4. If you have only one monitor, you can skip to the next step. If you have more than one monitor, the top area of this window will show them. Click once on the monitor you want to set a new resolution/refresh rate mode for; a dark-blue rectangle around it will indicate which one is selected. The following steps will create custom refresh rates for ONLY THIS MONITOR.
5. "Advanced" button
6. There will be an extra tab in this window, with the name of your adapter and an Nvidia icon. Mine says "GeForce FX 5200". Click this tab.
7. In the white extra pane that pops up on the left side of the window, click "Screen Resolutions & Refresh Rates". If you don't see this pane, there is a small green button with a left-pointing triangle. Clicking this button will cause the pane to show.
8. In the "Custom resolutions and refresh rates" section of the main window, Click the "Add" button.
9. A new window pops up. You can define custom Width/Height resolutions here. Remember: Width and Height must both be EVEN, and if your monitor is connected via VGA, "Width" must be evenly divisible by 8.
10. You can enter any integer for "Screen refresh rate", but if you enter less than 60, the adapter will always interlace the output.
11. When you're done, click the "Add" button.
12. A window will pop up saying "The custom resolution has been added successfully." Click "OK"
13. Click "OK" on the previous window.
14. Click OK on the previous window.
15. Click OK on the previous window. Now you're back at the desktop.

At this point I'd like to point out that you must "OK" all the windows to make the new modes effective, then go back in and select them from Step 26. This is because new modes aren't added to the list until the final window is "OK'd". Otherwise they won't show up.

To shift your screen (Nvidia cards only):

1. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display
2. "Settings" tab
3. If you have only one monitor, you can skip to the next step. If you have more than one monitor, the top area of this window will show them. Click once on the monitor you want to shift; a dark-blue rectangle around it will indicate which one is selected. The following steps will change horizontal/vertical shift for ONLY THIS MONITOR.
4. "Advanced" button
5. There will be an extra tab in this window, with the name of your adapter and an Nvidia icon. Mine says "GeForce FX 5200". Click this tab.
6. In the white extra pane that pops up on the left side of the window, click "nView Display Settings". If you don't see this pane, there is a small green button with a left-pointing triangle. Clicking this button will cause the pane to show.
7. Click "Device Settings >>" button.
8. Select "Device Adjustments..." menu-item.
9. In the new window that pops up, the four green arrows let you shift the screen in their respective directions. When done, click "OK".
10. Click "OK" on the previous window.
11. Click "OK" on the previous window.

Despite Windows' worst intentions, you have now overridden all 'safety' defaults and taken control of your adapter's operation. Congratulations!

For future reference, these instructions and the davemon.INF file will always be here:

http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Software/monitor-driver-howto.txt

http://isochroma.com/Testfiles/Software/davemon.INF

Wow, that's quite a guide :)

Anyway, I was able to unlock all the modes my adapter can display and yes, the 1366(nor 1364, 1360, 1368)x768 is not available :(

I realized that my graphics driver is quite old - 71.44. But that is the one the toshiba support page provides as the latest driver. I tried to download a newer version of the driver (91.45) from laptopvideo2go but once the installation is stated it stops immediately stating "The NVIDIA Setup program could not locate any drivers that are compatible with your current hardware. Setup will now exit". As if that driver is not compatible with my video card. Any suggestions?

You can manually install a newer driver.

0. Download the latest Nvidia driver (actually I prefer the 81.xx series). Get it here (http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp).

1. You must have the WinRAR archiver installed. If you don't, download it free here (http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm).

2. After installing WinRAR, right-click on the Nvidia driver file you downloaded. In the context menu you should see a WinRAR item. In the WinRAR submenu, select "Extract to (directory name)". This will extract the files in the package to a folder in the same location.

3. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display

4. Settings tab

5. Advanced button

6. Adapter tab

7. Properties button

8. Driver tab

9. Update Driver button

10. Choose the "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" radio-box, then click the Next button.

11. Select the "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install." radio-box, then click the Next button.

12. Uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" check-box, then click the "Have Disk..." button.

13. A window pops up. Click the "Browse..." button

14. Another window pops up. Go to the location you saved the Nvidia driver file. There will be a folder in that area with the same name as the saved driver file. Open that folder. Inside, you will see some .inf files. Select the best-looking one and click the Open button.

15. Back at the previous window, Click the OK button.

16. Back at the previous window, you should see an adapter listed. You may have to re-uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" check-box, but it might be easier to just keep it checked. If you don't see anything, the hardware is incompatible.

17. Click the Next button. You may get warnings, but click Proceed anyway.

18. Click the OK button on all following windows, and reboot the machine.

19. Follow steps 1-8 again, except this time, check the "Driver Version:" line in the Driver tab. It should now say whatever version you downloaded, rather than the previous.

20. Done!

I'm interested in doing 1366 x 768 (although 1360 or 1368 would be acceptable) via the VGA connection, to my Panny plasma TV. Will an ATI X300 video card support this? I have a chance to get a good deal on a PC with this card, but I'll pass if it won't work. Any advice is appreciated.

My dell came with an X300 and it works great on my Maxent at 1366 x 768.

OK, I have downloaded the 81.26 driver, installed it and forced my graphics card to think that it is GF 6600, not GF Go 6600 :)
After that I was able to create a custom resolution and later tried it on the TV. Everything worked perfectly!
Later I had some issues with changing to another external monitor (my work monitor), but I rolled the driver back and the custom resolution I created still remained. So I think for now I am all good. I will be trying to get this to work with our other laptops. Thank you Isochroma, you have done what Toshiba support said was impossible :) Thanks a lot!!

OK, make my day (or ruin it depending on your answer)

Panasonic TH-50PX60U (1366(H) x 768(V))

ATI x700Pro with HDTV "dongle" (outputs component)

Exactly how should i set this card up for the best image on the panny plasma

(which drivers, what settings, how to achieve them)


second question:
if i buy a new video card, which one should i get (only use will be driving the panny for movies)

help a middle age guy achieve his home theater dreams.....

@rooban: Oops, I didn't realize that you had a mobile chipset. On the Nvidia driver download page you can get the Go series driver. Try that one and see if it works properly...

@heartsurgeon: I'll try not to break your heart, but no promises... ATi cards don't do 1360x from analog outputs, so you should aim for 1368x. Follow unlimiting instructions (davemon.INF) so you can see all your modes, and try from there. PowerStrip is also a good idea.

OK, well i read the manual for the panny plasma (60U), and have come to the following conclusions based on the manual.

the plasma is set up to accept either component or hdmi inputs only in specific formats.

hdmi input must be either 720p, 1080i or 1080p

according to the manual all inputs are then scaled to "fit" the screen. it appears that pixel matched video inputs are not guaranteed to be accepted (indeed it sounds like they won't be accepted).

can i assume that if i get an dvi-hdmi cable, and run my vid card output at 720P or 1080i/p the signal will be accepted by the plasma?

it appears that component inputs are limited to no better than 1080i input...

it appears the panny 600u plasma (which costs significantly more) will accept VGA input at native resolution, but not this model.

any comments? i'm thinking of getting a dvi-hdmi cable, and outputing 720p, 1080i and 1080p standard resolutions, and seeing which one "looks" the best on this screen.

You'll just have to test and see.

Can I ask why this seemingly odd resolution was created in the first place?

This thread is a great example of why we (HTPC crowd) should thank our lucky stars for true 1080p displays....they just freakin' work.

Why all these panel manf. bothered with 1366x768 instead of at least sticking to 1280x720 is beyond me.

Can I ask why this seemingly odd resolution was created in the first place?

This is just a hunch. XGA was 1024 x 768 and 4:3 in aspect ratio. To get those vertical 768 pixels into a 16:9 screen, 1366 (or 1360) horizontal pixels would be required. This would then be considered the widescreen extension of XGA. When people refer to this as WXGA, I can see why. However, some people have taken 1280 x 720 to be WXGA as well adding to more confusion.

Actually it would be a good idea to start with a resolution divisible by 8, since all ATI/Nvidia cards use mod8 horizontal resolutions (on VGA anyway). This means 1360x768 or 1368x768. Be glad also that your Tecra doesn't use ATi, because their cards will only do 1368, not 1360.

I have a ATI Radeon 9100 with VGA & DVI out, but I cannot get 1368x768. All I can do is 1360x768. I've done a customer driver by PS for my Sharp 37G2H with max 1368x768, but I still cannot choose it in Windows or PS resolution setting. I have seen in other posts saying that ATI only supports 1360 but not 1368 :confused:

I'm currently using VGA, cause I screwed up the DVI-I (digital-out) when I tried to connect the pc straight to the panel bypassing the avc box. The amazing thing is the DVI-I analog out is still working!!

Any good guides on using PS? Thanks.

Hi Guys!

I´ve only registered to this forum to post this settings to you!

It´s about the Myrica V40-1 from Fujitsu.

I tried out to display the native resolution with several graphiccards.
But only a Geforce 6200 with PCI-Express bus and a Quadro (dont know the model) with PCI-Express worked. You have to install the newest nvidia driver and then
1. goto the screensettings
2. add a new custom resolution: 1368x768 by 62Hz (it may work other frequenzies, but i didnt tried out)
3. switch to this solution
4. The screen may flicker, but you can imagine or use the magnifier
5. click on the timing button and write the timings shown at the image which i attached.
6. now it should work!

If you cant see the timing button under 5. then your video card cannot do the custom resolution on dvi. perhaps it works with vga.

This guide is only for nvidia cards. it works under windows 2000 and windows XP.

Have fun!


P.S.: For non registered users, here are the settings:
Horizontal:
front porch 104; back porch 176; sync width 144; sync polarity +; Frontend active/Backend active 1368;

Vertical:
front porch 4; back porch 32; sync width 3; frequenzy 61,999; Frontend/Backend active 768

I am trying to get my nvidia FX5500 to accept the 1368x768 settings, but I get a popup box that says "The custom resolution cannot be added." I have tried to add other custom settings, but it will not work. I have added the davemon.inf driver for my HP 3200 and have the 81 series nvidia drivers. I also do not get the advanced timing box for the HP, but it does show for my CRT (secondary monitor on the nvidia card). I dont want to use Powerstrip because it sound like trouble.

I know other people have used this card or similar, so what am I doing wrong?

No idea why it isn't working, but all GeForce cards can do mod8 horizontal custom resolutions. My AGP FX5200 is running at 1368x768 for each nite's LCD entertainment :)

I'd suggest uninstalling the driver and trying their new 90-series one. I'm running 8.4.2.1 (aka. 84.21).

I also have the Nvidia FX 5500 card. It will not allow me to add 1366x768 res. It responds with: the custom resolution input is invalid. I am using the 84.21 drivers. The custom res also does not have the advanced timing box. I am using the DVI output.

Now why would the Nvidia drivers not allow a custom res of 1366x768? It will allow me to add 1368 and 1360, but not 1366. Strange?! I thought all Nvidia cards allowed *any* resolution via DVI. Any suggestions?

If you re-read the davemon.INF instructions, you'll note that for analog outputs (like VGA), the horizontal resolution must be evenly divisible by 8. This means no 1366! Only 1360, 1368 will work. If you are using DVI/HDMI, the mod8 rule may not apply.

If you re-read the davemon.INF instructions, you'll note that for analog outputs (like VGA), the horizontal resolution must be evenly divisible by 8. This means no 1366! Only 1360, 1368 will work. If you are using DVI/HDMI, the mod8 rule may not apply.

That's why I'm so confused and surprised that the control panel will not allow me to add 1366. I am not using the VGA port - I'm using the DVI port. In fact, the card that I'm using (e-GeForce FX 5500 nVidia) does not even have a VGA port on it.

Any ideas then? It looks like I'm not the only one with this problem.

Maybe you didn't know, but all modern video cards have DVI-I outputs. Your DVI cable likely also has the extra wires. DVI-I carries VGA as well as digital (http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html). Your display may be connecting using the analog.

Check that your cable is a DVI-D only, not DVI-I. You may have to buy a DVD-D cable to test this.

well, i can report that i have a very nice image, with absolutely no over or underscan, on my htpc driven Panasonic plasma.

the way i did it is not what i would have imagined, but i gues that's what htpc is all about..theory mugged by reality (neo-con theory of home theater..but i digress)

i have a x700pro radeon, fairly recent drivers (can't vouch they are the absolute most recent upgrade)

dvi-hdmi cable as output from video card to input of plasma.

only setting the vid card to 720P output resulted in a picture being seen on the plasma. there was very modest overscan, really quite minimal.

however, that small amount bugged me, and under the catalyst control center, there appeared a pull down menu for creating a custom resolution. the custom resolution was created in the menu through a control panel that allowed you to shrink/stretch the image in both horizontal and vertical axis. By adjusting the image until there was no over/underscan, i "created" a custom resolution that fit the plasma perfectly...and it was a really weird resolution 1248X700...

alll i can say is, look good, no overscan/underscan...i'm am worn out trying to get it to look any better/perfect.

1080p/1080i do not work, and 1360x768 doesn't work either.

i believe my work is done unless someone else has a better suggestion.

Maybe you didn't know, but all modern video cards have DVI-I outputs. Your DVI cable likely also has the extra wires. DVI-I carries VGA as well as digital (http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html). Your display may be connecting using the analog.

Check that your cable is a DVI-D only, not DVI-I. You may have to buy a DVD-D cable to test this.

I appreciate your advice. I'm definitely using a DVI-D single link cable. To be specific it is a DVI-D -> HDMI cable. Now the HDMI input may end up being the limiting factor in displaying the native resolution of 1366x768 (Vizio GV42L display). But the nVidia control panel should be able to allow a custom res of 1366 and I can't suss out why it won't allow it.

The nvidia 5500 card has been reported in this thread to allow 1366x768 res:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7323512&&#post7323512

So why won't mine (or another poster above)?

I'd like to at least be able to get to the point where I'm outputting a 1366x768 signal and confirm that my display doesn't display it correctly - or hopefully it does.

Any other suggestions?

Hrm I just picked up a standard VGA cable and hooked it up to my DVI output via an adapter and connected it to the display's VGA input. The nVidia control panel *still* won't allow me to input 1366. It did allow me to input 1368 though. When I do so I get the display's native resolution! The display reports it is receiving a 1366 signal and the picture looks perfect (for VGA). Definately not as sharp as a digital signal though.

I'd love to figure out how to get native res via DVI...

I am using custom timings of an Nvidia 6600GT to get 1:1 pixel to a 1366x768 lcd 40" tv. However, this seems to work only at 66Hz framerate. When I change to another timing in custom timings, the picture is all noise.

Anyone got a solution for (ideally) 1:1 pixel @ 60, 72 and 75 Hz? My lcd manual state that it will do 57-75Hz refresh rates, but it never mentions 1:1 pixel or what interface this is, so no luck there.

-k

wow, lots of people with my problem (i started this thread :cool: ). i tried using another laptop with hdmi out and using these guy's modified nvida driver and im getting closer: www.laptopvideo2go.com

question. i can get 1368x768 now but it looks interlaced i.e. flicker. what settings should i use to get it to stop flickering? i don't know how to use those advanced timing settings. should i drop the frame rate in half some how and lower the refresh rate too? any one know what i should change? i'm happy that at least i know now that my tv doesn't have a hdmi resolution lock on it, now if i can just get the flicker to go away i will be all set!

I just started following this thread since I saw yesterday that WalMart has various 26" and 32" LCD HDTV's in the $500-700 range and thought I might pick one up for the next time my projector bulb fails.

But I have a question on these pixel perfect mappings to fixed pixel displays. Since these displays have a fixed number of discrete pixels (fixed location little squares) on them, is there "hard overscan"?

That is, are some of those fixed pixels hidden behind the plastic screen borders? It seems if they are designed for TV with overscan the max 1366x768 might be partially hidden and that would change how many visible pixels I'd want to plan for with a computer desktop, assuming I wade through Powerstrip and figure it out again (haven't used it for a couple years).

Anybody measure this somehow? I scanned this thread and didn't notice any discussion on it.

- Tom

heartsurgeon, I've got a Panasonic 50" plasma (1366x768 resolution) hooked up via HDMI to my Media Center 2005 PC (ATI Radeon X1600Pro card) and had the same problems. I, too, ended up needing to feed it that same weird resolution (1248x700).

It fills the screen perfectly (minimal underscan/overscan) for the Windows desktop and MCE interface, but when I watch a DVD I'm seeing a black border on the right/left, so it looks like I need it to overscan the DVD playback and it's not. Have you had the same experience and, if so, were you able to fix it?

well, i can report that i have a very nice image, with absolutely no over or underscan, on my htpc driven Panasonic plasma.

the way i did it is not what i would have imagined, but i gues that's what htpc is all about..theory mugged by reality (neo-con theory of home theater..but i digress)

i have a x700pro radeon, fairly recent drivers (can't vouch they are the absolute most recent upgrade)

dvi-hdmi cable as output from video card to input of plasma.

only setting the vid card to 720P output resulted in a picture being seen on the plasma. there was very modest overscan, really quite minimal.

however, that small amount bugged me, and under the catalyst control center, there appeared a pull down menu for creating a custom resolution. the custom resolution was created in the menu through a control panel that allowed you to shrink/stretch the image in both horizontal and vertical axis. By adjusting the image until there was no over/underscan, i "created" a custom resolution that fit the plasma perfectly...and it was a really weird resolution 1248X700...

alll i can say is, look good, no overscan/underscan...i'm am worn out trying to get it to look any better/perfect.

1080p/1080i do not work, and 1360x768 doesn't work either.

i believe my work is done unless someone else has a better suggestion.
Just sharing info. The main writer in the thread below uses an ATI X1950XTX and claims 1366x768 works fine. His pictures seem to bear that out.

TH50PHD7UY and TH50PH9UK - Japanese HDs & Blu-Ray HD Movies PICS

jupiterwing, I think you left out the link to the thread you referred to.

Sorry for not commenting back here sooner...the underscan I thought I was experiencing was my own fault. I was testing with a movie with an aspect ratio wider than 1.78:1 on my 16:9 Panny plasma and didn't have the zoom enabled. So the black borders on the left/right were due to me not having zoom enabled, and the black on the top/bottom was due to the movie's wider aspect ratio. Once I enabled zoom, everything looked good. FWIW, I used a 1080i-based custom resolution to eek out some added resolution (because of the Panny's higher-than-720p 1366x768 resolution).

PQ looked good, and I liked having the all-in-one Media Center experience. Unfortunately, I was experiencing some pausing/stuttering (whatever you might call it) when watching DVDs. When Toshiba dropped the price of their entry-level HD DVD player, I decided to bite. I'd still prefer to have an all-in-one solution, but if means spending the rest of my life twiddling with settings, I don't know that I want to bother. I also don't want to hear that my CPU isn't fast enough, or my HD isn't fast enough, or I don't have enough RAM, when I just spent a piddly $250 on a dedicated HD DVD player and it does the job just fine. :(

srauly - since I'm new to forum, the rules prohibit my including links. So, I put the complete name of the forum. The PQ illustrated is amazing.

I've been browsing to help with my decision about HDTV - think I'm going with the Panny 50PH 9UK. I understand and appreciate your comments about "twiddling with settings", and the high-tech gear for HTPC used in the referenced thread is probably beyond my budget just now.

Thanks for the feedback.

The thread I referred to is 733641. Worth the look.