Author Topic: overscan on TV display  (Read 2408 times)

vinenator

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overscan on TV display
« on: July 12, 2013, 08:50:27 PM »

my laptop is set to 1920x1080 which is what my TV is capable of displaying. but the TV doesn't display all the pixels that it can.

what happens is, a number of pixels around the edge of the TV are missing.

is there a way to design the layout so that it is resized to a percentage of the total resolution?

that would allow the entire layout to be shown on the TV.

Corey Cooper

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2013, 09:19:31 PM »
If you're using version 3.2 you can.

After you've loaded your layout, on the Layout tab press the Preferences button.   In the Layout Scaling section, check the box next to Enable layout scaling.  Then UNcheck the box next to Use optimal resolution setting of the current layout.  In the Optimal resolution select list, select Custom.  In the Custom inputs, put 1920 x 1080.  Press the Apply button.  You should see no change in the Game window.

Now this is going to seem a bit counter-intuitive.  What you want to do is start entering larger values for the width part of the Custom resolution.  I would step it up by 10 pixels at a time.  So, first change 1920 to 1930.  Then press Apply and see how that affects the layout in the Game window.  If you still have some overscan, change it to 1940 and press Apply.  Repeat this process until everything is visible in the Game window.  Press OK once you find the right resolution.

Note that you're changing the way all layouts are displayed.  This might be perfect if you use one layout and you always display it on your TV.  If so, you're done.

But if you have a particular layout that you display when connected to your TV, and display other layouts on your TV (or another display) that don't have this issue, then I would suggest doing this:  Press the Preferences button again.  Check the box next to Enable layout scaling and also check the box next to Use optimal resolution setting of the current layout.  Press OK.  Next press the Settings button.  For the Optimal resolution, select Custom.  Then enter the custom resolution you found to work for your TV and press OK.  Then save the layout.  This saves the optimal resolution with the layout, and sets the TD to use the optimal resolution setting of each layout.

Double Eagle

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2013, 04:55:40 PM »
I am having a similar issue, however is seems to be mostly in the height of the display.  I tried your fix and I can't seem to find a combination of numbers that makes much difference.  My laptop is 1920 x 1080 and TV I am using is 1366 x 768.  The bottom and top of the TV display is missing a small amount of data.

Any suggestions?  Thanks.

Corey Cooper

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2014, 10:39:30 AM »
I've only rarely hooked my laptop up to a TV as a second display, but I've seen this before.  Different results from different TVs, but in one case I connected to an HD TV (1920x1080), set the resolution correctly in Windows, and still some of the layout was "off screen".  Which meant to me that the TV wasn't actually displaying 1080 vertical lines, but probably 900 to 1000, with the rest being overscan.

So, how do you "correct" this?  I honestly don't know the answer, or where the problem really lies.  To me, either the TV is not displaying everything it should or Windows is not sending the right information to the TV.  Probably the first.

There are a couple of things would probably try in this situation.  Changing what Windows thinks the resolution of the connected TV is.  I would guess this probably wouldn't do what I wanted, as either the appropriate resolution isn't available (Windows doesn't allow you to put in a custom resolution) or the TV would actually change to the new resolution and there would still be overscan.  Or change the size of the TD's main window using the Display Management tool on the Preferences tab.  Using that tool, you can adjust the size of the main window and its position.  I would probably create a new screen, and add to that screen a single cell that has nothing in it, and set the cell's border to be a different color.  You could then use the Display Management tool to adjust the window size and position until the borders of the cell are visible on the TV.  After you've got the appropriate size and position, put the real layout back up and if there still appears to be overscan, it means the layout is too large for the actual window size.  Then you would need to adjust the layout to fit the window size.  And do all of this with layout scaling disabled.  Once you determine the window size/position, you can re-enable layout scaling if it makes the layout look better.

Of course I haven't done any of this, so use this as a suggestion at most.

Stuart Murray

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2014, 07:59:05 AM »
As Corey says, my experience has been that is it the LCD which is at fault.  Generally speaking the older the LCD the more it will struggle with higher resolutions, especially High Definition resolutions.  Natively speaking 1024x768 is the "one size fits all" resolution which each and every type of display can handle without issue via either VGA or HDMI hookups.  For example I have an older HD Ready LCD screen that although it lists 760 as an available resolution on the windows display properties if I utilise it all sorts of weird and wonderful things will occur.

I have found that it is only the most modern, Full HD LCD's that will handle higher resolutions.  You are best to start your layouts with a lower resolution, that way you won't be disappointed if you move between displays when it won't display correctly.
Stuart Murray

Mesnik44

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2014, 10:58:20 AM »
Maybe I'm not reading this correctly, the brain fog is still there as I just woke up, but the answer is in the title guys...

All modern LCD TV's have in their settings something called OVERSCAN, hit that button, and your screen will fit a 1920 x 1080 layout no problems.

Sorry for jumping in the middle of this conversation, and if this is NOT the answer you are looking for, I apologize.

Corey Cooper

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Re: overscan on TV display
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2014, 01:36:34 PM »
Interesting.  I've never seen a setting like that on any TV.  But if that's the case, it sure will make things simple!  :)