Wide Screen_help

[dogknot]

My monitor went to LCD heaven. :banghead:

Just before I purchased a new one, a friends wife gave me this new one, a widescreen model. She had just received her new unit and didn't need the monitor since she already has one that she prefers.

Okay, this new one is a widescreen and I'm discovering new territory with it. Its optimum resolution is 1440x900. I have set it to that, both in windows (XP) and FS9. The VC's look great as usual, but the 2D panels now have warped/stretched gauges...egg-shaped, stretched left and right.

Is there a fix or workaround for this? Thanks in advance for any input.

[hey_moe]

DK,what da ya have the video card settings at, there is a set up to adjust it to a wide screen monitor.

[dogknot]

Thanks.

Double checked the vid card...The vid card already recognized the monitor settings and is set to the same 1440x900. I assume by those resolution settings that "widescreen" is understood by the computer brain. There was no actual use of the "widescreen" term anywhere.

I did run across a couple of blurbs across the net that some distortion exists in fs9 with a widescreen monitor...at least in the 2D view of things.
The VC or 3D view is great as is the spot view.

I was just checking around to see if that is the consensus around here as far as widescreen user experience.
When push comes to shove and the price of my monitor, I guess I can live with the "not-so-round" 2D panel gauges. :crybaby:

[hey_moe]

Go back and select 1600 by 900 or 1600 by 1200 in both the card and the game. Post what happens.

[dogknot]

Okay, I overrode all the safety features for the monitor/card and was able to manually select 1600x1200, however the hardware section in fs9 did not give that resolution as an option. The highest available is/was 1440x900x32.

In fs9, everything was more stretched out than before (even the aircraft in spotplane view). Of course, I had the vid at one resolution and the game at another.

The desktop icons went to "tiny" and out of shape. Too tiny for my old eyes. LOL!

My card is a ATI Radeon 9800pro.

I went back to the original settings of 1440x900x32 at 60Hz. Much more liveable, just not as good as a square LCD monitor.

Here is a pic of the 2D panel at these settings. The stretch isn't anything horrible, just more noticeably egg-shaped compared to a non-widescreen.

EDIT: forgot to mention that I just did a "plug and play" hookup with this monitor, so the drivers are, I imagine, generic. I don't know if proper drivers would really have any effect on this matter or not. I have downloaded this monitors specific drivers from the net. Just haven't tried the install.

[NCGent]

I have a wide screen and I had to play with the settings to get mine to look right. Just click changing and checking until you get it where ya want it.

Chris

[dogknot]

I have a wide screen and I had to play with the settings to get mine to look right. Just click changing and checking until you get it where ya want it.

Chris

Thanks, Chris. I appreciate the input. That's what I sort of gleened from around the net.

It's not THAT bad in the 2D panel. Just more noticeably egg-shaped gauges than my now dead square monitor. I guess nuthin is perfect. LOL!

[hey_moe]

DK, you can add the settings in the CFG. file. You also need to remove the old video card drivers / use a video driver cleaner in safe mode and install the newest release...Mike.....BTW that picture of the panel is nice...what is wrong with it...also the reason I wanted you to set the card at 1600 by 1200 was to see it your card supported those setting. You can leave the easier reading setting for reading but in FSX you can select that mode and it should look better and the texture should like better.

[dogknot]

DK, you can add the settings in the CFG. file. You also need to remove the old video card drivers / use a video driver cleaner in safe mode and install the newest release...Mike.....BTW that picture of the panel is nice...what is wrong with it...also the reason I wanted you to set the card at 1600 by 1200 was to see it your card supported those setting. You can leave the easier reading setting for reading but in FSX you can select that mode and it should look better and the texture should like better.

Thanks a million for all your help. I really appreciate it. I will keep in mind the changes suggested. I think I might leave my drivers alone, at least for now, since everything seems to be working okay....and I don't know what I'm doing.
When I'm really sure I don't need my computer anymore, I will play with the drivers. LOLOL!!

[srgalahad]

Don't forget that most FS panels were created in a 4:3 format whereas 'widescreen' is 16:9 so, like watching converted video on a TV you will get one or the other of the 'house of mirrors' distortions.

A couple of newer planes (the freeware Seminole and Carenado Piper, I think) have an optional 'wide panel' that you can install.
If a guy wanted to built new panel .bmp's and play with FSPanelStudio we could have a lot of conversions, but that's work...

[Moparmike]

Don't forget that most FS panels were created in a 4:3 format whereas 'widescreen' is 16:9 so, like watching converted video on a TV you will get one or the other of the 'house of mirrors' distortions.

A couple of newer planes (the freeware Seminole and Carenado Piper, I think) have an optional 'wide panel' that you can install.
If a guy wanted to built new panel .bmp's and play with FSPanelStudio we could have a lot of conversions, but that's work...

SRG, is correct. The 2D panels will be distorted on a widescreen monitor for the reason he listed. Not many makers are offering a wide-screen 2D panel like Carenado does on some of theirs. You will have to either use a non-native resolution (which you've already tried) or brew up your own 2D panels to fit your new monitor if you want to see it from a normal perspective again.

Personally I seldom use the 2d panels anymore, so I don't notice the stretched effect at all...I mostly fly using the VC and the Shift+XX pop-up windows.

Yeah it kinda stinks, but that's part of the price of upgrading to all this new-fangled hardware. DOH!

[dogknot]

Thanks fellas for all the input.

I guess I can either drag out my copy of PanelStudio, which most likely isn't happening, or just :friday: :ernae: :friday: until all looks soo right.

[srgalahad]

Thanks fellas for all the input.

I guess I can either drag out my copy of PanelStudio, which most likely isn't happening, or just :friday: :ernae: :friday: until all looks soo right.

Go with door #2 :friday:
To do the FSPS route you need to draw completely new panel BMPs that would add the area to the outer sides of the panel/windows (allowing more outside view of course - bonus) or draw flattish panels that wouldn't look like the real ones. Something like a 737/747 or the shallow panel of a Cherokee would look normal but a narrow fighter 'pit wouldn't be realistic and/or a LOT of work.

I have gone WS on my latest computer (who has a choice anymore?). With two monitors (when I load a plane I pop up all the relevant sub-panels and drag them to the 2nd monitor) so I never or rarely use full-screen except for screenhots to get rid of the jaggies but I found after 3-4 hours my eyes started to ignore the distortion.

Rob