Wide Screen Monitor Issue

[Cody Coyote]

For those of you with the newer wide-screen monitors (16:9), how do you keep CFS2 from looking flattened; i.e. things look short and wide. The effect is particularly noticeable in the splash screens and in the 2D cockpit where the gauges are oval instead of round.

I've set the game resolution to match the monitor resolution but that doesn't do it.

I realize that fitting a square peg into a round hole won't be a perfect fit and I will either lose something at the top and bottom or have black bands on the sides. That's OK with me; just how do you do it?

[tonybones2112]

Cody, this don't help, but I am using CRTs as long as I can get them. I got a 17 inch MAG and a massive HP 19 inch that weighs about 100 pounds.

Bones

[MaskRider]

Boy, I sure hope some one comes ups with a solution to this question. I currently own a Samsung
SyncMaster with a 16:9 (1920X1080) aspect ratio. My old Monitor was also a SyncMaster but with a 4:3? (1280X1024) aspect ratio- which was the ideal fit.

Where it really drives me nuts is in MB. Whenever I open MB after having been in max'd view the layout screen is always distorted horizontally. Very difficult to do accurate object layouts. Its no big deal really. Just an ever present sort of nuisance. To correct I "fly now", change over to non-full screen view and then end the flight to get to the "regular" non-distorted MB layout window- which is much smaller than the full screen- vertically and horizontally- but at least there is no distortion.

I don't think that there is a solution- except to go find an old 4:3 monitor.

[UncleTgt]

I find it's simpler just to always run the game in a window. Drag the corners to whatever size you're comfy with.

MR - Yes MB can be a pain, but it always was a bit of a "beta" release & a bit rough around the edges ...:

[kelticheart]

For those of you with the newer wide-screen monitors (16:9), how do you keep CFS2 from looking flattened; i.e. things look short and wide. The effect is particularly noticeable in the splash screens and in the 2D cockpit where the gauges are oval instead of round.

I've set the game resolution to match the monitor resolution but that doesn't do it.

I realize that fitting a square peg into a round hole won't be a perfect fit and I will either lose something at the top and bottom or have black bands on the sides. That's OK with me; just how do you do it?

Hi Cody,

this is not a solution to your problem, but I think Philips is still selling LCD monitors of the Brilliance line in 4:3 size. Last spring I jumped to buy a Brilliance 190S (19") on sale and CFS2 looks magnificent in 1280x1024x32 resolution. The sale price was 100 Euros, a bargain. If I could have afforded it I would have bought a bigger size, yet an LCD 19" looks bigger to me than an old 21" CRT!

I have been using Philips Brilliance monitors for the last 9 years, I had a 15" and a 17" CRTs, and I always found them to have the crispiest, best colours picture around, just like Sony's as Philips uses the same technology, but at a much more convenient price.

Cheers!
KH :ernae:

[mariereid]

I have a Sam Syn T240, it's 24" , 1920X1200. I am pretty new to the world of computers, all I have really seen is wide screens. So if it's distorted, luckily to me, it's normal. Here's what I am seeing in the 2D cockpit.:ernae:

[alpha_1]

Just a thought here guys. I use a 20" flat screen and get no distortion. That's a function of my video card. I use an NVida GeForce 8600GT and in it's control panel it has a function that deals with distortion.

I just looked at Rick's screenshot and my cockpits are the same....dials and gauges are all round.

Hope this helps

[Cody Coyote]

Well, I was afraid that this might be one of those problems with no easy fix. I do have an old 19" LCD monitor in 4:3 aspect ratio that I've been using for years. I may end up keeping it. I'm trying a new 23" 16:9 monitor in anticipation of getting a new PC in a week or so.

The wide-screen looks fine for watching movies I guess (can't say for sure, don't do it) but I'm not sure I like it for general surfing and it certainly goofs up CFS2. 1920x1200 is a 16:10 aspect ratio and if you look closely at the gauges in the image they do show some distortion, although much less than at 16:9 and probably wouldn't be noticeable once you got used to it.

I guess the best solution for now is to not run in full screen and resize the image to eliminate distortion. Interestingly, doing so gives me almost the same size image as on my old 19" monitor. That works for everything except Mission Builder as MaskRider points out. I also seem to recall that some panels have pop-up windows that don't display properly when not in full screen mode, but I could be mistaken about that.

[Actually, the best solution is to keep my old monitor and save myself $200. Of course you know how it is; get a new PC and you want all new goodies to go with it.]

[voyager]

Cody

As for myself, I'm using a SyncMaster 226bw and an ATI 4670 card set to 1440X900X32 resolution. This gives me round wheels on the landing gear. I figure that if the wheels look round everything else is more or less in proportion other than the 2D cockpit.

As far as the 2D cockpit is concerned I have found using a 9 horizontal to 10 vertical ratio for the guage size numbers more or less gives me a round guage. Most ot the time I alter the vertical number. With some panels a new problem arises, the guages no longer fit the rings (or whatever they are called) on photoreal or realistic types. Resolving that problem involves a lot of time spent using mspaint.

voyager

[MaskRider]

I also seem to recall that some panels have pop-up windows that don't display properly when not in full screen mode, but I could be mistaken about that.

Thats right. The NAV/AP window I add to planes shows up with an opaque (black) background when I am not in full screen mode. Should be transparent.

[Cody Coyote]

voyager - Interesting approach on the gauges, I'll keep that in mind.

MR - I thought that was your NAV/AP window that was the problem but I didn't want to say anything.

I may have found a hardware solution to the problem. Samsung makes a couple of monitors in both 21" and 23" that have "Aspect Ratio Control". It allows your to change the aspect ratio to match the input signal, much like you can do on most HDTV's. If it works as advertised it might solve everything and allow me the best of both worlds.

[demorier]

You're not alone Cody. Stuck with the same dilemma here. Never have found a solution. I'm at 1440 x 900 but it is out of proportion.

[MaskRider]

voyager - Interesting approach on the gauges, I'll keep that in mind.

MR - I thought that was your NAV/AP window that was the problem but I didn't want to say anything.

I may have found a hardware solution to the problem. Samsung makes a couple of monitors in both 21" and 23" that have "Aspect Ratio Control". It allows your to change the aspect ratio to match the input signal, much like you can do on most HDTV's. If it works as advertised it might solve everything and allow me the best of both worlds.

I will need to investigate that. My monitor might just have that, too. It has a number of buttons along the side that I have never used. Mayhaps I will break out ye olde instruction manual. If I can find the bloody thing.