EDIT: FEEDBACK LINK: http://support.ati.com/ics/survey/survey.asp?deptID=894&surveyID=486&type=web
Do you guys think we can organize something, perhaps across multiple forums to get them to do this?
The issue:
Users with widescreen monitors (like my Dell 30" @ 2560x1600), and games that dont support widescreen/can't be hacked to run in NON-stretch widescreen.... would like to run their games as large as possible, ideally filling the monitor vertically, and with black bars on the sides, as opposed to stretching the 4:3 image to fit horizontally as well.
Catalyst drivers have only the option for "centered timings", which will run your application in the proper aspect ratio, in a centered box, with black bars on the sides AND top and bottom.
The problem, if you're playing something @ 1024x768, you'll get a very small viewing box of the game, with massive black areas all around it.
The only other option is to scale the image to fit the screen, but that stretches it, which is a BIG NO-NO, as it distorts the images.
Catalys MOBILITY drivers, as well as NVIDIA's drivers have functionality for a better solution included included. It's a third panel option of "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling", where the image is scaled up to fit the monitor veritcally, but the ratio (4:3) is maintained, so the image is NOT stretched, and there are black bars on the sides (but not the top and bottom!).
There is no good reason why desktop Catalyst drivers do not have this functionality.
ATI has stated in responses to users emailing them about the issue that the might add it in if enough people want it.
Thats where we come in, if we can get enough people raising a stink about it, maybe they will finally put the damn function in.
Perhaps someone has that link where to give them feedback about it. Maybe we should write up a draft email everyone can copy and paste to make things easier on the lazy people.
ASSUME all images are on a 1920x1200 LCD/panel
Commie-Killer patched with widescreen support (you see more on the sides):
Commie Killer without widescreen support, at a resolution of 1280x1024 (max due to load PC can handle, or max due to game design), with "Scale full image to panel size" option checked under Catalyst: (things are stretched out of aspect)
CK, same rez as above, with "Centered Timings" checked off: (it is a small box in the middle with borders on all sides)
CK, same rez, but with Nvidia drivers (AND HOPEFULLY SOON ATI CATALYST DRIVERS) with "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling" option: (there are only borders on 2 sides, image is scaled up to fill monitor along one axis, aspect is maintained)
Do you guys think we can organize something, perhaps across multiple forums to get them to do this?
The issue:
Users with widescreen monitors (like my Dell 30" @ 2560x1600), and games that dont support widescreen/can't be hacked to run in NON-stretch widescreen.... would like to run their games as large as possible, ideally filling the monitor vertically, and with black bars on the sides, as opposed to stretching the 4:3 image to fit horizontally as well.
Catalyst drivers have only the option for "centered timings", which will run your application in the proper aspect ratio, in a centered box, with black bars on the sides AND top and bottom.
The problem, if you're playing something @ 1024x768, you'll get a very small viewing box of the game, with massive black areas all around it.
The only other option is to scale the image to fit the screen, but that stretches it, which is a BIG NO-NO, as it distorts the images.
Catalys MOBILITY drivers, as well as NVIDIA's drivers have functionality for a better solution included included. It's a third panel option of "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling", where the image is scaled up to fit the monitor veritcally, but the ratio (4:3) is maintained, so the image is NOT stretched, and there are black bars on the sides (but not the top and bottom!).
There is no good reason why desktop Catalyst drivers do not have this functionality.
ATI has stated in responses to users emailing them about the issue that the might add it in if enough people want it.
Thats where we come in, if we can get enough people raising a stink about it, maybe they will finally put the damn function in.
Perhaps someone has that link where to give them feedback about it. Maybe we should write up a draft email everyone can copy and paste to make things easier on the lazy people.
ASSUME all images are on a 1920x1200 LCD/panel
Commie-Killer patched with widescreen support (you see more on the sides):
Commie Killer without widescreen support, at a resolution of 1280x1024 (max due to load PC can handle, or max due to game design), with "Scale full image to panel size" option checked under Catalyst: (things are stretched out of aspect)
CK, same rez as above, with "Centered Timings" checked off: (it is a small box in the middle with borders on all sides)
CK, same rez, but with Nvidia drivers (AND HOPEFULLY SOON ATI CATALYST DRIVERS) with "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling" option: (there are only borders on 2 sides, image is scaled up to fill monitor along one axis, aspect is maintained)