Widescreen Gaming Forum

I haven't seen a thread like this, so I'm gonna make one.

I wanted to gather some information on pillarboxing (adding black bars on the sides and maintaining aspect ratio). I myself always wondered how many cards support it, and what drivers.

I want to know because many times I see conflicting reports from everyone. Some people can get pillarboxing on ATI cards, while some have trouble. Same thing with Nvidia- 7900 users often report they can't use the pillarboxing support built in to the Nvidia drivers. And often searching the Internet wields the same conflicting results.

The purpose of this thread is really an information gathering one, and I believe the information can be really valuable.

So, my questions for you guys are:

1) What video card are you using?
2) What driver version are you using?
3) Can you get pillarboxing?
-please be sure it's not your monitor doing the pillarboxing
-please indicate the setting you used to get it

Here's my examples:

1) XFX 7800 GTX
2) 93.71
3) Yes, by using "fixed aspect ratio scaling"

Another example:

1) Sapphire x1900xtx
2) 6.10
3) No

1) eVGA 7900 GT KO
2) 84.21, 91.31, 91.47, 92.91, 93.71
3) NO, never has worked
4) Westinghouse LCM-19w4 monitor (1440x900)

Check out http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/node/6996 for a similar list....

Oh ok, thanks for the link. I never venture out of the general or widscreen solutions forum. Well, this thread may be a little pointless now..

But, a new question for everyone (since we got tons of Nvidia information in the other thread): Has anyone managed to get their ATI card to support pillarboxing?

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gaming_with_Blackbars_%28Pillarboxing%29

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gaming_with_Blackbars_%28Pillarboxing%29

Thanks for the link, but for ATI it leads to a link to a thread where it leads to the same conflicting information I was talking about (and the thread is pretty much dead, last post was in August). Some people say they have support.. others say they don't. Just like with the Nvidia thread, we could use an ATI thread that covers which setups support it. (which, admittedly, will probably be a short list).

Also, the link is somewhat outdated and doesn't really give the true picture of pillarboxing support, considering several Nvidia users are reporting they cannot pillarbox.

1) Sapphire x1800xt
2) 6.14
3) Yes "use centered timings"

With my 7800GS using the 93.71 drivers, I do NOT see any centered timings / force aspect ratio options. The wiki link to pillarboxing shows a section called Display Panel Properties. From there you could do force aspect, center, etc.

Does anyone know the most recent driver that contained that? I don't mind rolling back a few versions if it means I can avoid headaches and eye strain from uber stretched images (I'm on a 27" LCD TV with 1280x720).

Hi all, and thanks for the great resource you provide!


If any Nvidia users are still reporting that they can't achieve pillarboxing, here's how to do it using the 93.71 drivers:


Using Classic View

* First select 'nView Display Settings' and click on the 'Device Settings' button. Deselect "Treat digital Display as HDTV"

* Next, select 'Screen Resolutions and Refresh Rates' and click on the 'Advanced Timing' button.

* You'll find the Flat Panel Scaling options in the third dropdown box, and can alter them as you wish.


Using Nvidia Control Panel

* Choose 'Display'

* Choose 'Manage Custom Timings' and then deselect "Treat as HDTV"

* Click the Up button to go back to the previous screen, and then select the "Change Flat Panel Scaling" option which should now appear.

* Make the changes you want.


For the record, I'm using a pair of SLI'd 6600GT cards with an Acer AL2216W monitor, and the above solution works a treat. Took a bit of fiddling about to find it, though :D

catweazle:

You seem to know alot about this, so ill post this question to you. I have just bought the 22inch widescreen from Acer. I am running a 3700 amd, 7800gt vid card, 2gig ram. I have found that the dvd picture is very crappy on this wide screen and I dont think its the montior, I think its the settings. Im wondering if you know how to tweak this thing correctly to get it to look good for video? I bought it at xmas, and have been searching the web for solutions ever since. Hope you can help

cuthroat, I'm not really experienced at tweaking color profiles for DVD viewing. There's a handy guide to tweaking color profiles at TweakGuides and perhaps a bit of googling might uncover some information about what changes to make to suit your display for DVD viewing, of the onscreen display of your own monitor doesn't provide enough range. My own Acer widescreen monitor has pretty good settings available at a button press for text, graphics and movies.



I'd like to report that the 'guide' I posted above for setting flat Panel Scaling within the nVidia Control Panel doesn't yet work for Windows Vista. The most recent Vista-suitable drivers don't provide the necessary settings, so Pillar-boxing in vista isn't really achievable until we get a driver revision which allows the feature to be used.

1) Sapphire x1800xt
2) 6.14
3) Yes "use centered timings"

I just got a widescreen monitor and I found out many of my favourite games are not supporting WS, so I would prefer to have black bars around then having a stretched image, but I can't make it happen... I have a radeon 9800 PRO graphic card, and I just installed the latest omega drivers, but my CCC (catalyst control center) still doesn't look like this one, or the one at http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gaming_with_Blackbars_%28Pillarboxing%29
It looks like this:



Where's the catch? What am I missing?
Can you guys help me get this function, or maybe there's another method to enable pillarboxing?
Thanks :)

You are using an analog connection while the centered timings option is only avalable for digital outputs.

I see :)
Thanks a lot, I was really confused.
So if I get a digital cable, will the option be there?
As you can see, I have an AG neovo K-A19 on RADEON 9800 PRO, are these 2 devices able to get a digital connection going between them, or is there no way I can get pillarboxing working?

Nevermind, I just figured out that the monitor doesn't have a digital input, so that's pretty lame. I am very disappointed in it and may even return it to the store if they will give me a refund.

The other option would be (and this may not be the proper place to ask this) to use my old crt monitor for the things that do not work on this lcd, or have them both connected at the same time. But I don't know if it is possible to connect a crt and an lcd on the same graphic card? It has an analog and digital output, so I guess with a converter of some sort it is possible, or am I wrong? What results would that bring? Same image on both monitors at all times (unless one is turned off)?
Thanks :)

I am very disappointed in it and may even return it to the store if they will give me a refund.

I would recommend that. An LCD without a digital input isn't worth keeping.

it is possible to connect a crt and an lcd on the same graphic card?

Yes, it is.

It has an analog and digital output, so I guess with a converter of some sort it is possible, or am I wrong?

Actually, if you had an LCD with digital-in, you could have the LCD on digital and the CRT on analog. Otherwise, you would need a DVI to VGA converter, and then you'd have two analog-outs, one for each monitor.

What results would that bring? Same image on both monitors at all times (unless one is turned off)?

I don't know what options your graphics card has, but on mine, you can do that, or you can have a wide image span the horizontal lengths of both monitors, or a tall image span the vertical lengths of both monitors, or have two separate desktops, one for each monitor, with the capability to display different things on each monitor, and you can drag windows from one monitor to the other. I use the latter option.

I would recommend that. An LCD without a digital input isn't worth keeping.

Yea, its probably going back on monday, hope they don't give me a hard time.

Actually, if you had an LCD with digital-in, you could have the LCD on digital and the CRT on analog. Otherwise, you would need a DVI to VGA converter, and then you'd have two analog-outs, one for each monitor.

I think this seems to be my best option, if I keep it.

I don't know what options your graphics card has, but on mine, you can do that, or you can have a wide image span the horizontal lengths of both monitors, or a tall image span the vertical lengths of both monitors, or have two separate desktops, one for each monitor, with the capability to display different things on each monitor, and you can drag windows from one monitor to the other. I use the latter option.

That sounds great (well a tall image span might be kinda awkward :)), the thing is, I don't have nearly enough room on my desk to have them perfectly aligned, probably hardly enough room to even put them both on it :/
Can I check these options while I have only one monitor connected? Will they be shown in CCC? Or where should I look?
Sorry for the noob questions, but I am a noob at this afterall :)

btw wouldnt the fact that the crt is 4:3 and the lcd is 16:10 cause problems when using them at the same time?

and if I understand this correctly, there is no way to get pillarboxing without digital-in?

1) BFG 6600GT
2) 93.81
3) No, never worked. None of the nVIDIA scaling options provide a readable display, and do not scale is also broken. Also seems to set the resolution during these modes to 1600x1200 although it recognizes that the monitor's native is 1680x1050.

Evga 7800GTX

Works fine for me, check my user review of the 37" Westinghouse LCD to see screenshots and all the info on my forceware I use.

I didnt change anything to get it to work, seems to be the default on mine.

I belive that some people may have the video card sending out 4:3 but have there display device streching it to 16:9 16:10 and not even know it.