Anyone running an HTPC on a TV with rectangular pixels?

Participant · 14 Dec 2010 at 17:01

I'm trying to find out what HTPC software will compensate for rectangular pixels and am having mixed results through Google. I've found guides that sort out WMC, but not everything at once. E.g. I don't want to have to sort out every game, the desktop, and media centre separately and I was hoping for some actual experience from someone on OcUK.

Basically I have an 'HD Ready' LG plasma running at 1024 x 768...this is a rectangular resolution but it displays widescreen by having rectangular pixels. Massive fail I know, but...

Has anyone here got a way to make Windows reflect the fact that my display has rectangular pixels on a global basis, rather than per application? Is this issue easy to solve reliably?

I am trying to find out if it's worth me building an HTPC. Don't want to go to all the expense to find out it looks gash or is a pain in the bum.

Chris1712 · 14 Dec 2010 at 18:00

Well, presumably the TV scales 720p from HDMI properly, so I'd feed it that personally! Don't bother with VGA as I bets its limited to 1024x768.

a1ex2001 · 15 Dec 2010 at 09:27

Chris1712 said:
Well, presumably the TV scales 720p from HDMI properly, so I'd feed it that personally! Don't bother with VGA as I bets its limited to 1024x768.

I feed my 720p plasma from an acer revo via HDMI and can honestly say I've not noticed any issue caused by the non-square pixels.

neil_g · 15 Dec 2010 at 09:38

ive got an old 1024x768 plasma.. i run windows 7 at 1920x1080 and the TV reports it as 1125i

Participant · 5 Feb 2011 at 09:05

Thanks all. I'd definitely be using hdmi.

Chris1712 said:
Well, presumably the TV scales 720p from HDMI properly, so I'd feed it that personally! Don't bother with VGA as I bets its limited to 1024x768.

But it wouldn't be receiving 720p from Windows, surely? It would be receiving 1024 x 768 I imagine, which would mean the windows desktop would surely not fill the tv?

a1ex2001 said:
I feed my 720p plasma from an acer revo via HDMI and can honestly say I've not noticed any issue caused by the non-square pixels.

Not all 720p plasma have stupid rectangular pixels though...does yours?

Neil_g...and...how does everything look? Stretched?

neil_g · 5 Feb 2011 at 09:06

Robbie G said:
Neil_g...and...how does everything look? Stretched?

not in the slightest