Wii Widescreen Mode - can it work properly on a PC monitor?

RYB · 7 Nov 2008 at 15:10

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about getting a Wii but I'm a bit confused about the widescreen output.

I've read that the Wii outputs 16:9 as a 4:3 signal, and that a PC monitor would treat this as 4:3, resulting in a squashed image.

Is there a way around this?

I have a BenQ FP241W 24" monitor with 1:1/apsect/full screen settings.

XPE · 7 Nov 2008 at 15:30

Just change the it to 16:9 in the wii menu and it should be widescreen

JaFFa · 7 Nov 2008 at 15:44

if you map it 1:1 the picture will be tiny.

Bossk128 · 7 Nov 2008 at 15:48

Ensure the Wii is set to widescreen in the Wii system settings. On the monitor, tell it to stretch to fit the whole screen (every monitor has different terminology), but from your post I'd guess that "full screen" is what you want.

1:1 will make it very small (480P), aspect will keep it square (as I'm pretty sure you won't be conencting via scart, which is the only cable I know to have aspect ration switching on it).

RYB · 7 Nov 2008 at 18:01

Thanks bossk mate.

The problem is that the Wii outputs 16:9, and my monitor is 16:10, so forcing widescreen via my monitor's "full screen" mode would result in a slightly vertically stretched image.

This is unacceptable to me, so I would have no choice but to use the Wii's standard 4:3 mode.

I wonder if Nintendo could fix this with a firmware update, thereby enabling the Wii to output widescreen in 16:9 instead of 4:3. I guess there's not enough demand for such a feature since most people use their Wii with a regular TV.

On a side note, are Nintendo planning to release an official VGA cable for the Wii? If not, are there any third party VGA cables that are worth getting over component?

Kreeeee · 7 Nov 2008 at 18:33

RYB said:
Hi guys,

I'm thinking about getting a Wii but I'm a bit confused about the widescreen output.

I've read that the Wii outputs 16:9 as a 4:3 signal, and that a PC monitor would treat this as 4:3, resulting in a squashed image.

Is there a way around this?

I have a BenQ FP241W 24" monitor with 1:1/apsect/full screen settings.

My TV says 480p 60Hz Widescreen when I plug my Wii in via component with EDTV mode on.

MadMatty · 7 Nov 2008 at 18:53

If you set the monitor to aspect then it will show the image correctly with black bars at the top and bottom, that is if the wii does really output a wide screen image and not 4:3 letterbox format.

RYB · 7 Nov 2008 at 19:45

MadMatty said:
If you set the monitor to aspect then it will show the image correctly with black bars at the top and bottom, that is if the wii does really output a wide screen image and not 4:3 letterbox format.

Hi Matt, as I've stated previously, the Wii outputs a 4:3 signal regardless of whether you choose 4:3 or 16:9 in the Wii's system settings.

So let's say you choose 16:9 in the Wii's system settings, a PC monitor would still treat this as 4:3 since it's receiving a 4:3 signal.

As bossk128 previously stated, this would produce a horizontally squashed square image in 1:1/aspect mode, or a vertically stretched widescreen image in "full screen" mode, since my monitor is 16:10.

It seems there's no way around it, which is a shame.