Hungary
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.3.0
MediaPortal Skin: Foofaraw (no flipY mod)
Windows Version: good old XP SP2
CPU Type: AMD X2 BE-2300
HDD: Samsung 500 GB SATA2
Memory: 2 GB 800 Hz DDR2
Motherboard: AMD 690G (Asus Pundit P2-M2A690 Barebone)
Motherboard Chipset: AMD 690G
Motherboard Bios: latest beta
Video Card: onboard ATi X1250
Video Card Driver: ATi Catalyst 7.12
Sound Card: onboard
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Asus Pundit P2-M2A690G
TV: Panasonic Plasma 42´´ (Native 1024x768)
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI-HDMI
Hi guys! I post this because I did not find too much posts in this forum about my problem: how connect my HTPC with my Pana Plasma optimally? I found my personal "1:1 Pixel mapping" (desktop-panel mapping better said) with Catalyst, HDMI and Powerstrip. There are a lot of ATi video card users out there, and a huge amount of Plasmas with this panel were sold lately so I hope I can help someone. Or get said here that I did everything wrong
Problem: my Panasonic plasma has a panel with 1024x768 native pixels. The pixels are not square (otherwise I would have a 4:3 TV) but 16:9. That´s not all, it accepts 720p vertically (not 768, as native). And even that´s not enough: if you connect your PC through HDMI, you get BIG overscan (desktop is bigger than screen, you don´t see taskbar etc). How the f*** could the industry screw up things like that? But we have to live with this and find the optimal workaround. Mine is:
I connected HTPC with PlasmaTV with HDMI-HDMI (don´t come with the composite/VGA solution, I need this output for a small secondary touchscreen). Used the latest catalyst (I guess 7.8 upwards): it offers overscan/underscan correction (only at 60 Hz, grrrrrr PAL is 50, but I don´t see problems with PAL dvds). I set it up that the desktop is nearly matching the plasma screen (you have only big steps there). I realised that I have to move the desktop 2 pixels to the right and to the top, and have to strech the desktop with 1 Pixel. Catalyst does not have an option for that. But I could make this very simply with the freeware Powerstrip (I did not change anything else there). For this I set desktop backgroung complete white and streched-shrinked and moved it as long as I got 1:1 cover (look the edges of screen very close!).
I know this is NOT 1:1 pixel mapping. It is 1:1 desktop-plasmapanel mapping.
That is the best you can get with this hardware setup. Pixel mapping is NOT possible, because the plasma does not have square pixels! AND it makes overscan, which you can´t deactivate (otherwise: videocard generates 1280x720 picture with square pixels, plasma TV scales it down horizontally to 1024, scales it up vertically to 768, changes pixel aspect ratio to get 16:9 picture at the end, zooms it digitally for overscan; my compensation: create a black border around picture through Catalyst and powerstrip and position it perfectly, that with the before mentioned silly picture processing from TV I get 1:1 desktop-screen cover). This solution is perfect for my MediaPortal setup. For Desktop setup is far from optimal (you have unsharp text), but it´s the TVs problem nobody can do anything against it. If someone wants perfect desktop picture he has to buy a new TV wit 1:1 pixel mapping capabilities.
I hope I helped someone to understand the whole thing an I did not interpret something false.
MediaPortal Skin: Foofaraw (no flipY mod)
Windows Version: good old XP SP2
CPU Type: AMD X2 BE-2300
HDD: Samsung 500 GB SATA2
Memory: 2 GB 800 Hz DDR2
Motherboard: AMD 690G (Asus Pundit P2-M2A690 Barebone)
Motherboard Chipset: AMD 690G
Motherboard Bios: latest beta
Video Card: onboard ATi X1250
Video Card Driver: ATi Catalyst 7.12
Sound Card: onboard
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Asus Pundit P2-M2A690G
TV: Panasonic Plasma 42´´ (Native 1024x768)
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI-HDMI
Hi guys! I post this because I did not find too much posts in this forum about my problem: how connect my HTPC with my Pana Plasma optimally? I found my personal "1:1 Pixel mapping" (desktop-panel mapping better said) with Catalyst, HDMI and Powerstrip. There are a lot of ATi video card users out there, and a huge amount of Plasmas with this panel were sold lately so I hope I can help someone. Or get said here that I did everything wrong
Problem: my Panasonic plasma has a panel with 1024x768 native pixels. The pixels are not square (otherwise I would have a 4:3 TV) but 16:9. That´s not all, it accepts 720p vertically (not 768, as native). And even that´s not enough: if you connect your PC through HDMI, you get BIG overscan (desktop is bigger than screen, you don´t see taskbar etc). How the f*** could the industry screw up things like that?
But we have to live with this and find the optimal workaround. Mine is:I connected HTPC with PlasmaTV with HDMI-HDMI (don´t come with the composite/VGA solution, I need this output for a small secondary touchscreen). Used the latest catalyst (I guess 7.8 upwards): it offers overscan/underscan correction (only at 60 Hz, grrrrrr PAL is 50, but I don´t see problems with PAL dvds). I set it up that the desktop is nearly matching the plasma screen (you have only big steps there). I realised that I have to move the desktop 2 pixels to the right and to the top, and have to strech the desktop with 1 Pixel. Catalyst does not have an option for that. But I could make this very simply with the freeware Powerstrip (I did not change anything else there). For this I set desktop backgroung complete white and streched-shrinked and moved it as long as I got 1:1 cover (look the edges of screen very close!).
I know this is NOT 1:1 pixel mapping. It is 1:1 desktop-plasmapanel mapping.
That is the best you can get with this hardware setup. Pixel mapping is NOT possible, because the plasma does not have square pixels! AND it makes overscan, which you can´t deactivate (otherwise: videocard generates 1280x720 picture with square pixels, plasma TV scales it down horizontally to 1024, scales it up vertically to 768, changes pixel aspect ratio to get 16:9 picture at the end, zooms it digitally for overscan; my compensation: create a black border around picture through Catalyst and powerstrip and position it perfectly, that with the before mentioned silly picture processing from TV I get 1:1 desktop-screen cover). This solution is perfect for my MediaPortal setup. For Desktop setup is far from optimal (you have unsharp text), but it´s the TVs problem nobody can do anything against it. If someone wants perfect desktop picture he has to buy a new TV wit 1:1 pixel mapping capabilities.
I hope I helped someone to understand the whole thing an I did not interpret something false.