Mini PC new build - force UI resolution?

[ccihon]

I am running 3.2.9 on two clients, both Win 8.1. I just set up a new machine - based on Gigabyte Brix 2807 Celeron. All works well, faster in fact based on benchmarks, than my other E-350 based mini client in the living room. Both clients are hooked to HD TVs at 1080 via HDMI cables. I am running all displays at native 1080 resolution.

My issue is that the new Brix unit renders the UI "blurry", appearing upscaled from 720 or less resolution. I have specified 1920x1080 resolution in settings rather than auto, but try as I might, the UI is still blurry in appearance relative to my other machines, or other applications on that client machine. I did a bit of research and installed the Microsoft DirectX 9 runtimes, but that did not seem to help. The video playback of both 720 and 1080 content seems fine.

Maybe an issue with the driver? I would have thought forcing 1080 in the settings would do it?

[gEd]

check out this thread for a couple of things to try

http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...ght=blurry

quote:
The usual reason for this is that the application isnt setting it's internal renderer buffer to exactly the same size as your desktop. This means it has to scale the rendered image to fill your screen, and when it does this fonts can become jagged or blurry. By default it'll try to detect the desktop resolution to use, but you can force it with the 'UI Resolution' setting in the Settings screen.

Is there multiple monitors on that machine? If so, and you're using the application on the second monitor, you should be using the 'start on second monitor' setting, so that it's dectecting the correct resolution.

[ccihon]

Yep - saw that thread and it describes my issue. It turns out I think I know what the problem may be - I have this connected to a 40" HDTV, "Changhong", that appears to provide EDID data that does not include 1080 as a valid display resolution! I will research a firmware fix, meantime I may need an emulator device like the Gefen one. Interestingly, Windows will allow the selection of 1080 resolution although it issued a warning that that is not the native res of the display (the TV in fact does 1080p without problem)

NPVR, I am guessing, will not allow, even if specified in settings, a resolution higher than the display EDID reports.

One solution I read is to use a software EDID override, but Intel display drivers don't allow or support these.

EDIT: confirmed via use of another display - this TV is sending EDID res info that is missing the 1080 res

Sub or others - is there a way, beyond the settings menu, to prevent NPVR renderer from scaling without resorting to adding EDID emulator etc? Even though my settings (and config.xml) show the UI res as 1920x1080, am I correct that NPVR will scale regardless for a display that indicates it is not supported? Windows allows a true force resolution with the TV.

[gEd]

how about testing powerstrip to see if you can force the right res/EDID. (free to try)

http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

according to the forum "PowerStrip has not and will not be updated to support Win8, but it does work under the 64-bit edition of Win8."

[sub]

Sub or others - is there a way, beyond the settings menu, to prevent NPVR renderer from scaling without resorting to adding EDID emulator etc? Even though my settings (and config.xml) show the UI res as 1920x1080, am I correct that NPVR will scale regardless for a display that indicates it is not supported? Windows allows a true force resolution with the TV.

This isn't really the type of thing NextPVR can work around. It's a Windows/videocard/tv/EDID thing - if you can get your Windows Desktop displaying on the TV at 1920x1080, then NextPVR will give render for that resolution. Setting the UI Resolution setting to 1920x1080 wont help you if your desktop resolution is not 1920x1080 - in that case either your video card or TV is stretching the image, and loosing quality.

Your best bet is to leave the UI Resolution set to 'auto', and it'll use whatever resolution the desktop is set to. The only situations you'd want to change this resolution are when you PC isn't grunty enough to generate the UI at the desktop resolution (requiring you to use a lower resolution UI), or if you've got a 16:9 monitor running at a 4:3 resolution (and you want to force NextPVR to generate a 16:9 UI).

[ccihon]

That's just it.... my desktop resolution in windows is in fact 1920x1080. NPVR UI is always 720, whether I set 1080 or auto in the settings. I am guessing that NPVR in full screen, with my setup, chooses the current display desktop resolution unless it is higher than the reported display mode the monitor supports. I can confirm this behavior - the box has a vga terminal and can be set to that resolution, and will render the UI etc at 1080 perfectly. I cannot use that input as the TV has no vga in. I also connected the box to another hdmi monitor and all functioned normally.

I am purchasing an hdmi edid emulator box that will report the correct resolution on the hdmi port, and $70 later, I'm pretty sure I will drive true 1080. I could locate no firmware upgrade for the TV. Was just hoping there was a workaround in code, as Windows will send resolutions higher than the edid max after warning you - but NPVR would seem not to.

[sub]

What makes you think it's 720? If it's set to auto, and your desktop is 1920x1080, then that's the resolution it'll be rendering to.

It's more likely a case of your videocard->TV doesn't support that resolution, so one of those items is causing scaling to happen, blurrying things up.

[ccihon]

The key thing is the TV reports via EDID on hdmi it is a 720 set, but in fact the TV is a 1080p TV, and does support that resolution cleanly in windows:



Here is NPVR, set at 1080 but evident it is scaled:



Not a npvr issue, to be sure...but just pointing out in my case a 1080 desktop resolution does not guarantee npvr will display at that resolution. I found others with the same set and similar issues with games, etc., or in linux, where an override is needed. Windows itself overrides the native res.
Here is a screen cap of what it should look like (unplugged hdmi and defaulted over to vga):

[ccihon]

As expected, using an edid cloning device, npvr now displays full resolution just like the windows desktop. My situation is likely very unique, as the TV is 1080 but did not report it could support it. The device intercepts that and passes proper resolutions.

One learning point is that npvr will not render a resolution higher than a display lists in its modes, regardless of setting.

[johnsonx42]

One learning point is that npvr will not render a resolution higher than a display lists in its modes, regardless of setting.

this has nothing at all to do with NPVR, it knows nothing about the EDID data your display is sending, nor does it change the resolution. looking at your screen shots, the top screen shot shows 1920x1080 with the text size set to medium or large, while the bottom screen shot shows the text size set to small. all the EDID cloning device is doing is changing the size or DPI information of the display, causing Windows to choose a different default text size (in other words, the EDID device is making your TV look like a regular desktop monitor to windows).

(sorry that I didn't see that before you spent $70)