• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Cinemascope Monitor.

motorman-mike

motorman-mike

Brum visitor who stayed.
Some folks will remember problems I had with my old computer. I then threw it out and replaced it with a brand new one. About a month ago the new one developed the same fault as the old one. As I hadn't renewed the monitor screen it was a simple deduction that the monitor was the problem. I have now replaced the monitor with a flash new H-P make but now find the screen being wider that everything is stretched across the screen. Is this how it has to be or can the picture be adjusted even if it means a black margin on either side of the screen? There are no instructions with the monitor for this so do I just have to get used to it. Advice would be most welcome. (With my interest in trams and buses, the screen makes them look about 40ft long on photos!)
 
Hi, Mike,
I had that problem when I bought a Dell widescreen for my HP Desktop. If the picture was taken in 4:3 size it doesn't fill the screen. I did have to set my display resolution in Windows Control Panel to 1440x900 and the pictures were excellent and very acceptable. I'm using Linux Ubuntu at the moment so I can't exactly check my settings. I will boot up in Windows XP early tomorrow and look at my settings - you will probably have sorted it before then !:)
 
1600 x 1024 would be better if you can see that choice of resolution in the settings. Remember that wide screen TV is 16:9 ratio so that 16:10.24 is pretty close.
 
Hello Mike,
I've now got Windows running and I do get unused areas of screen on the sides with 'normal' photos. My Dell 19" screen area measures 16"x10"= 1.6 and my resolution setting 1440 x 900 = 1.6. Our 32" TV screen area measures 27.5"x15.5" = 1.77. The Laptop I'm using at present measures 13.1" x 8.18" = 1.6, and the resolution is set at 1280 x 800 = 1.6. I bought my Dell screen so I could watch TV and BBC iPlayer without top and bottom black areas. The 'crafty' screen and TV manufacturers always give screen diagonal sizes to make them seem larger. I bought my wife a Digi Photo frame and that's got a 5" x 3" (1.66) screen so I have to use Picasa to crop all the photos I put in it to fill its screen without unused areas !:)
 
Many thanks for all the help and advice offered. Being a complete computer novice, I'm afraid I haven't managed to work out how to change to the figures suggested but in trying, found an adjustment "Fill to Aspect Ratio" which has taken the image to a sensible picture with black margin on each side Much happier with this although it makes the wider screen a bit of a waste.
Mike
 
To change the resolution (and hence the aspect ratio) of the screen:

Right click on the desktop background
Choose Personalise at the bottom of the drop-down menu that opens
In the new menu that opens click Display Settings (at the bottom of the list)
In the box that opens, you will see a slider. If you move this along it changes the width-to-height ratio at each step - figures change underneath the slider.

Set it to something like 1600 x 1024 pixels (which mine is) and click Apply.

The screen will go blank and then re-open in the new format. A box will be displayed with a message that the screen will revert to it's previous setting if you don't click OK within 10 seconds. This gives you time to decide if it's OK or not. If not it will just go back to how it was and you can try another setting.

The exact ratio figures will depend on what graphics card you have and what monitor - just experiment until you get what you want. You can't mess it up though, because the screen will always revert to your current setting until you positively select another.

Just for safety, though, before you change for the first time, make a note of the setting that the slider is at currently - you will then be able to get back to it manually as well.
 
dav19390,
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you very much. Have followed your instructions and picture fine now. The slider wouldn't give 1600x1024 but gave 1600x900 and this has given me a picture I am really pleased with.
Mike

Again my thanks to old Mohawk for answering my SOS call as well.
 
Hi, Mike,
Glad you got it sorted. Looks like your screen has exactly the same ratio as a TV screen 1600/900 =1.77 When I bought my screen it was a special offer from Tesco and I didn't notice that it's ratio was not exactly the same as a TV widescreen, but I'm ok with it.:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top