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Anand implying Windows doesn't support integer DPI scaling

I

internetf1fan

Junior Member
This is an outrage. Why are you guys to keep on spreading FUD? If you read the bootcamp section of the Retina MBP review, you will see the author claim that Windows doesn't support integer scaling like x2. Had they bothered to go past the preset options given by Windows, they would have known that it's very easy to set a custom dpi at 200% or any other value you want. So yes, Windows does support integer scaling. Please correct your article.

Please note that while we are the AnandTech Forums, we are the AnandTech Forums. For complaints about AnandTech's articles you need to email the authors directly. We cannot help you with this, and the authors do not regularly read these forums
-ViRGE
 
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OS supports it, true. However, most of software does not. Only newest stuff for .NET has proper scaling, as Microsoft screwed up there with its development tools used to make SW for Windows.

MS article on issue
If you set the DPI higher than 96, and you are running Windows Aero (the premium visual experience of Windows Vista), the text and other items on the screen might appear blurry in some programs that are not designed for high–DPI display in this version of Windows. You can avoid this issue by using Windows XP–style DPI scaling for these programs.
Click to expand...

Further reading on subject - Dpi scaling in Vista
 
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Yes, but that has nothing to do with my complaint. Anand is misleading readers in their review with false information. Windows DOES support integer scaling.

On the other hand the review also pointed out software on Macs which didn't look good on retina. When it's on OS X, it's the app developers fault. When it's on Windows, it's MSs fault.

Anand needs to post an update or some sort of apology.
 
The biggest issue with scaling in windows is that the application are so mismatched in their design and what they support that scaling really doesn't work , even if it were floating point to 100 digits. Until MS does something to unify the look and feel , scaling will never work.
 
And that has nothing to do with my post. Please read it again. To claim that Windows doesn't support integer scaling like they have done in the article is an outright lie and brings into question the author's journalistic integrity. I have always viewed AnandTech positively, but allowing such blatantly false statements to be posted for the world to read has brought down my opinion of AT a lot.
 
I understand what the OP is saying. Windows seems to support integer DPI scaling as an OS. Some apps within Windows have trouble because the 3rd party developer did not program proper high DPI support. Anandtech called out MS on this issue. In the same respect, OSX supports integer DPI scaling, and some 3rd party software looks messed up. In this case, Anandtech called out the 3rd party developer and not Apple.

I can see the rub.
 
The horrendous scaling in Windows is the major reason why no OEM bothered to put in a high DPI display in it's laptops by default. Everyone would complain about either super tiny text or super blurry text if DPI was changed.

EDIT: By horrendous, I mean non-integer scaling of 3rd party apps. They often use custom UIs that assume a certain DPI.
 
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Subyman said:
I understand what the OP is saying. Windows seems to support integer DPI scaling as an OS. Some apps within Windows have trouble because the 3rd party developer did not program proper high DPI support. Anandtech called out MS on this issue. In the same respect, OSX supports integer DPI scaling, and some 3rd party software looks messed up. In this case, Anandtech called out the 3rd party developer and not Apple.

I can see the rub.
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If I read AT's article correctly, bad Windows applications fail in a far different manner than Mac OS X applications. Even in Mac applications that are completely DPI ignorant the worst thing that happens is that you get an increase in size but you don't get an increase in sharpness. Whereas with Windows applications you get all sorts of funky failures such as programs that fail to enlarge or text that doesn't fit in text boxes. Windows does not have an equivalent of Mac OS X style integer scaling/pixel doubling.
 
Scaling has improved a lot in Windows. It was almost unusable in XP, functional in Vista but not always supported by applications, until now on Windows 7, I find no problems with any of the hundreds of applications I have installed.

On the Apple side it looks like a lot of software does not support scaling correctly and so appears blurry, as was common in Windows a few years ago.

There are two problems with Windows resolution and dpi scaling. First it relies on the user to set the dpi setting, and users largely do not know about it. And second it works by user, not per screen. There should be an automatic default which depends on the screen size and resolution of each screen.
 
Read this two days ago (great article!). The "Boot Camp" section was updated:

Update: As many of you have correctly pointed out, Windows allows you to specify custom DPI scaling modes including an integer 2.0 setting. The result is the same "1440 x 900"-like desktop you get under OS X. Application compatibility still appears to be an issue, check out the gallery below for some examples. Overall Windows is very usable on the rMBP, but just as under OS X the overall experience really depends on application support.
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http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/9
 
Oh my god!!! what an outrage!!! The world is ending because an article on a small tech site was slightly wrong on one small, un-important, inconsequential fact. We shall all perish now.

Anyway, yea Windows DPI scaling is horrible. I have two users who refused to get proper prescriptions for their glasses, so they demand DPI scaling be turned on. I hate it cause some Windows apps look horrible, icons are stretched and some text in some apps is blurry. Then they ask my why the text is blurry. Get a proper prescription, and run the monitor at the proper resolution, and without scaling, and everything is fine.
 
dawks said:
Anyway, yea Windows DPI scaling is horrible. I have two users who refused to get proper prescriptions for their glasses, so they demand DPI scaling be turned on. I hate it cause some Windows apps look horrible, icons are stretched and some text in some apps is blurry. Then they ask my why the text is blurry. Get a proper prescription, and run the monitor at the proper resolution, and without scaling, and everything is fine.
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You don't understand display technology. Displays advance and physical dpi tends to increase. This benefits the user because images are sharper and text is more readable. We are not going to stay at a typical 1990 dpi forever, as you seem to suggest.
Displays with high dpi require a high dpi setting in the os. Do you expect images and text to just keep grtting smaller and smaller until they become microscopic? Also user preferences come into play.
Windows supports all this. Applications that do not are slipshod and should be avoided.
 
dawks said:
Anyway, yea Windows DPI scaling is horrible. I have two users who refused to get proper prescriptions for their glasses, so they demand DPI scaling be turned on. I hate it cause some Windows apps look horrible, icons are stretched and some text in some apps is blurry. Then they ask my why the text is blurry. Get a proper prescription, and run the monitor at the proper resolution, and without scaling, and everything is fine.
Click to expand...

It's not Windows fault. It's the 3 party devs fault for not using the right technology. I agree with one of the previous posters. When something doesn't work in Windows, everyone blames MS. When something doesn't work on Macs, it's usually always the third parties fault. That's hypocrisy at its best.
 
I always hated that on a display if you up the resolution the text and icons got so small that only a 14 year old could read it. A lot of people have poor vision as they grow older. There need to be some workable standards and a wider range of icon and text size. So I just lower the resolution since I can barely see anyway. Thank goodness for these high quality HD Monitors.
 
CSMR said:
You don't understand display technology. Displays advance and physical dpi tends to increase. This benefits the user because images are sharper and text is more readable. We are not going to stay at a typical 1990 dpi forever, as you seem to suggest.
Displays with high dpi require a high dpi setting in the os. Do you expect images and text to just keep grtting smaller and smaller until they become microscopic? Also user preferences come into play.
Windows supports all this. Applications that do not are slipshod and should be avoided.
Click to expand...

Actually I do quite well. I think you mis-understood my post.
 
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