Unable to apply appropriate custom 1024 x 820 resolution to 5:4 aspect ratio 19-inch LCD monitor

[BernardP]

I am trying to fine-tune my parents new Dimension E521 (NVidia 6150 LE integrated graphics).

The monitor is a 19-inch Dell 1907FP with a 1280x1024 native resolution. Not surprisingly, my parents find this resolution produces too much small detail for their aging eyes. So I set the resolution at 1024x768, which gives acceptable results, except for one thing:

The native 1280x1024 ia a 5:4 ratio, while the 1024x768 is a 4:3 ratio. Consequently, everything on screen is slightly elongated vertically at 1024x768. Not the end of the world, but clearly visible, for example when viewing the big Earth globe in Google Earth

So I tried setting a Custom Resolution in the NVidia Control Panel. 1024x820 is the correct resolution to maintain a 5:4 ratio, and I successfully added it to available resolutions.

The problem is that when I try apply this 1024x820 resolution, it doesn't work. Not only do objects on-screen remain elongated, but the Taskbar and Start buttons disappear somewhere "below" the visible part of the screen. Moving the Taskbar to the side then makes it is vertically truncated.

The obvious fix for this would be to shrink the picture vertically using the On-Screen Display, but I see no control for this. The auto-adjust control in the OSD does nothing except flicker the screen a couple of times. The monitor is connected with VGA cable, as there is no DVI output on the E521...I guess that is why they call the graphics adapter 6150 "LE"

Is there a way to make the Custom 1024x820 resolution be applied correctly to the screen display?

I am not interested in playing with larger icons and fonts at the native 1280x1024 resolution, as my previous experiences with these parameters have never been satisfactory: There are always things on-screen that persist in remaining too small. This is also true in Internet Explorer.

I am more interested in information regarding configuration at the system level, like settings I might have missed in the NVidia Control Panel or hidden adjustements for the display panel.

Thanks.

 

[BernardP]

Bumping myself...

I must say I have searched the web and this forum before asking this question. Also I have asked on the Dell Users' Forum....I could not find any info.

I was thinking that keeping the proper aspect ratio at non-native resolution should be something that many people would be wondering about. Yet, I can't find any discussion of this subject.

The distortion arising from going to 4:3 from 5:4 is about 5% in the vertical axis (820 - 768) / 1024. So it is noticeable. And I know for a fact that many users run their LCD monitors at lower than native resolution. Where I work, we also have Dell 1907FP's, and more than half of about 50 people run it at 1024x768 or 1152x864. The vertical distortion has little impact in Word or Excel though.

What really bugs me is the seeming absence of vertical screen size adjustment on the LCD monitor. My CRT at home has this. Why is it not available on a LCD?

I hope someone can enlighten me.

 

[Lonyo]

Try 1024x824 or 816?
I might be making it up, but I'm sure I read something about resolutions not divisible by 8 being weird or something. It won't kill you to try anyway.

 

[Atty]

Is it a supported resolution by the monitor?

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Is it a supported resolution by the monitor?

I didn't know that lower resolutions had to be "supported" by the monitor. Here is what I found on the Dell web site:

Factory Preset Resolution Modes:

720x400 pixels @ 28.3 MHz, 640x480 pixels @ 25.2 MHz, 640x480 pixels @ 31.5 MHz, 800x600 pixels @ 49.5 MHz, 1024x768 pixels @ 65.0 MHz, 1024x768 pixels @ 78.8 MHz, 1152x864 pixels @ 108 MHz, 1280x1024 pixels @ 135 MHz

I am sure it would look great @ 720x400 / 28.3 MHz

I will try to see if I can see something about this in the factory service menu.

 

[Peter]

Big icons, big or huge font, high contrast color scheme, and a web browser that knows how to scale pages including the images. And then leave it at its native resolution.

 

[BernardP]

I have looked in the factory menu (I also have a 1907FP at work) and found nothing as to the possibility of adding supported resolutions.

As for the "divisible by 8" suggestion, I will try 1024x816 on my next visit to my parents'

EDIT: I tried 1024x816 and it doesn't work. I was looking for something quick and simple, and there is no such thing here. So they will have to live with the slight vertical distortion.