Using a smaller screen size to watch low resolution video

[nic007]

What I'm going to say seems obvious but could be valuable information for some nevertheless. My laptop screen setting is generally set at the highest resolution for my screen ie. 1280 x 800 This makes for good viewing of HD videos ie. 720P and even higher. I generally download videos from youtube and if available, will download in 720P resolution. However, if you use youtube, you will know that most videos are only available in the very low 640 x 360 resolution. Watching these videos on a standard computer screen with 1280 x 800 size will either give you a very small picture (if you choose actual size) or a fuzzy picture if you blow it up. So, I have been experimenting a little and tried a screen resolution of 640 x 480 with the highest colour depth available (24 bit Puppy, 32 bit Windows). Surprisingly, the result has actually been very good. Not only is the size of the actual video large enough for proper viewing but it is also much sharper (well, as good as it is going to get with that low resolution). I've downloaded a lot of these low resolution videos before and it was just sitting on my harddrive as it really wasn't a pleasure to watch because of the quality. But after going the 640 x 480 route, these videos have become very watchable. Worth a try.

[Burn_IT]

Try setting your screen to 640x400 and the picture should be even better.
It is always going to be better to use a screen size that is an EXACT fraction of the real resolution. That way you always get whole number pixel mapping rather than fractional mapping. In this case 2 for one in each dimension.

[nic007]

Theoretically speaking, yes. However, the resolution you mention is uncommon and will only be available if your video card supports it (mine doesn't). 640 x 480 is very common and almost all video cards will support that resolution. Which brings us to the point - why would a machine with a default wide-screen resolution of 1280 x 800 (like mine) not support the resolution of exactly half that size? Seems a bit illogical, doesn't it?

[8Geee]

On the other side of viewing... the monitor.

On a newer iPhone you might have 250 pixels per inch (0.004" square or 0.1mm square.) Doing the math for the resolution indicates the physucal size of what you have selected (400x640 translates to 40x64mm). On most nebooks like I use its 133 per inch (0.19mm or 0.0075" square) that translates to 76x122mm size. Most video monitors of high quality are 100 pixels per inch, so the viewed image is even larger. TV sets are much worse, and use anti-aliasing algorithms.

After selecting the resolution, the monitor determines the actual viewed size of the image.

[Burn_IT]

Which brings us to the point - why would a machine with a default wide-screen resolution of 1280 x 800 (like mine) not support the resolution of exactly half that size? Seems a bit illogical, doesn't it?

It almost certainly will support it, it just isn't in the list of default sizes - which is traditional, not practical.
There will likely be an option to provide CUSTOM sizes, and if there isn't, you need to find out where the default list is held and change it.
Somewhere back in the archives (20+ years) there is a thread that I contributed to detailing where the list is and how to override it.

I can't remember the exact details right now.

[p310don]

I have a late '90s model CRT-TV that has VGA input. For years (up until 18months ago) it served as my main TV / Movie display. Anything I downloaded at low resolution looked great on the 78cm 640x480 screen.

I now have a higher def projector, and some of my old favourite movies look like crap because they are scaled up...

[nic007]

Nope doesn't support that odd resolution. Checked the extended list in the advance menu of all listed for the adapter in Windows too..and neither in Puppy. Anyways, the difference will be neglectable (a slightly bigger picture). The actual quality of the picture is actually not affected by whatever higher screen resolution you may use (ie. if you select to view the actual size of the video within that screen size). It's just that the picture will be proportianally smaller. The benefit of using a smaller screen size is that you get a big enough video display by default. A practical solution.

[nic007]

I have a late '90s model CRT-TV that has VGA input. For years (up until 18months ago) it served as my main TV / Movie display. Anything I downloaded at low resolution looked great on the 78cm 640x480 screen.

I now have a higher def projector, and some of my old favourite movies look like crap because they are scaled up...

Can you set the projector so that it does not scale up (I think one can do this with some new tv's)?

[Burn_IT]

As I said, do they not allow a custom size??
I always found that the graphics card itself will do what you tell it to do; it is just the list that does not have that size as one to choose from.
If you find the file that contains the list and ADD your size, it will use it when you select it.

[nic007]

As I said, do they not allow a custom size??
I always found that the graphics card itself will do what you tell it to do; it is just the list that does not have that size as one to choose from.
If you find the file that contains the list and ADD your size, it will use it when you select it.

The advanced extended list lists ALL possible resolutions that the card can handle and there are no further customised options. So the answer is no...or you stand a chance of breaking the card if you somehow found a way to get it manipulated (not worth the chance).

[nic007]

A tip if you are using VLC - The picture of low resolution videos tends to look fuzzy and dullish. This can be improved by enabling "sharpen" in video effects under the tools tab. Click the box to enable sharpen and move the slider ever so slightly to the right (about 1 to 3mm). The improvement is most effective when you are a fair distance from the screen.

[greengeek]

But after going the 640 x 480 route, these videos have become very watchable. Worth a try.

What is your preferred method for switching resolutions? Do you create a new xorg.conf then restart X?

Any chance of a quick tutorial?

cheers!

[wiak]

On my 1200x800 resolution laptop, LXRandR (from lxde.org) works well for resolution changes. Machine is an HP Elitebook 2530p with Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics and the resolution choices given via LXRandR in 64bit XenialDog are:

EDIT:
1280x800
1024x768
640x480
640x400

I don't need to restart X - just need to press Apply button and accept the result.

wiak

[Burn_IT]

The advanced extended list lists ALL possible resolutions that the card can handle and there are no further customised options. So the answer is no...or you stand a chance of breaking the card if you somehow found a way to get it manipulated (not worth the chance).

Not always true.
If the list contains say
1920x1080x60
1920x900x60
and you need 1920x960x60 then you are not going to break it.
It is only if you ask for resolutions and speeds OUTSIDE the ranges it supports that you are likely to damage it

[wiak]

By the way, though I can get 640x480 or 640x400 via LXRandR on 64bit XenialDog, on 32bit Slacko Pup 6.3.2 using xrandr (Start menu -> Setup -> Xorg Video Wizard, I only get offered (i.e. no lower resolutions offered):

1280x800
1024x768
800x600

No idea why the difference. It's the same laptop, same graphics card, so I can only assume a different driver at this stage.

wiak

[Burn_IT]

As I suspect I said earlier,
It depends what resolutions are on the list they are using, and they probably use different lists. You will need to find the lists.

[wiak]

Some info on changing offered resolutions when using xrandr here:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/xr ... esolutions

The utilities gtf and cvt mentioned in above link are both available in my 32bit Slacko 6.3.2 pristine installation.

wiak

[nic007]

Hi, greengeek.
I use Windows XP most of the time and have a resolution changer application permanently in the tray. Just right-click and bingo. As far as Puppy goes - A quick method (without making scripts or using terminal) is: setup from menu > Xorg Video Wizard > Resolution Changer. This method does not require X to restart but is hit and miss (I can get 1280 x 800 to change to 1024 x 768 but that's about it). Otherwise choose xorgwizard from Xorg Video Wizard Screen > probe > more.

BTW - After more testing in terms of changing resolutions I have settled with the following which seems to work best on my machine:
1. Use 1280 x 800 screen size for videos with resolutions higher than x 480 to x 800. This includes some older DVD rips which typically are 720 x 576. Depending on the source quality of the video, some x 480 videos can also be watched with this screen size.
2. Use 1024 x 768 screen size for lower resolutions as a general rule. There are some x 360 videos which are very poor though, in which case a screen size of 800 x 600 may work better. Avoid a screen size of 640 x 480 as this seems to be dullish by nature.
3. The above recommendations are made using VLC with fullscreen interface (not fullscreen) and fit to screen options.
4. The tip to use "sharpen" as mentioned earlier in the thread is beneficial to use for all videos with a lower resolution than 1280 x 800.
5. Use the highest possible colour depht for your video card (generally this will be 32-bit for Windows or 24-bit for Puppy).

[wiak]

Have now tried the xrandr commands --newmode, --addmode, and --output, along with initial cvt 640 480 command given on that Arch page I provided link for. That added the 640x480 mode to the xrandr list, but wouldn't work. I similarly tried to add 640x400, which was again added to list successfully, but still didn't work on this 32bit Slacko Pup. But, as I said, these resolutions work in XenialDog64, on same machine, so I am pretty sure now that it is a driver issue difference and not to do with available xorg mode lines.

wiak

Xorg Video Wizard was the method I already gave. That is using xrandr, which is what the rest of my explanations have been about.

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 824#989824

[nic007]

Have now tried the xrandr commands --newmode, --addmode, and --output, along with initial cvt 640 480 command given on that Arch page I provided link for. That added the 640x480 mode to the xrandr list, but wouldn't work. I similarly tried to add 640x400, which was again added to list successfully, but still didn't work on this 32bit Slacko Pup. But, as I said, these resolutions work in XenialDog64, on same machine, so I am pretty sure now that it is a driver issue difference and not to do with available xorg mode lines.

wiak

Xorg Video Wizard was the method I already gave. That is using xrandr, which is what the rest of my explanations have been about.

The resolution changer (I think this is xrandr) only lists 1280 x 800; 1024 x 768 and 800 x 600 on my machine (and only the first two works), nothing else. To get ALL available modes check my above post (you need to use xorgwizard and select "more" as mentioned). Selecting your mode from there works.