In addition, NVIDIA offers users correction modes to solve the problem of the Windows desktop overscanned and cutting off the Windows Start Button.
The first method, underscan, works by centering a lower resolution on the HDTV screen. For component out, NVIDIA determined through market research that 15% overscan is common with many TVs (both SDTV and HDTV). NVIDIA used this information to create two custom resolutions that are optimal for Web browsing, running applications, and playing games on HDTV sets. These resolutions are:
- 720p: 1088 x 612 (85% of the full 1280x720.)
- 1080i: 1600 x 900 (1632 x 918 is 85% of the full 1920x1080, but that is so close to 1600x900 that 1600 x 900 is used instead.)
The third technique, native mode, has where no overscan compensation done in order to give the user a true cinematic experience. This is useful when the user does not want any pixel compression (squishing) and does not want the mouse to shift the desktop.
The table below illustrates the use case of these corrective methods.
| Use Case | Recommended Corrective Method | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| Watch movies | Native | Underscan correction always reduces the quality of the video being watched since it changes the size of the native video resolution by compressing the size of the pixels. In addition, sometimes there is additional electronic information recorded in the invisible portions of the video stream. This is not supposed to be seen directly by the user, as it can be very distracting. Underscan or overscan shift would cause this information to now become visible. |
| Browse the web | Overscan shift Underscan |
Browsing the web requires that the end user see all information in the browser window. Either of these modes will allow the users accomplish this and provide the best web viewing experience. |
| Run Windows applications | ||
| Play full-screen games | Underscan | If the application correctly queries the graphics driver and requests the modes it supports, the end user will be able to play the game in the corrected underscan mode and see all of the information on their display. However, some games do not query the graphics driver. Instead, these games hard code the resolutions supported in the game directly into their code. Therefore the end user must find an alternative way to correct the resolution, like checking the display for correction options. |
For more information on configuring Analog Component Out on your graphics card, please consult the section Configuring HDTV in the ForceWare Release 60 User’s Guide.
* Supported on graphics boards with Conexant 875 or Philips 7108 TV encoders and compatible connectors.
