Set pixel aspect ratio? at DVinfo.net

Kell Smith · November 20th, 2011, 04:34 PM

Ok... am I missing something here?
Displaying a G5 (Tiger, 4.11) on a Vizio 32" monitor. DVI>VGA to the RGB port.
Getting stretched images on 1024x768. Is there any way to set my pixel aspect ratio for display, on the Mac? Can't set it on the TV.
I"m sure i"m just missing something blatantly obvious?
Thanks in advance.

Sareesh Sudhakaran · November 20th, 2011, 09:04 PM

HD has a pixel aspect ratio of 1. Is your monitor on widescreen (PAL or NTSC)? Which program are you using to view the image? Does it look stretched regardless of the program?

Kell Smith · November 20th, 2011, 09:29 PM

NTSC.
I'm not using a specific program as of yet - just taking it out from the finder, using it as a monitor. But I can see that the icons are stretched a bit.
The display settings on the TV are pretty basic (i.e. movie, standard, etc). The stretching seems to be a problem no matter which setting it's on. It's a Vizio, only a few years old. There should be a way to make these work together. Somehow.

Kell Smith · November 21st, 2011, 01:26 AM

Bump... anyone out there encountered this? Thx. I really need to get this working, if it's possible to get it to view correctly.
edit... you know, it just occurred to me- my original remote bit the dust, so I've been using a universal remote with limited function to operate the tv. So in this case, I'm having to access the menu commands from the buttons on the side of the TV. I wonder if there's a setting in the remote that's not in that menu? I wonder if "game," "movie," etc settings are different from the widescreen setting?

Arnie Schlissel · November 21st, 2011, 11:50 AM

The odds of you getting a correct display using DVI to a consumer TV are not good. Is this supposed to be your computer monitor or your video monitor?

Kell Smith · November 21st, 2011, 11:57 AM

I do have a small JVC monitor for color correction, etc. I have two CRT monitors but they are very heavy and in storage right now as I have recently moved and don't want to drag them out again until I have an office. They are ridiculously heavy and would be difficult to get up the stairs. I was hoping the Vizio would be something I could use in the meantime, with the JVC for fine-tuning. My understanding was that this TV was supposed to be able to double as a monitor. This is very disappointing.

Sareesh Sudhakaran · November 21st, 2011, 08:55 PM

If it was a pixel aspect problem - on an NTSC monitor you should get squeezed images, not widened ones, unless of course you are viewing widescreen NTSC. Stretched images can also result from improper overscan - does your monitor work well otherwise?

If you are getting wide icons try changing the display settings from your OS. If the TV is locked on NTSC you can't change much.

Hope this helps.

Kell Smith · November 21st, 2011, 11:45 PM

I think it may be locked on widescreen and that may be causing the problem. I will have to order a remote from the manufacturer.
For the record, I don't see a way to adjust display settings (other than resolution) from the OS. I don't see a way to adjust pixel aspect ratio output. Is there one? Just to know.
I think it's the widescreen issue that is the culprit here though. I'll know soon enough once I find a remote where it can be adjusted.

Drew Wallner · November 27th, 2011, 11:16 AM

If I understand your situation correctly, I don't think you'll be able to fully troubleshoot it until you can fully access the user interface on the television and confirm what viewing mode it's in (you'll want "dot-for-dot" or whatever that manufacturer calls it's most pixel-direct option).

In any case however, you may find this application extremely useful:

http://www.madrau.com/whatis/whatis.html

SwitchResX is considered a must-have by many folks who use Mac OS X based computers for home theater and other use cases in which a television or projector is the primary viewing device instead of a computer monitor. It can be very helpful in teasing out the exact settings (within the limitations of hardware, of course) to get a given Mac and a given display in harmony.

Kell Smith · December 19th, 2011, 05:35 PM

Thanks Drew,
I was able to solve this by 1) getting the proper remote from Vizio (NO small task since most of them don't even have the widescreen setting on the remote anymore and apparently that was the only place on earth that it could be taken off widescreen since it wasn't included in the menus in this model),
and 2) using either Switch Res X or Display Config X to switch my display to the proper 1368 x768 resolution (don't remember now which display program I decided on).
Thanks for your help everyone.

November 20th, 2011, 04:34 PM	#1
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Set pixel aspect ratio? Ok... am I missing something here? Displaying a G5 (Tiger, 4.11) on a Vizio 32" monitor. DVI>VGA to the RGB port. Getting stretched images on 1024x768. Is there any way to set my pixel aspect ratio for display, on the Mac? Can't set it on the TV. I"m sure i"m just missing something blatantly obvious? Thanks in advance.

November 20th, 2011, 09:04 PM	#2
Sareesh Sudhakaran Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,385	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? HD has a pixel aspect ratio of 1. Is your monitor on widescreen (PAL or NTSC)? Which program are you using to view the image? Does it look stretched regardless of the program? __________________ Get the Free Comprehensive Guide to Rigging ANY Camera - one guide to rig them all - DSLRs to the Arri Alexa.

November 20th, 2011, 09:29 PM	#3
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? NTSC. I'm not using a specific program as of yet - just taking it out from the finder, using it as a monitor. But I can see that the icons are stretched a bit. The display settings on the TV are pretty basic (i.e. movie, standard, etc). The stretching seems to be a problem no matter which setting it's on. It's a Vizio, only a few years old. There should be a way to make these work together. Somehow.

November 21st, 2011, 01:26 AM	#4
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? Bump... anyone out there encountered this? Thx. I really need to get this working, if it's possible to get it to view correctly. edit... you know, it just occurred to me- my original remote bit the dust, so I've been using a universal remote with limited function to operate the tv. So in this case, I'm having to access the menu commands from the buttons on the side of the TV. I wonder if there's a setting in the remote that's not in that menu? I wonder if "game," "movie," etc settings are different from the widescreen setting? Last edited by Kell Smith; November 21st, 2011 at 10:55 AM.

November 21st, 2011, 11:50 AM	#5
Arnie Schlissel Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York NY Posts: 322	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? The odds of you getting a correct display using DVI to a consumer TV are not good. Is this supposed to be your computer monitor or your video monitor? __________________ Post production is not an afterthought! www.arniepix.com

November 21st, 2011, 11:57 AM	#6
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? I do have a small JVC monitor for color correction, etc. I have two CRT monitors but they are very heavy and in storage right now as I have recently moved and don't want to drag them out again until I have an office. They are ridiculously heavy and would be difficult to get up the stairs. I was hoping the Vizio would be something I could use in the meantime, with the JVC for fine-tuning. My understanding was that this TV was supposed to be able to double as a monitor. This is very disappointing.

November 21st, 2011, 08:55 PM	#7
Sareesh Sudhakaran Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,385	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? If it was a pixel aspect problem - on an NTSC monitor you should get squeezed images, not widened ones, unless of course you are viewing widescreen NTSC. Stretched images can also result from improper overscan - does your monitor work well otherwise? If you are getting wide icons try changing the display settings from your OS. If the TV is locked on NTSC you can't change much. Hope this helps. __________________ Get the Free Comprehensive Guide to Rigging ANY Camera - one guide to rig them all - DSLRs to the Arri Alexa.

November 21st, 2011, 11:45 PM	#8
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? I think it may be locked on widescreen and that may be causing the problem. I will have to order a remote from the manufacturer. For the record, I don't see a way to adjust display settings (other than resolution) from the OS. I don't see a way to adjust pixel aspect ratio output. Is there one? Just to know. I think it's the widescreen issue that is the culprit here though. I'll know soon enough once I find a remote where it can be adjusted.

November 27th, 2011, 11:16 AM	#9
Drew Wallner New Boot Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kailua, HI Posts: 24	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? If I understand your situation correctly, I don't think you'll be able to fully troubleshoot it until you can fully access the user interface on the television and confirm what viewing mode it's in (you'll want "dot-for-dot" or whatever that manufacturer calls it's most pixel-direct option). In any case however, you may find this application extremely useful: http://www.madrau.com/whatis/whatis.html SwitchResX is considered a must-have by many folks who use Mac OS X based computers for home theater and other use cases in which a television or projector is the primary viewing device instead of a computer monitor. It can be very helpful in teasing out the exact settings (within the limitations of hardware, of course) to get a given Mac and a given display in harmony.

December 19th, 2011, 05:35 PM	#10
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Re: Set pixel aspect ratio? Thanks Drew, I was able to solve this by 1) getting the proper remote from Vizio (NO small task since most of them don't even have the widescreen setting on the remote anymore and apparently that was the only place on earth that it could be taken off widescreen since it wasn't included in the menus in this model), and 2) using either Switch Res X or Display Config X to switch my display to the proper 1368 x768 resolution (don't remember now which display program I decided on). Thanks for your help everyone.