Screen larger than monitor

[laqa]

Hello, I just installed a new TV/Monitor, Philips 32PFL4017G/78 and specs say full HD. I am now using two monitors, this one and a LG that's fine with a 1680X1050 resolution. Windows states max resolution for the Philips is 1980X1080, but it does not look as good as the LG, and, worse, icons are half outside the screen. I installed drivers from my Zotac Nvidia GE Force 210 video card, and nothing changed.

Thanks,

Luis.

 

[kelvin08113]

How come you use 2 different sizes' monitors?

 

[Sunius]

Use their respective resolutions, 1920x1080 for phillips and 1680x1050 for the LG. Don't try to force it display different resolution than it's native.

 

[laqa]

That's what I'm doing, the 1680X1050 is beautiful, but the 1920X1080 seems strange, and Windows 7 screen is larger than the monitor's.

Thanks, Luis.

 

[Sunius]

What cable are you using to connect the Phillips? If I were you, I'd try disconnecting LG, starting the PC with Phillips connected and try making it work alone.

 

[laqa]

Philips is HDMI, LG is DVI, I tried to work with only Philips connected, and it was the same.

Thanks, Luis.

 

[mgolus]

A lot of modern televisions will apply a 5% or so overscan to the image, basically zooming in on the picture, resulting in a non 1 to 1 pixel mapping. This is often unnoticeable when the tv is connected to a blu-ray player or gaming console, but will result in part of the screen being cut off and poor image quality when connected to a PC. This is from Phillips FAQ regarding connecting the display to a PC:

"For a 1080i/1080p video signal, if you want to view the entire picture with 1:1 pixel mapping (i.e. 1080p picture on a 1080p screen, if your TV is 1080p) without the 5% overscan which crops the picture on all four sides, please select Unscaled picture format for best performance."

Source: http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?scy=US&mid=Link_FAQs&view=aa12_view_partial.html&session=20120407201420_66.249.72.16&list=aa12_list_partial.html&slg=AEN&ctn=32PFL4907/F7&dct=FAQ&refnr=0080299&faqview=1

Page 16 of the manual for the TV provides some more detail under the Change Picture Format heading:

"[Unscaled]: Provide maximum detail for PC. Only available when PC mode is selected in the Picture menu."

Manual: http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/3/32pfl4017g_78/32pfl4017g_78_dfu_aen.pdf

 

[Sunius]

What was the resolution set to when you were working with Philips only?

 

[laqa]

Hey, my icons returned to the screen, thanks a lot, but screen is still strange, not as beautiful as the monitor.

Thanks again, Luis.

 

[laqa]

I did not change the resolution, it is set 1920X1080, but now my icons returned to the screen, and I adjusted it's brightness and sharpness, and it is getting more like the LG monitor. Can this be a driver issue? My drivers are up to date, I downloaded instead of using the supplied CD.

Thanks, Luis.

 

[mgolus]

Most TVs also offer a lot of options to make the picture look "better." Often times, many of these options are adjusted by default to make the picture look bright/vibrant when viewing movies or games but often unnatural and provide poor image quality when the display is connected to a PC. You may want to play with some of the picture options. Try changing the sharpness and disabling things such as Noise Reduction, Color Enhancements, and Dynamic Contrast (See page 28 of the above linked manual). Note, some of these options may be disabled while the display is in PC mode.

 

[mgolus]

You may also want to try updating the firmware on the display itself if your current firmware is outdated. Phillips may have provided updates to fix any known image quality issues.

Firmware and instructions: http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?scy=US&slg=AEN&sct=4000_SERIES_SE&cat=TELEVISIONS_CA&grp=SOUND_AND_VISION_GR&session=20120407201420_66.249.72.16&ctn=32PFL4907/F7&list=aa12_list_partial.html&mid=Link_Software&hlt=Link_Software

 

[laqa]

Dear friends, I found the issue, PC mode was OFF. Thank you very much for all your time and patience.
Very best regards,
Luis.

 

[mgolus]

You are welcome! Glad you got the issue resolved!

 

[laqa]

Manual did not have a hint about this setting. Thanks again and have a nice Friday.