Bus error: Jake Billo’s weblog

It’s been slightly over a week since I moved into the new place and things are working out well so far. One of the major changes is that I haven’t had as much time to sit down and develop: instead, the roommates and myself tend to be more social in the community area. Unfortunately for the screaming fans of XenonMKV, though, this means I haven’t had a chance to deliver on some bug fixes and requested features. I hope to have something new by the end of the month on that end.

On the technology front, I haven’t had as much luck getting 1:1 pixel mapping on a KDS-55A2020 television as the KF42E200A, but it’s still quite usable for movies without any overscan. I’m using the default nVidia drivers on Windows Vista, and using the “Adjust HDTV desktop size” controls in the nVidia Control Panel applet. There were some promising threads on AVSforum but they all seemed to deal with Windows XP and Powerstrip, both of which are needed to create and display custom resolutions.

I’ll likely have a new Judge Jake episode out within the next week or so, as well.

I’ve discussed the holy grail of pixel mapping for the Sony E2000-series LCD projection televisions before. With the latest nVidia drivers on Vista, I believe I’ve found the most practical solution to this issue.

First, it’s notable that even using the HDMI inputs, 1:1 pixel mapping doesn’t seem easily attainable from a PC. While the native resolution of this particular TV is indeed 720p (1280×720, progressive), there is still a significant amount of overscan to account for.

My particular solution involves setting two display resolutions. The first is a 1:1 (or approximate) pixel mapped image when at the Windows desktop, set at 1152×648. This resolution is automatically detected in the Windows Display control panel and nVidia resolution list when connected with a DVI to HDMI cable. The second is a full 720p image while in Windows Media Center, which can have its own resolution detected independently:

To set up this type of display mapping, first install the latest nVidia drivers. Once installed, you should have an nVidia Control Panel option when right-clicking the desktop. Use “Advanced Mode” if prompted.

• In Windows or the nVidia control panel, change your display resolution to 1280×720.
• In the nVidia control panel applet, there should be a new “Resize HDTV Desktop” setting at the bottom of the tree view. Select this option.

• The right panel contains a frame for the “Resize my HDTV Desktop” option. Click this option, then click the Resize Desktop button.

• When resizing the desktop, size it so that the arrows are slightly outside your HDTV display area. I find that putting the arrowheads offscreen (so that only the bottom parts of the arrows display) is the best setting.

• Close the resize desktop dialog and click OK (if available) in the nVidia control panel. Open the Display control panel again and change the resolution to 1152×648.
• You should now be able to see all desktop contents, in a 1:1 or close to 1:1 display. Try adjusting TV display settings, if possible, to improve the display quality.
• When ready, start Windows Media Center and run the Display wizard. Select 720p resolution. Media Center will automatically correct for some overscan.
• Try playing a high definition, 720p or higher video. If there are black borders surrounding the video, you’ll need to close Media Center and repeat this process, but increase the desktop resizing correction. When Media Center closes, verify that your resolution returns to a standard 1152×648 so that the Start Menu and desktop are completely visible.

It might not be a perfect solution, but it’s a significant step up from previous solutions involving third party utilities. Did it work for you, or do you have any other suggestions? Let me know in the comments.

In the past, I’ve mentioned to Dave that he’s never steered me wrong with a TV show recommendation. In fact, his selections from digital cable (and mine picked up later the same evening from newsgroups) have been nothing short of excellent: The Sopranos and Entourage have both been two of my favourite programs over the past few years. It’s interesting to note that both of these are typically HBO shows, and I’m always really impressed with the high quality of production.

This past week, I finally gave into another highly-hyped suggestion, and watched the first season of Dexter, a Showtime series.

By day, Dexter is a forensics specialist for the Miami Metro police who deals with blood spatter patterns at crime scenes. His alter ego, similar to Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, is a serial killer. His critical influence, though, is that he only murders people who have killed (usually repeatedly) and not been punished properly by the justice system. He rationalizes his own life and morality with a code of ethics instilled by his foster father, Harry.

True to form, the show is fairly gruesome and graphic, often showing large pools of blood and violent images of crimes.

The dialog in Dexter is supplemented by Dexter’s own narration: there are often periods where the monotone voice of the serial killer serves to advance the plot or indicate his own thoughts about a situation. During these periods, there are many extreme closeup shots of eyes or neutral facial expressions.

I’d really recommend this show to anyone interested in psychological thrillers or a faux-CSI type of plotline. It’s much higher quality TV than I’d expected, and the ending of Season 1 was a fairly decent conclusion. I’m onto Season 2 at the moment and fully expect good things from it.