[adsoto]

WARNING: Long story incoming!

Most of the time I will post asking for advice, requesting help, complaining about some bug or weird behaviour, begging for just this one feature that would make XBMC ubercool

But not today, today I want to share a happy story.

Yesterday was a big day for my HTPC, after lots of tinkering, setting up, damning and polishing I was ready to move it to the TV room. Let it shine.

Several scratches later (both in flesh and in wooden furniture) I had everything almost seemingly connected.

I turned on the TV. It works. Ufff, at least I didn't f*ck*d that up!

I turned on the computer. It boots . Everything is perfect.

Except it displays an overscanned desktop. Plus I have no sound. (or maybe I became deaf in the last 5 mins??)

Playing with Nvidia panel I quickly realized that I was on a casino. You always lose. Either get a overscanned desktop or a "quite right" desktop that looks blurry, aliased and far away from my crystal clear LCD desktop monitor.

Ok, it's only the Windows desktop. Who cares? :o . I launch the raison d'etre of the computer: XBMC

No matter what resolution I setup on Windows I always lost interface elements in XBMC, I follow RSS news by guessing half top of capital letters, the date is hidden somewhere behind the bezel of my TV...

Nvidia panel control is still Las Vegas. Overscanned, blurry, without sound.
All the hours, effort, money to get this ?

I searched. I read. I was enlightened. Hidden in the guts of XBMC settings, never before used (because things just work!) I discovered.

The User Interface Calibration Window

With a little help from my remote and a wireless mouse XBMC would resize to a resolution where everything fitted!. Amazing, everything fitted.

So ok, still the fonts don't look so great, the image not so sharp but I am ready to declare it usable. Plus I am going to try the resolution XBMC chose as a Windows resolution for the desktop, see if it also fits.

And the audio you say? Well, let's leave it in that I understood a few things about the difference between digital optical audio and digital coaxial audio in/outputs.


PS: The technicalities about the overscan appear to be caused because my Pio TV overscans 5% any signal (wtf!?!?) except VGA. Or that's what I read.

[natethomas]

This is a very expressive post, but the calibration window was a real savior for me back in the xbox days. These days I've got a 40 inch LCD that doesn't overscan with one HDMI input and does with the other. You have no idea how much that irritates me.

Sorry, that really didn't have much to do with your story. Glad to hear xbmc fixed the problem.

[adsoto]

Don't worry this post has no definite subject but sharing stories.

I don't know how with powerful video cards and CPUS, expensive plasma screens and all digital HDMI in/outputs we still must fiddle with overscannings, refresh rates....Man, it looks like setting up XWindows in 1998!

Indeed there can be more chapters in my endeavour. As a good novel of mistery behind a closed door there's always another closed door.

Digital audio pass-thru? Opinions differ on whether it works. Suspense.
Shutdown menu? Right now only quitting XBMC and suspending works. Restart XBMC and poweroff just quit the app. I should investigate.

And someday I will play a video file. But I don't dare to anticipate the results......

Meanwhile I put my faith in my determination, the community help and.....


Wondeful and abundant commits from XBMC developers!

[mcborzu]

I have the same overscan issue:

Windows 7
Vizio 37" 1360x768

It's not the end of the world type issue...Using the computer VGA port things fit perfectly but the colors weren't as crisp. The 1280x720 with HDMI overscans the top minimize, maximize, close buttons so it's like a 1/4" overscan.

The calibration in XBMC helps I just wish I could solve this, had this for about 5 months every so often I give a solid 30min trying to solve it but no luck. Can't pinpoint if it's a W7, Nvidia, or TV problem, my guess it's a TV thing.

[TeknoJnky]

those with overscan issues, might try looking for a setting in your tv regarding 'full pixel' or zoom or similar.

[mcborzu]

those with overscan issues, might try looking for a setting in your tv regarding 'full pixel' or zoom or similar.

Yea, most of the answers that seemed to solve other people's issue was a TV setting of "just scan" or something similar. Unless I'm blind mine doesn't seem to have that option.

[adsoto]

Four scores and two years ago a Mormon guy back in his farm invented (electronic)*television.

It's only a testament to the technological advances of mankind that in 2009 we are still fighting to accomplish such amazing feat as the display of an image that actually fits the screen. Which, only incidentally, should be one of the primary duties of a television.

In my case Pioneer does not have any scan option - It's not a bug, sir!, it's by design! - . But I don't complain, I understand that several thousands dollars worth of technological equipment and all-digital HDMI connection are not enough to complete such daunting tasks. I'll learn to live with overscanned desktop (sigh)

This is a happy thread so I am pleased to share with you that yesterday I indeed play a HD-video with DTS sound and ... it worked!
Can you believe it? That means I won't be adding to popular threads such as "when I enable digital pass-thru my system crash", "when I play a 720p my system crash (plus my wife yells at me)", "whenever I press any key my system crash (plus my wife filed for divorce)"

Nope, my system didn't crash (ok, yesterday, my fingers still crossed) in fact XBMC so adamantly refuses to crash that its shutdown menu won't even allow me to turn off the computer, or restart the application.

I get the message. Either leave the app or suspend the system and come back. It's OK, it's only the first day. I think it can be graded with an A

[ezhik]

Four scores and two years ago a Mormon guy back in his farm invented television.

OK O/T but can't allow that to go unchallenged!

John Logie Baird (13 August 1888 – 14 June 1946) was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first working television system, also the world's first fully electronic colour television broadcast. Although Baird's electromechanical system was eventually displaced by purely electronic systems (such as those of Vladimir Zworykin and Philo Farnsworth), his early successes demonstrating working television broadcasts and his colour and cinema television work earn him a prominent place in television's invention.

[Chambers]

Same issue as you, did you ever get a working xorg.conf that fixes it? I tried working off this one ( http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=781972 ) but it didn't work. annoying issue since there might be times I want to use the desktop and can't see the edges.

I have the same overscan issue:

Windows 7
Vizio 37" 1360x768

It's not the end of the world type issue...Using the computer VGA port things fit perfectly but the colors weren't as crisp. The 1280x720 with HDMI overscans the top minimize, maximize, close buttons so it's like a 1/4" overscan.

The calibration in XBMC helps I just wish I could solve this, had this for about 5 months every so often I give a solid 30min trying to solve it but no luck. Can't pinpoint if it's a W7, Nvidia, or TV problem, my guess it's a TV thing.