HDTV 720p Resolution

[DanS]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
You've linked to two TV sites .

Widescreen in monitors are a different beast than widescreen in TVs. I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone will be able to help here. But hey, carry on.

Quit being unhelpful, Imran.



You can display computer HDTV resolutions on your widescreen TV/projector, although Civ 4 is probably set up as default to some typical widescreen laptop resolutions. It's just a matter of Civ 4 spitting out the correct resolution and timing for HDTV. For instance, the timing in Powerstrip for HDTV 720p (LCD) is: scan rate of 45 kHz; refresh of 60.0 Hz; and pixel clock of 74.52 MHz. There are more detailed settings for those interested.

[snoopy369]

I believe this should, in theory, be possible. I'll see what I can find about it. However, the problem may not be civ-related...

[snoopy369]

I think there's currently a lower limit of 768 on the resolution's height, indeed. I don't think this is possible to work around.

I'd suggest running in windowed mode, that'll let your screen be in its preferred native resolution, at least.

[ColdFever]

Re: HDTV 720p Resolution

Originally posted by greenbean
Please, someone fix the widescreen support!!!

Your problem is not widescreen support - it is low resolution support.

Unfortunately 720 pixels are below the minimum Civ4 resolution of 1024x768. Most low and midrange HDTV Widescreen LCD TVs have 1366x768 pixels and - connected to a Windows computer - should be working fine with 1360x768 pixels to give a fantastic Civ4 widescreen experience - I love Civ4 this way on my Samsung 26" TV. So the problem is not widescreen support but low resolution support. Unfortunately I don't think Firaxis can fix this easily, as all Civ4 screens seem to be designed for a minimum display height of 768 pixels.

If you have a regular HDTV LCD TV with 1366x768 pixels:
- set Microsoft Windows to 1360x768 pixels
- start Civilization IV (by default in 1024x768 pixels)
- open the Civ4 options screen and switch to 1360x768 pixels

If 1360x768 is not available in your settings, try to update your graphics driver, because it tells Windows and Civ4 about the available resolutions. If your 1366x768 HDTV LCD TV can't be connected to your computer in 1360x768 mode then unfortunately the device has not been worth the money.

[DanS]

All of this makes sense. But is there any way to find the official answer to this? Perhaps the programmers merely didn't contemplate lower vertical resolutions, but could easily add them, if they are told about the fact that some users could actually use these resolutions.

HDTVs come in all sorts of native resolutions and only a portion are LCDs. There are no standard native resolutions, even among LCDs, although 720p is common. My DLP projector is native 720p (1280x720), as is Greenbean's HDTV. For some HDTVs, the concept of native resolution doesn't apply, but they can accept a 1920x540 signal, f.e.

Overscanning seems like a tougher nut to crack. Perhaps Greenbean can set his HDTV to no overscan, as I do for my projector.

[snoopy369]

I think the problem is certain screens are written for 768 pixels height.

[PopTarts]

Sadly, the expansion pack still does not resolve this issue...

[PopTarts]

Ok, I've found a solution for nVidia owners who are seeking a higher custom resolution... (1280x720 still doesn't work)

Civ4 apparently checks your drivers for resolutions, even if you are specifying a windowed resolution. So if your monitor doesn't support 1600x900 at full screen, you can't run 1600x900 windowed.

You have to go to your nVidia drivers and add the custom resolution you want to play. So open up the menu, go to "Screen Resolutions" and add your custom resolution there first so the driver lists it.

After that, you can enable a custom resolution in the ini file.