Displaying at increased resolution

[theMusicMan]

Hey all

I am curious as to if there is a programme or app that can be used to output to the monitor at higher resolutions in a similar manner that I can do on my Mac? There's a programme called SwithResX that allows me to select additional resolutions other than tha native resolution of any monitor I connect - even the MacbookPros own display. I can select many screen resolutions up to 1920x1200 on my 13" Macbookpro internal screen, it's a very useful little feature/tool.

Just wondering if such a feature is available for the Pi?

Ta

[drgeoff]

Use a search engine to find documentation about the options available through /boot/config.txt.

[W. H. Heydt]

There isn't a point to trying to display on an LCD at a resolution higher than native (and not much of one for going lower). The pixels are fixed and there are only so many of them. Back on CRT displays, one could change resolutions (up to a defined maximum) and many people ran the monitors at less than max resolution. On LCDs...no point to doing so. Sticking to native resolution will get you the best image.

[klricks]

You can change resolution settings by either using the GUI config tool [Menu] --> [Preferences] or by using sudo raspi-config
Reboot is required after changes.

[theMusicMan]

There isn't a point to trying to display on an LCD at a resolution higher than native (and not much of one for going lower). The pixels are fixed and there are only so many of them. Back on CRT displays, one could change resolutions (up to a defined maximum) and many people ran the monitors at less than max resolution. On LCDs...no point to doing so. Sticking to native resolution will get you the best image.

Don't agree with you at all, of course there's a point - hence why I am asking.

Works perfectly on my Macbook pro screen which I believe has a native resolution 1280x800... yet I can easily work with 1440x900, 1680x1050 or even 1920x1200 at a push .

[fruitoftheloom]

There isn't a point to trying to display on an LCD at a resolution higher than native (and not much of one for going lower). The pixels are fixed and there are only so many of them. Back on CRT displays, one could change resolutions (up to a defined maximum) and many people ran the monitors at less than max resolution. On LCDs...no point to doing so. Sticking to native resolution will get you the best image.

Don't agree with you at all, of course there's a point - hence why I am asking.

Works perfectly on my Macbook pro screen which I believe has a native resolution 1280x800... yet I can easily work with 1440x900, 1680x1050 or even 1920x1200 at a push .

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... t/video.md

[HawaiianPi]

Don't agree with you at all, of course there's a point - hence why I am asking.

Works perfectly on my Macbook pro screen which I believe has a native resolution 1280x800... yet I can easily work with 1440x900, 1680x1050 or even 1920x1200 at a push .

Most LCD screens will look blurry at anything but native resolution. The exception would be high PPI screens that have pixels too small to resolve individually. If your Macbook Pro screen is only 1280x800 native, there is no way that will look clear at any of the resolutions you mentioned. So either you are wrong about the native resolution, or you need to have your eyes examined.

However, in the interest of being helpful, look into Xrandr. It will allow you to scale just about any resolution to any screen in one of two ways. You can either run the screen at native resolution and make it a "window" to the higher virtual resolution (as you move the mouse around the image will scroll, showing different parts of the larger display), or you can squish the larger resolution into the smaller, lower resolution display (which will look blurry).

[theMusicMan]

Don't agree with you at all, of course there's a point - hence why I am asking.

Works perfectly on my Macbook pro screen which I believe has a native resolution 1280x800... yet I can easily work with 1440x900, 1680x1050 or even 1920x1200 at a push .

Most LCD screens will look blurry at anything but native resolution. The exception would be high PPI screens that have pixels too small to resolve individually. If your Macbook Pro screen is only 1280x800 native, there is no way that will look clear at any of the resolutions you mentioned. So either you are wrong about the native resolution, or you need to have your eyes examined.

However, in the interest of being helpful, look into Xrandr. It will allow you to scale just about any resolution to any screen in one of two ways. You can either run the screen at native resolution and make it a "window" to the higher virtual resolution (as you move the mouse around the image will scroll, showing different parts of the larger display), or you can squish the larger resolution into the smaller, lower resolution display (which will look blurry).

Nope, another one who is totally and absolutely wrong!
Why is it that people insist on telling me what they think is right for me, and simply not answering the questions that are posted. There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I am more than happy to use the MacbookPro screen at 1920x1200 with zero fuzziness, yep, zero fuzziness, and yes.. it does indeed look totally, absolutely clear. Maybe you haven't seen or used a Macbookpro who knows, but next time you can refrain from telling me what you think is best for me. I do appreciate the pointers in the second part of your answer though, so thanks for that but next time you can save yourself some time from typing too much, because the first part is a triumvirate of being totally wrong, extremely judgemental, and entirely unnecessary.

[theMusicMan]

There isn't a point to trying to display on an LCD at a resolution higher than native (and not much of one for going lower). The pixels are fixed and there are only so many of them. Back on CRT displays, one could change resolutions (up to a defined maximum) and many people ran the monitors at less than max resolution. On LCDs...no point to doing so. Sticking to native resolution will get you the best image.

Don't agree with you at all, of course there's a point - hence why I am asking.

Works perfectly on my Macbook pro screen which I believe has a native resolution 1280x800... yet I can easily work with 1440x900, 1680x1050 or even 1920x1200 at a push .

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... t/video.md

Thank you sir, just what the doctor ordered. Much appreciated.

[drgeoff]

https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... t/video.md

Thank you sir, just what the doctor ordered. Much appreciated.

That's what you were supposed to find for yourself within two minutes of reading the first reply

[theMusicMan]

Thank you sir, just what the doctor ordered. Much appreciated.

That's what you were supposed to find for yourself within two minutes of reading the first reply

Sometimes one searches, sometimes one works many hours and doesn't have an opportunity to search before one gets back online to find someone has posted the link one should have searched for in the first place. Saves time eh.

[W. H. Heydt]

Nope, another one who is totally and absolutely wrong!
Why is it that people insist on telling me what they think is right for me, and simply not answering the questions that are posted. There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I am more than happy to use the MacbookPro screen at 1920x1200 with zero fuzziness, yep, zero fuzziness, and yes.. it does indeed look totally, absolutely clear. Maybe you haven't seen or used a Macbookpro who knows, but next time you can refrain from telling me what you think is best for me. I do appreciate the pointers in the second part of your answer though, so thanks for that but next time you can save yourself some time from typing too much, because the first part is a triumvirate of being totally wrong, extremely judgemental, and entirely unnecessary.

You were given answers that are correct for the technology. It's possible that your Mac isn't doing what you think it is doing when you tell it to display at something other than native resolution.

[theMusicMan]

Nope, another one who is totally and absolutely wrong!
Why is it that people insist on telling me what they think is right for me, and simply not answering the questions that are posted. There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I am more than happy to use the MacbookPro screen at 1920x1200 with zero fuzziness, yep, zero fuzziness, and yes.. it does indeed look totally, absolutely clear. Maybe you haven't seen or used a Macbookpro who knows, but next time you can refrain from telling me what you think is best for me. I do appreciate the pointers in the second part of your answer though, so thanks for that but next time you can save yourself some time from typing too much, because the first part is a triumvirate of being totally wrong, extremely judgemental, and entirely unnecessary.

You were given answers that are correct for the technology. It's possible that your Mac isn't doing what you think it is doing when you tell it to display at something other than native resolution.

I see!

So being told...

"So either you are wrong about the native resolution, or you need to have your eyes examined."

...by HawaiianPI, (neither of which are correct by the way... as I am not wrong about the native MacbookPro resolution, nor do I need my eyes tested) is, as you put it, the answer that's correct for the technology, and at the same time I asume it is acceptable forum behaviour to insult me in this manner. N'est-ce pas ?

On the other hand, your technical and informed response however, is totally polite, friendly and entirely feasable, to boot. I absolutely get that I may not fully understand what exactly my MacbookPro is doing when I use the app I allude to when I set resolutions for its internal monitor other than and greater than the native resolution... but I do know that what I see and use when I set it thus is a display which is not fuzzy, is not blurry and is not unclear - as stated by HawaiinPI chap.

[fruitoftheloom]

Nope, another one who is totally and absolutely wrong!
Why is it that people insist on telling me what they think is right for me, and simply not answering the questions that are posted. There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I am more than happy to use the MacbookPro screen at 1920x1200 with zero fuzziness, yep, zero fuzziness, and yes.. it does indeed look totally, absolutely clear. Maybe you haven't seen or used a Macbookpro who knows, but next time you can refrain from telling me what you think is best for me. I do appreciate the pointers in the second part of your answer though, so thanks for that but next time you can save yourself some time from typing too much, because the first part is a triumvirate of being totally wrong, extremely judgemental, and entirely unnecessary.

You were given answers that are correct for the technology. It's possible that your Mac isn't doing what you think it is doing when you tell it to display at something other than native resolution.

I see!

So being told...

"So either you are wrong about the native resolution, or you need to have your eyes examined."

...by HawaiianPI, (neither of which are correct by the way... as I am not wrong about the native MacbookPro resolution, nor do I need my eyes tested) is, as you put it, the answer that's correct for the technology, and at the same time I asume it is acceptable forum behaviour to insult me in this manner. N'est-ce pas ?

On the other hand, your technical and informed response however, is totally polite, friendly and entirely feasable, to boot. I absolutely get that I may not fully understand what exactly my MacbookPro is doing when I use the app I allude to when I set resolutions for its internal monitor other than and greater than the native resolution... but I do know that what I see and use when I set it thus is a display which is not fuzzy, is not blurry and is not unclear - as stated by HawaiinPI chap.

Whatever, the best way is to experiment with the various resolutions is the link I posted above.


Alternatively the RPD Desktop:

Application Menu > Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration > System > Set Resolution

[Imperf3kt]

Generating a 1920*1080 image at the framebuffer and then crushing that down to 1280*800 WILL result in an inferior image quality than just generating it at the correct resolution to begin with.

As a rather crude demonstration, take a shelf. This shelf can hold nine cardboard boxes which are 100mm * 100mm * 100mm each.

Now you want to put 150cm3 boxes on the shelf.
You cannot expand the shelf by changing the size of the boxes, and to make the boxes fit you must crush them , resulting in horribly mangled boxes on a shelf not designed for them.