Problem with adding black borders

Billy

@ashpool thanks for your response.
The monitor I have is an old monitor with speakers i found in the attic at the time i built the arcade machine.
It is one of the "bad" ones unfortunately. (Medion MD 20119)
When i go to the options for the video in the raspi-config, the 16:9 option is not there, only 4:3, 5:4 or 16:10 with different resolutions.

I didn't find the sdtv_aspect in the config.txt file. Could i add it to the file? i only can see sdtv_mode=2
The thing is i managed to do this in the past and it worked perfectly, but this was like 3 years ago and I can't remember how i did it.

do you know what the ranges for overscan top and button is?

DreamcastKid

@billy

try also setting overscan_scale=1

to add borders ... you need to use positive values

i needed to add borders for my monitor/bartop machine and my config.txt file looks like this.

Note: i didn't edit the disable_overscan=1 setting, i just left it as it is. I didn't un-comment it ... so the default is "0"

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible
# and your display can output without overscan
# disable_overscan=1

# uncomment the following to adjust overscan. Use positive numbers if console
# goes off screen, and negative if there is too much border.
overscan_left=20
overscan_right=20
overscan_top=45
overscan_bottom=15

overscan_scale=1

Ashpool

@billy said in Problem with adding black borders:

I didn't find the sdtv_aspect in the config.txt file. Could i add it to the file? i only can see sdtv_mode=2

You've could just add it... BUT the sdtv parameters are ment for the composite out signal from the pie and as you have a computer monitor (This one, right?) connected, I would assume that you are (most likely) using a HDMI to DVI-D cable for the connection? So, hdmi_group (1: CEC Device (Consumer Electronics Association, the standard typically used by TVs), 2: DTM (Display Monitor Timings, the standard typically used by monitors)) and hdmi_mode would be the relevant parameters. If my provided link (The German Manual from Medion) really is for your Monitor, one of its video modes (page 7 of the pdf, page 5 (print)) is 1024x768, 60Hz which would be for hdmi_group 2: hdmi_mode 16 (That one is 4:3, so it is just an example for the parameters, mode 35 (1280x1024 would be 5:4).. (*1).

But my tip was only meant as a workaround, so if the advice from DreamcastKid will get you the desired result, i think it would be best to run the display on its native resolution (1440x900) with added overscan bars to it ;)

[1]: Mh, somehow it puzzles me that all listed resolutions for that monitor, which ain't its native one, are either 4:3, 5:4 or 9:5... but no 16:9, so in the end, even if you are setting the videomode via config.txt, you will only get black borders left/right, but not top/bottom)

Billy

@dreamcastkid
I think that might be the issue as i didn't have the overscan_scale=1 so that's probably it didn't work. I'll add it tonight and i'll let you know if it works

Many thanks.

Billy

@ashpool i agree, it puzzles me as well... It would certainly have made my life easier as a setting with 16:9 would have made the top and bottom borders automatically.
And yes, i have it connected with a HDMI - DVI adaptor.

I'll try to add the overscan_scale=1 tonight and see how it goes.

Thank you all for your help, much appreciated

Billy

@dreamcastkid said in Problem with adding black borders:

overscan_left=20
overscan_right=20
overscan_top=45
overscan_bottom=15

overscan_scale=1

It worked! as predicted the overscan_scale was the part missing...
Thank you!

DreamcastKid

@billy
no probs .. glad to hear it's working now for you :)

Ashpool

@billy Cons! (Maybe you can mark your threads subject as solved?)

Billy

@ashpool can't the button to show as solved :-( sorry

Billy

@ashpool how do I mark the post as [Solved}?

Ashpool

@billy Simply by editing your 1st post and adding something like [Solved] to the title, though I am unsure whether there is a forums recommendation about the how ( @mitu ? ). Some seem to prefer adding it at the titles start, others add it to the end. Most use square brackets, some regular ones.