Automatic stretching support

[Frootloop]

I don't know if the WinUAE authors read this, but what the heck...

Are there any plans to implement auto hardware stretching like in MAME and other emulators? Yup, I know about the filtering feature but you still have to keep adjusting the screen for different programs. Though filtering makes sound really distorted, even if I increase the sound buffer size. (I'm using a 1.2Ghz t-bird overclocked to 1.4Ghz, and a Radeon 8500 64MB video card.)

Is it possible that it could automatically fill the entire screen? Even STEEM, the Atari ST emulator, does it. But I have to use the "laptop setting" and then "auto-adjust borders" to get it to fill. Too bad it blurs it though, I wonder if it's possible to take that off.

If you do read this, thanks for all the work you've done with WinUAE. It simply rocks. :-)

[Djay]

would be a good idea....

also what about setting a windows size and a seperate full screen size, cos i have a window size of 640 x 512 but it wont go full screen, i have to load a seperate config with a 640 x 480 full screen size...

[Frootloop]

That's a good idea too. Another thing I'd like to see is hotkeys for changing resolutons on the fly while in fullscreen mode so I don't have to keep hitting F12 and changing it from the menu.

It's unfortunate that I can't really ever get the screen completely filled except by manually adjusting the filter settings. Even when I manage to get the screen to full it changes during different screens in the game so I have to adjust it again. I can run in 800x600 to see the entire Amiga screen but then there's a whole bunch of black space around the it.

I hope the WinUAE coders are reading this. I wonder if any of these things are in their to-do list? <please> <please!>

[Toni Wilen]

Automatic strecthing is unfortunately practically impossible. I'll repeat, it is not possible to detect between "real" background and "screen" 100% correctly. Think about demos with weird scrolling effects for example. Most likely result will be screen jumping around at 50fps..

I guess it is possible with most games but I don't want to get useless complaints if and when user runs "incompatible" program with automatic centering enabled.

Even when I manage to get the screen to full it changes during different screens in the game so I have to adjust it again

You don't have 100% fullscreen when using real Amiga connected to TV or monitor either.. (except when program used overscan and then part of screen was not even visible without adjusting screen width/height)

[Frootloop]

Toni,

Thanks for educating me on the issue.

I appreciate all the great work!

Originally posted by Toni Wilen
Automatic strecthing is unfortunately practically impossible. I'll repeat, it is not possible to detect between "real" background and "screen" 100% correctly. Think about demos with weird scrolling effects for example. Most likely result will be screen jumping around at 50fps..

Toni, how about a stretching feature based on monitoring the programming of custom chip registers that determine the display position/width? I can't remember for sure, but arent't they the oens called DIWSTRT and DIWSTOP (plus DDFSTART and DDFSTOP)?

This would cancel any overscan, of course, but this may be just what Frootloop is trying to achieve, and I also think it'd be a great idea.

[Frootloop]

I'm not a programmer so I don't understand what's involved, so all I can do is give an example. STEEM, the excellent Atari ST emulator (hey you, stop throwing tomatoes at me!) has this cool option called "auto-borders" which detects when the border is being used or not and re-adjusts the screen accordingly. I find that I must use the "laptop" screen setting - even though I don't have a laptop - instead of "straight blit" in the fullscreen menu. With laptop setting on and auto-borders, the screen completely stretches out to the size of my monitor whether using borders or not, albeit it is smoothed out (my card does the same thing in MAME when I select auto stretching.)



I know the Atari ST is different. And again, I know nothing about programming, but if it is at all possible somehow it would be cool. Forgive my ignorance.

[Frootloop]

And here is a screenshot taken in fullscreen (reduced image size to save space, obviously). This demo doesn't use borders, but if they are used it's still fully stretched out like this. It actually makes some games look pretty nice, though it would be nice to turn the feature off but I believe that's a graphics card issue?

[Frootloop]

And this is what the demo looks like in fullscreen mode with the auto borders off and "always show borders" on. Now if I use auto-borders, if they are being used to display something the screen will fully fill out. If they're not used, the screen is still fully filled out. It always uses all screen real estate and you don't miss anything at all. Very nice.



I had to edit these posts a few times to clear things up, sorry about that. Hope it makes sense anyway.

[Toni Wilen]

called DIWSTRT and DIWSTOP (plus DDFSTART and DDFSTOP)?

Yes but it isn't that easy, think about programs that use different mode for scoreboard and main game screen. Finally add sprites and some copper tricks and everything gets too complex..

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by Frootloop
And here is a screenshot taken in fullscreen

This picture is great!
Where I can find infos about Atari demos?

Originally posted by Toni Wilen
Yes but it isn't that easy, think about programs that use different mode for scoreboard and main game screen. Finally add sprites and some copper tricks and everything gets too complex..

Hm, yes indeed, probably not worth the humongous effort.

However, my experience is that in 99% of cases the only problem is that the screen is offset horizontally to the right, leaving a wide border on the left side. Well, at least this border seems to be much wider than on a real Amiga, even when I choose a 720 x 576 full screen resolution.

So, a stopgap measure that would not take that much effort could be a horizontal (perhaps also a vertical) offset parameter in normal (GDI) graphics mode, much like the the Horizontal/Vertical Position slider on the Filter tab. Hm?

I am aware that this represents fairly small added value, considering the availability of OpenGL (pretty fast) and Direct3D (unfortunately slow) filtering, but then again, it would not be so much work either.

...btw, before you guide me to the horizontal centering checkbox, it's not too elegant, since (assuming the case mentioned above) it introduces a wide black border on the right side of the screen - ie the copper list does not cover that part of the display, it's always black, which is an awful sight.

[Djay]

what about a seperate setting for windowed and fullscreen modes.. as i've stated above?

when you flick to fullscreen mode, it uses the fullscreen settings instead of using the current window settings?

[Frootloop]

Originally posted by Nyarlathotep
This picture is great!
Where I can find infos about Atari demos?

Yeah, and it's even moving too, smooth as water. It's from one of the Persistance of Vision demo compilations.

Try PaCidemo for tons of demos.

[Toni Wilen]

what about a seperate setting for windowed and fullscreen modes..

wait for next release..

[andreas]

Originally posted by Alan_HU
...btw, before you guide me to the horizontal centering checkbox, it's not too elegant, since (assuming the case mentioned above) it introduces a wide black border on the right side of the screen - ie the copper list does not cover that part of the display, it's always black, which is an awful sight.

Stoooooone old issue. (o = number of stones )

Use 640x512 resolutions and lower only with the HC and VC checkboxes. Can't work in 800x600 + because it wasn't designed for this resolution.

[nnever2000]

Why not an option so that is the USER to declare whitch is the amiga used area?

Instead of autocentering option, why not a user centering option?

for example user must specify the AMIGA cordinates where image began (usually 39, 103) and height and wide (usually 320 x 256)

now winuae can easly center the amiga graphics in the pc screen!

[Methanoid]

Originally posted by nnever2000
Why not an option so that is the USER to declare whitch is the amiga used area?

Instead of autocentering option, why not a user centering option?

for example user must specify the AMIGA cordinates where image began (usually 39, 103) and height and wide (usually 320 x 256)

now winuae can easly center the amiga graphics in the pc screen!

sounds good 2 me

Originally posted by andreas
Stoooooone old issue. (o = number of stones )

Use 640x512 resolutions and lower only with the HC and VC checkboxes. Can't work in 800x600 + because it wasn't designed for this resolution.

Sorry, I didn't know it was that old

Actually, I see no problem with expanding the current background color ($DFF180) to the entire screen, regardless of resolution, but what the heck, I'm not gonna demand anything, you all work for free anyways, and WinUAE is already much more today than anyone could have expected.

There have been very useful proposals up here from others, can't wait to see them implemented instead