Summary: Stretched or horizontally elongated screen are a common computer monitor problem. We'll look at the most likely cause, and resolution.
I've installed 22" flat screen Optiquest Q2201wb monitor to replace my several-year-old 17" CRT ViewSonic E771 monitor. Everything seems stretched out sideways: the icons on my desktop are now rectangular instead of square; all the letters in my posts seem wider; the people on the screen seem shorter and fatter; etc.
My neighbor thinks I need to replace the video card(?) in my computer tower. Is this true? Need I do any other things to accommodate the change in monitors. If 'Yes', can you tell me what to do and if they're things I can do rather than taking the tower to the shop where I got it?
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I've seen this computer monitor problem myself. In fact, if I so choose, I can make that problem happen on my computer monitors without much effort.
Naturally, I choose not to.
The good news is that it is, likely, just that - a choice. But exactly what choice depends on the capabilities of your monitor and your video card.
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The difference that you're seeing is that the "aspect ratio" of your new monitor is likely different than it was on your old CRT. This is a change we're seeing in the world of television as well as screens change from standard to high definition.
It's likely that your old CRT has an aspect ratio of 4:3 ... meaning that the width is 4/3 the height, or conversely, the height is 3/4 the width. Your new monitor is probably different. Perhaps it's 16:9, the new HD TV standard, but it could also be something else entirely.
If you look at screen resolutions, you'll see something interesting; measured in pixels, the old "standard" screen resolutions - 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 - are all 4:3. And I'm sure that they displayed just fine on your old CRT.
I looked up your new monitor, and it has a native resolution of 1680x1050 pixels. That's not a 4:3 ratio (it's actually about 4.8:3, or more correctly 8:5). That means that's it's wider, in comparison, than your old monitor's 4:3.
Now, if you change nothing else and just plug in your new monitor, then the monitor needs to make a decision - how to display what is likely a 4:3 image in a 4.8:3 space. There are three choices.
The first choice is to maintain the aspect ratio of the original image:
This is typically done by displaying the 4:3 image centered within the larger screen. You'll see this all the time now when 4:3 standard definition TV shows are displayed on 16:9 HDTV screens. Typically, the centered image has black bars on either side to take up the unused space.
An alternative we almost never see is to crop:
In this case, the image is enlarged to fill the entire width of the screen while maintaining the original aspect ratio. The result is that the top and the bottom are lost since they don't fit.
The third option, and what I expect you are experiencing, is to ignore the aspect ratio completely:
In this case, the monitor stretches the image to fully fit the screen, ignoring the original aspect ratio. As you can see, what was a perfect circle at 4:3 is now a somewhat elongated ellipse when it's stretched to fit this wider aspect ratio. Everything on screen appears slightly stretched horizontally.
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That's all well and good, for way of explanation, but how do we fix it?
There may be two ways.
Your monitor may, in fact, have an option to choose what to do when the aspect ratio of what you're attempting to display doesn't match. In fact, your monitor includes the option to "Fill to Screen" (stretch, in the example above), or "Fill to Aspect Ratio" (the centered with black bars approach) in its settings. These are settings you would access using the menu and other controls on the monitor itself.
Many monitors include similar settings, but many do not. Your alternative is to adjust the screen resolution in Windows itself.
In Windows XP, right click on your desktop, click on Properties, and then click on the Settings tab. In Windows Vista, right click on your desktop, click on Personalize, and then click on Display Settings. In the resulting dialog, look at the Screen Resolution setting:
If you can, set the Screen resolution to the maximum native resolution your LCD monitor supports by adjusting the slider. In your case that's 1680x1050. If you can set it to that, then Windows will automatically display at the proper aspect ratio, and the monitor will not have to stretch anything. Setting your screen resolution to match your monitor's native resolution is, by far, the preferred solution to get you the best looking display.
If that specific resolution is not available, then you'll need to try resolutions that are smaller than that, but ideally with the same aspect ratio. 1512x945, for example, would maintain the same aspect ratio. Not all monitors handle running at less than their optimal resolution well, and it may result in a slightly fuzzy display, but it won't be horizontally stretched.
Finally, your friend may be right. If your video card cannot put out the monitor's native resolution, and you're unhappy with the alternatives above, then changing one or the other might well be called for.
Related:
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Do I need to install software for my monitor? Many hardware add-ons come with installation CDs. Some need the additional software, some actually do not. The trick is guessing what's really needed.
Article C3720 - May 3, 2009
For the benefit of your readers, I'm not the person who asked this question.
I would however, like to offer my praise on the answer given.
I thought your diagrams and explanations of aspect ratio were comprehensive and easy to understand.
Kudos to you Leo for an excellent article.
Posted by: Just J at May 4, 2009 11:16 AMI like how you drew those illustrations in Ms Paint ;-)
07-May-2009
Just an amplification about "If you can, set the Screen resolution to the maximum native resolution your LCD monitor supports by adjusting the slider."
It is more important than just getting the aspect ratio right. If you set it to anything other than the native resolution or an integer multiple or division of it, your image will be "fuzzy" compared to the native resolution.
The other is you want to get every bit of resolution that you paid for.
The computer will output pixels in the locations set by what you told it to in the properties page. If that doesn't line up with the number of pixels on the monitor, the monitor will average part of up to 9 pixels from the computer to make one on the screen. That averaging softens the edges of lines or may loose part of a thin line.
This doesn't apply to CRT monitors because they can adjust the number and position of the pixels on the monitor. The pixel locations on an LCD or Plasma screen is locked in when it is made.
There is one more adjustment to add to do when you get a new LCD screen. In Windows XP, it is in the Appearance tab of the Display Properties box. It is called ClearType. Each pixel on your LCD monitor is made up of three colored pixels that get turned on individualy. Clear type uses this to turn on the sub pixels individually to improve the sharpness of the monitor.
Posted by: Bill at May 5, 2009 9:21 AMAfter turning ClearType on, it is best if you use the tuner that adjusts it for the sub pixel positions on your specific monitor. For Windows XP, the instructions are at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306527
I am sure that there are similar instructions for other operating systems.
Leo, the answers and insight you gave were correct and helpful however you only partially answered the question. There are still several troubleshooting tips to try BEFORE purchasing a new graphics card.
I have installed about 50 22” – 28” widescreen LCD monitors over the last 2 years and I have found many helpful and successful tricks.
First off make sure you restarted your computer. Many computers will not show the desired resolution by default but will after a reboot.
Secondly, if you have an onboard graphics card (meaning the “graphics card” resides on the motherboard and not an added on card) go to the manufacturer of your computer’s website and download the latest drivers. Many companies like HP, Dell, Gateway, etc. have been making computers for many many years before the widescreen format really came out and became so popular. These companies did however update the drivers in recent years to accommodate for the new realm of monitors.
Thirdly, if you have a graphics card plugged into your motherboard in a PCI, AGP, PCIe, etc. slot, find out what company makes the graphics chip on your card (not always the card manufacturer) 99% of the time it’s going to be nvidia or radeon. Go to their website and download the latest drivers for your card’s series.
The tips I just gave you attached with Leo’s comments will solve the problem %95 of the time for FREE!
Hope this helps someone,
Posted by: Jon S at May 5, 2009 9:38 AMJon
I have a similar but, different, problem: I connect a 19' Wisescreen monitor to my "Netbook".
Posted by: Ken Manning at May 5, 2009 9:40 AMIt stretches the width to the maximum but, doesn't increase the height. Is there a way to increase the height?
Reply to Ken Manning - Ken, I will answer your question assuming you are using a separate mouse and keyboard and not using your laptop’s.
Right click on your desktop and go to Properties. Next click on the Screen Saver tab at the top, now click on the button that says Power. When in here, click on the Advanced tab, now click the drop down box where it say “when I close the lid of my portable computer” and select Do Nothing. When you close your lid it should auto adjust to the 1280x1024 resolution you are seeking.
I know AskLeo doesn’t have a reply button in the comments so I hope you keep checking in.
Jon
Posted by: Jon S at May 5, 2009 10:53 AMAlthough not done very often, I have also found it a good idea to also install the drivers for the particular monitor. This will ensure that the Display dialogue in XP only offers resolutions that that particular monitor can display. In the Display properties, ensure you change the monitor type from "Generic" to the driver that you just installed. Then reboot (required).(Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Monitor)
Posted by: mark at May 6, 2009 9:00 PMWhy does my laptop monitor fade in and out?
03-Jul-2009
Posted by: mike at July 2, 2009 9:14 AM
I have an HP dv5035nr notebook pc with a monitor problem. The screen will freeze (the mouse will not move) , lines appear and the tool bar inverts. To unfreeze the monitor I have to move the monitor back and forth which clears the problem until I move the pc.
Posted by: Matt Friessen at August 11, 2009 1:03 PMMy laptop is displaying two same image in between a white horizontal line across the middle of the screen. It caused the image to appear smaller and the text difficult to read. Please tell me how to fix this problem.
Posted by: Randy Jay at September 25, 2009 8:09 AM