Windows 7 How to fix overscan with TFT monitor and HDMI output from onboard core i5?

[pstein]

After having connected my new Samsung TFT monitor P2370HD through HDMI cable to my PC the outer approx 20 pixel are cut resp out of the visible area on the screen.


This is clearly an indicator for overscan issue.


I am using Win7 x64 with a core i5 onboard (CPU integrated Intel graphics in H67 chipset).

Since the video output comes from Intel CPU it seems to be the culprit.
Or is it a TFT monitor setting?


How EXACTLY can I fix this overscan?

Is this an option in Device Manager of Win7 of the Intel Graphic driver?

Thx
Peter

 

[Digerati]

I suspect it is an HDMI issue. Sadly, HDMI, which came out of the home theater world just has not adapted that well in the computing world. Note the native resolution for that monitor is 1920x1080 so make sure the resolution is set to that.

If the resolution is right and you don't use the built-in speaker, you might use DVI instead. And if you do need the built-in speakers, that monitor still supports a separate audio connection so you can use DVI and the separate audio. Note the digital signal via HDMI and DVI is exactly the same so image quality/performance is not an issue.

 

[Saltgrass]

I had the same problem, but if you go into the Intel Graphics Properties, Advanced version you should get the panel below. I used the scaling options and needed to reduce it quite a bit to make it fit.

 

[Digerati]

Yeah, you should not have to do that. That means the graphics solution and monitor are not handshaking correctly - assuming Windows is set to the "native resolution" of the monitor, and the card supports that resolution too. If you have to change the scaling, some images may not appear properly - that is, a circle may look oblong or stretched instead of perfectly round.

The other major difference between DVI and HDMI (besides HDMI can support 6 channel audio too) is that HDMI has a "control channel" too where DVI has video only. This control channel - remembering HDMI came out the home theater world - is used to for all sorts of things not found in a computer setup and has caused problems for others. So I would still scrounge up a DVI cable and see if you still have problems, or not.

 

[Canuckdian]

Hope it's not too late for a reply. I stumbled across this thread and realized it was never actually answered. The other poster unfortunately did not have the information to solve your problem and incorrectly assumed it was an inherent issue with HDMI and PCs.

I solved this problem today by fixing a setting in the Intel video settings. First off, any monitor plugged into a PC via HDMI is recognized as a Television. This doesn't mean it's a TV in the traditional sense, it's just that PCs recognize HDMI devices as being Televisions and DVI devices as Monitors.

You'll notice in the Intel Color Enhancement section, there's an option at the bottom to enable "YCbCr" coding. It's this option which causes over-scan issues with LCD/LED monitor. Disable this option and apply the changes.

Link Removed

To fully update, you'll need to toggle the display's resolution to something else and then back to 1920x1080 or whatever setting you had it on originally. This will force it to re-apply the correct resolution and display setting in Windows.

I hope this solves your problem. Worked for me like a charm.

 

[Digerati]

First off, any monitor plugged into a PC via HDMI is recognized as a Television...it's just that PCs recognize HDMI devices as being Televisions and DVI devices as Monitors.

I don't believe that is correct. I have never seen that published anywhere. Got a link?

The fact is, the digital video signal carried by HDMI is EXACTLY the same digital video signal carried by DVI.

While it is true HDMI came out of the home theater world where televisions are more common than monitors, HDMI is used to send the digital video signal - NOT an RF signal as required by TVs. There is NOTHING in the HDMI protocols that say TV or Monitor.

Enabling "YCbCr" coding may affect overscanning, but it is not because HDMI thinks it is attached to a TV instead of a monitor.

 

[Canuckdian]

Digerati, I admit I can't say that all PCs identify HDMI devices this way; however PCs with the integrated Intel graphics chip do seem to view them this way. This is just a solution to the OP's problem and should not be taken as a general statement. I realize it came across that way.

With this particular graphics chip-set, the Intel software has a YCbCr setting for HDMI devices only (the DVI monitor does not have this option available). As most users running dual digital displays we connect one via DVI and one via HDMI. The setting says it's optimized for Televisions and Digital Displays, so it's a common mistake for users to enable this setting. This causes over-scanning of the desktop and slightly blurs the image. Simply disabling this setting (which it is by default), will resolve this problem.

Hope that clears things up.

 

[Digerati]

however PCs with the integrated Intel graphics chip do seem to view them this way

I just don't agree with that at all. Where are you seeing this? I have two systems here with Intel graphics and I see nothing to suggest they think they are connected to TVs vs the monitors they really are connected to.

I am not suggesting your fix does not apply - I am just not agreeing with your conclusion the graphics solutions think they are communicating with TVs vs monitors.

As most users running dual digital displays we connect one via DVI and one via HDMI.

Hmmmm, well, that's another general statement that is not true. I run dual monitors on this machine via 2 DVI ports. On my other system, via 2 HDMI ports. And on my older 3rd system via 1 DVI and 1 D-Sub. Most new cards have two (or more) HDMI or now, we are seeing more and more "DisplayPort" connections.

What you are illustrating is something I have been complaining about ever since HDMI was jammed down on us computer users by the television and monitor makers who were tired of supporting 2 similar, but dissimilar digital graphics connection methods. Rightfully so, getting rid of the big, hunky DVI connector is the way to go. But sadly, they did a lousy job of coordinating with the graphics card industry to ensure smooth migration to HDMI (which also supports 6-channel audio) in monitors (which DON'T normally support audio).

DisplayPort was designed by Intel from day one with direct graphics card/monitor connection in mind (including integrated graphics) to replace DVI (and HDMI) in computer w/monitor systems). Hopefully, once fully implemented, will alleviate all these confusing issues.

 

[ELiTEFX]

I had the same problem, but if you go into the Intel Graphics Properties, Advanced version you should get the panel below. I used the scaling options and needed to reduce it quite a bit to make it fit.

Yup, This is the correct diagnosis/solution. Also, here's an easy fix for ATI cards/monitor:

Link Removed due to 404 Error

 

[Digerati]

It still seems odd you have to change that setting. In my NVIDIA control panel, there's a similar setting, but I note it is to override the scaling set by the program. It is not normal to have to change it manually. But since the OP has not returned, not sure it matters.

 

[ELiTEFX]

It still seems odd you have to change that setting..

Agreed. When I went from a 22" to a 27" monitor I ran into that problem. Monitor was running at native res and I have plenty of Crossfired Graphix horsepower but I still had a 2" border around my desktop. So I went online to find a fix. The Catalyst Control Center makes it real easy. Apparently it's a common issue with some of the big screens. Still happens during boot up until my vid cards kick in. Strange things...........Just thinking, could be an HDMI thing. Haven't ran VGA for years now and my 22" was DVI-D. No idea..........

 

[GLNC]

Sorry if this is duplicative, but I thought it clarified a point.
What I found in fixing overscan for a particular monitor: HDMI jacks on newer computers and video cards are supplied with default settings for configuration utilities, ATI Catalyst etc., for output to a TV (for resolutions used by TV's), which likes overscan in broadcast inputs, and also has monitor capability. Monitors with DVI inputs do not like overscan, and will letterbox or cut off some of the display when getting these improperly defaulted inputs from an HDMI output through an adapter to DVI. Some monitors with HDMI jacks (but no tuners) might process this output correctly, since HDMI is for TV. A video card with a DVI output has defaults for monitors which don't like overscan, so do not cause DVI monitors to letterbox overscanned inputs the way outputs from HDMI jacks do, just because the default settings for the output formatting differ between the two. Connecting newer HDMI outputs to DVI monitor inputs through pin-to-pin plug adapters presents a TV oriented format to a monitor preferring no overscan. So you need to adjust the overscan setting in the advanced, scaling options menu in Catalyst or Intel equivalent. Going the other way, putting DVI output to a TV through an adapter to HDMI, might need adjustment up or down. One effect observed besides letterboxing, is cutting off a small bit of the display from an incompatible overscan setting.
The overscan setting in Catalyst is a slider which is not active unless a resolution is first set which requires overscan. Then one can dynamically see the display shrink and expand as the slider is moved.

 

[foxyshadis]

Setting the scaling works great on AMD Catalyst, I have to do that for my HTPC. It looks like dog turds on Intel HDMI, as I've just found out, so it is absolutely not a fix. It appears that Intel somehow first stretches the image up to an overscan, then shrinks it down, rather than just displaying pixel to pixel when you find the right scaling. Text is painful to read.

Edit: I managed to remember the real solution, which I also had to do on my AMD system: Create a custom resolution with 61Hz refresh rate, because in Vista up, 61 is really 61, 60 is really 59.94 (NTSC television standard), and 59 is also 59.94. The refresh rate is what makes your video card think it's talking to a TV, it's a really bizarre situation. As soon as I switched to 61 and rebooted, the overscan problems went away and I could go back to removing the scaling.

It's actually intended behavior, too: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2006076