Incorrect Resolution in WMP 11

[Guest]

I posted this question in the Video discussion forum but received no
answers. I have searched for an answer everywhere I can think of but can find
nothing on the subject. I am running Vista Ultimate 32 bit. I have a 320 GB
hard drive with 2 GB of dual channel memory. My graphics card is an ATI
Radeon x1300 Pro and it has been updated. My processor is a 64 bit AMD Athlon
dual core 4200. I have no problems with audio and video codecs that I am
aware of. However, I am not an advanced computer user so I could be wrong.
When I replay a downloaded movie (any file type) the resolution seems
to be incorrect. The image seems to be too large, which causes a blurring of
the video. At times the image looks like a zoomed in digital movie, again
causing a blurry image.
I don't think my desktop display resolution has anything to do with it
but I may be wrong. I have already tried changing it and nothing happens.
My new computer came with Vista Home Premium and I did not have this
problem. I have installed the 64 bit Vista Ultimate also and did not have
this problem. Every install was a clean install on a reformatted hard drive.
I would sincerely appreciate any help form a knowledgeable source.
Thank you in advance for any assistance with this matter.

 

[Adam Albright]

I posted this question in the Video discussion forum but received no
answers. I have searched for an answer everywhere I can think of but can find
nothing on the subject. I am running Vista Ultimate 32 bit. I have a 320 GB
hard drive with 2 GB of dual channel memory. My graphics card is an ATI
Radeon x1300 Pro and it has been updated. My processor is a 64 bit AMD Athlon
dual core 4200. I have no problems with audio and video codecs that I am
aware of. However, I am not an advanced computer user so I could be wrong.
When I replay a downloaded movie (any file type) the resolution seems
to be incorrect. The image seems to be too large, which causes a blurring of
the video. At times the image looks like a zoomed in digital movie, again
causing a blurry image.
I don't think my desktop display resolution has anything to do with it
but I may be wrong. I have already tried changing it and nothing happens.
My new computer came with Vista Home Premium and I did not have this
problem. I have installed the 64 bit Vista Ultimate also and did not have
this problem. Every install was a clean install on a reformatted hard drive.
I would sincerely appreciate any help form a knowledgeable source.
Thank you in advance for any assistance with this matter.

Resolution is often a misunderstood topic, especially when talking
video playback. Other things to consider include the source file's
frame size, frame rate and bitrate, all of which can have a
considerable impact on playback quality especially IF you attempt to
play a video back at a larger size then it was originally created at.
Of course your monitor also impacts playback as well, meaning it's
overall screen size and what resolution you're running at.

If your movies look out of proportion the first thing to check is if
or not you have whatever player you're using set to "zoom" meaning it
will stretch the video. Best playback is always at it's native size or
less. If you're using Media Player, open a video, pause it, then right
click and set video size to 100%, play a portion, see if it appears to
be in the correct aspect ratio, then repeat at 50% and 200%. Note it
looks at it's best quality at 50%. The more you enlarge the size the
movie takes up on your screen the more fuzzy and distorted it will
become. This can be minimized by viewing at a higher resolution. I run
at 1920x1200. Remember the higher the resolution, the smaller things
appear on your computer monitor, but they will be proportionally
sharper.

Trying to playback videos at full screen unless you have a ultra high
resolution monitor capable of running at HD resolutions often means
you're results will be disappointing. How good the quality is also
depends on the video's frame size. Many videos you download off the
Internet have two strikes against them before you start. They are of
low bitrate, meaning they had the crap compressed out of them and
their frame size is relatively small, often 320x280 or a little
bigger. So trying to play such a video back at an enlarged size,
something has to give. If you're referring to home brew videos you've
made yourself, or if you've done some editing or you're talking about
commerical DVDs or other professionally made source files then
generally your playback quality will be better, often way better then
the typical Internet type video.

All that said, which player you play them on can make a REAL
difference too. Better playback results can be had from better
players. One good one, that's totally free and loaded with features is
called GOM. One thing you can do with it easily is adjust the playback
window by grabbing a corner and either dragging in to make it smaller
or out to make it larger. For me, a happy medium is somewhere between
100% and 200%, usually about 160%. The image still is sharp plus you
have far more adjustments possible.

 

[Rick Raisley]

If your movies look out of proportion the first thing to check is if
or not you have whatever player you're using set to "zoom" meaning it
will stretch the video. Best playback is always at it's native size or
less. If you're using Media Player, open a video, pause it, then right
click and set video size to 100%, play a portion, see if it appears to
be in the correct aspect ratio, then repeat at 50% and 200%. Note it
looks at it's best quality at 50%. The more you enlarge the size the
movie takes up on your screen the more fuzzy and distorted it will
become. This can be minimized by viewing at a higher resolution. I run
at 1920x1200. Remember the higher the resolution, the smaller things
appear on your computer monitor, but they will be proportionally
sharper.

I'm confused a bit by the above. You mention that using Media Player, the
best quality is at 50%. And you mention you have a 1920x1200 monitor (as I
am using). Yet no videos are even at your monitor's native resolution (are
they?), and playing at 50% will certainly not fill the screen.

All that said, which player you play them on can make a REAL
difference too. Better playback results can be had from better
players. One good one, that's totally free and loaded with features is
called GOM. One thing you can do with it easily is adjust the playback
window by grabbing a corner and either dragging in to make it smaller
or out to make it larger. For me, a happy medium is somewhere between
100% and 200%, usually about 160%. The image still is sharp plus you
have far more adjustments possible.

I've tried WMP11 as well as the player included with Nero, but I'll look for
and try GOM. Again, the 160% seems to contradict the 50% above. I'm not
saying you're wrong; just trying to understand it, is all. Are you
suggesting changing your native resolution when playing DVDs, or using them
full screen, or what?

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Mr. Albright, for your reply. I am not using the zoom feature
in WMP 11. I have tried right clicking on the video and changing the size
from 100%, 50%, etc, etc but nothing happens. Nothing changes, even after a
reboot. I did download and install the GOM player and I am very pleased with
it. I have associated all video files with the GOM player. It is quite
refreshing to have the necessary codecs actually imbedded in the player
instead of having to search for them or having to download a "codec package"
full of unnecessary and unwanted add-ons.
I am impressed by the GOM player's ability to resize itself, without
prompting from the user, for the proper display resolution of the varying
types of movie files. I will access the user help file so that I can
understand all the functions of the player when I have the time to do so.
I realize that many people find questions such as mine to be trivial or
stupid. However, I always listened to my father when he was alive and he
stressed to me that "the only stupid question is the one you fail to ask".
I'm certain he gleaned this helpful bit of wisdom from another source.
However, it bears repeating.
Again, thank you very much for your assistance. I appreciate it very
much. Have a nice day.

C.B.