Am I displaying 1920x1080 or 1366x768?

[Dragostapelia]

Hello,

 

I am currently using a 32-inch TV as my monitor, but I'm at a bit of a loss regarding the resolution I'm currently displaying. 

The TV's box and manual both state it is a 1366x768 display, but Windows itself says it's a 1920x1080 display. Most games I boot up for the first time have either 1366x768 or 1900x600 as their default.

 

Thing is, I do want it to be outputting 1080p since it's the resolution I want to run my games at, but I'm confused as to whether or not this is "real" 1080p. Is that even possible if the display's native resolution is 1366x768? Is it just displaying 768 and then upscaling to 1080 through software?

(Out of curiosity, I tried using a PS4 connected to the same TV and it gave me two resolution options of '720p' and '1080p'. The only noticeable difference was that '1080p' looked overall worse.)

 

Most games I play tend to have some very noticeable dithering in certain areas, with foliage being the prime example. I'm sure this is due to the fact that 32-inch is kinda big for 1920x1080, and it's probably being made worse by the fact that I'm sitting right in front of it, but I can't help but wonder if it's also a consequence of it displaying "fake" 1080p.

 

Any pointers as to how this stuff works is appreciated.

[Tetras]

What is the exact model number?

 

The pixels are normally fixed in modern screens, so if you have 768 pixels you can't use a native resolution that is 1080 pixels.

[Dragostapelia]

1 minute ago, Tetras said:

What is the exact model number?

It's a Samsung T4300, according to the box. Samsung's product website states the resolution is 1366x768.

 

1 minute ago, Tetras said:

if you have 768 pixels you can't use a native resolution that is 1080 pixels.

So... that'd mean it is being upscaled? Just for the sake of consistency, here's Windows saying it's displaying 1080p:

 

[emosun]

i made this in paint , each dot represents a single pixel (white red blue green). view the image scaled to 100%. if the dots are clearly defined by single pixels on your screen then whatever you screen is set to is the native res , if they are inconsistent then you aren't at the native res. set to 1366x768 to see if it then looks correct

Untidfgfdgfgdfgdtled.bmp

[Dragostapelia]

6 minutes ago, emosun said:

i made this in paint , each dot represents a single pixel (white red blue green). view the image scaled to 100%. if the dots are clearly defined by single pixels on your screen then whatever you screen is set to is the native res , if they are inconsistent then you aren't at the native res. set to 1366x768 to see if it then looks correct

Untidfgfdgfgdfgdtled.bmp 29.43 kB · 1 download

 

Between the two resolutions, it looks like 1366x768 is the correct one. 1080p makes the dots look kind of smushed together, almost like it's two dots per pixel (sorry if I'm talking nonsense here, I'm a total layman when it comes to displays). 

 

I guess the lower res is the native one, then. Especially since that's what's on the product info. So, what's with the 1080p option on both Windows and games? Is it like, interlacing or something?

[emosun]

11 minutes ago, Dragostapelia said:

Is it like, interlacing or something?

Compatibility more than likely.

Most devices that aren't computers are gonna output basic resolutions like 720-1080p and the tv is just automatically scaling the size and displaying it regardless if it's "pixel perfect" or not. Much in the same way it would scale a 4k video to just play on any screen regardless of resolution.

[Dragostapelia]

1 hour ago, emosun said:

Compatibility more than likely.

Most devices that aren't computers are gonna output basic resolutions like 720-1080p and the tv is just automatically scaling the size and displaying it regardless if it's "pixel perfect" or not. Much in the same way it would scale a 4k video to just play on any screen regardless of resolution.

Ahh, gotcha.

 

I guess I'll fiddle around with the resolution for a few games and see what ultimately looks best between both in each of them. It's a patchwork fix until I get an actual monitor, at least.