Picasso IV with 1600x1200 HiColor on Dell Monitor U2410 (Flat Screen)

[Atron89]

It took me some time to figure out how to operate the Picasso IV with my Flat Screen in the best possible mode, and since I haven't found any discussion on that issue, here is how I came to use it properly:
The Dell U2410 is a 24" monitor with a 1920x1200 resolution. Hence, getting the 1600x1200 mode working is important (otherwise the picture is smaller or pixels are interpolated in scaled monitor mode). With the default settings of the Picasso IV one gets a 1600x1200 (8 or 16 bit) resolution in interlaced mode. But interlaced modes don't work properly with the U2410. Thus, with the default resolution-modes this does not work.

Now I just figured out that by deselecting the "interlaced" feature of the 1600x1200 60Hz mode, making it a non-interlaced 1600x1200 30Hz mode, the U2410 can display a HiColor screen without problems (I changed that in the Picasso96Mode Preferences). I am using now a 16bit 1600x1200 desktop and can simply use any jpg as backdrop picture (I am using OS3.9 + BB1-3).

I guess everybody figures this out after some time, but I am amazed that those new 24" monitors can be very well used even with an A4000/60-Zorro based Amiga! I sold my A2000 in 1992 but returned to buy an A4000 only last year, hence my easy amazement ;-)

[Atron89]

Sounds cool... but do you get black borders of 160px each at either side or is the picture stretched to 1920x1200?

If it's stretched I think it would look pretty bad... maybe theirs an option to not stretch it though, I wish they would put that option on EVERY LCD/TFT if it's their, as LCD/TFT's at non-native resolution SUCK. (But CRT's don't, which is why I use one instead of a TFT on my A1200!)

Fortunately it is not stretched, it displays at exactly 1600x1200 native, and there are black borders of 160px on each side, yes that's important. The U2410 has 3 display options: "1:1", "aspect", "fill". It's only the third one, "fill", that creates the bad effect you are refering to. I'm using "1:1" with 1600x1200, which means it shows the screen with native resolution. With "aspect" it scales the screen up until it hits the border horizontally or vertically, but keeps the correct ratio between x and y (this is useful for e.g. 800x600 which is scaled to 1600x1200).