How to enable Flat Panel Scaling on Windows 7

Aerothorn on 9/1/2010 at 19:57

What? You can't scale because of DRM? That's just bizarre. Did the people who designed this stuff not realize the implications, or what?

I contacted Nvidia and they have plead ignorance to the existence of this issue. So far they've recommended reinstalling drivers, updating the beta drivers, etc. Bleh. I'll give it a shot but I'm not optimistic.

Not really in the cards for me to buy new hardware at this time and I can't exchange the monitor for a different model, so yeah, no old games for me for a bit, I guess. Damnit.

Edit: Okay, here's an idea. The GTS 250 has no VGA port: but my motherboard has an integrated GeForce 8200 which does. If I were to activate that and plug that into the monitor via the VGA cable, would that resolve the whole HDCP issue?

bikerdude on 9/1/2010 at 22:53

Quote Posted by Aerothorn

Edit: Okay, here's an idea. The GTS 250 has no VGA port: but my motherboard has an integrated GeForce 8200 which does. If I were to activate that and plug that into the monitor via the VGA cable, would that resolve the whole HDCP issue?

In your case thats a better idea, because this allows the use of the hybrid sli function. The onboard gfx will do the vga output and the GTS250 will 3D work, and the side of effect of this is the GTS250 will be put into low power mode when your doing 2D (windows, internet etc).

# One solution is to connect your monitor via the vga/dvi dongle - but you loose a bit of picture quality in the process.
# Second, long term solution for everyone else is the "(http://www.hdfury.com/) HD fury 2" this dongle does DVI/HDMI passthrough, but spoofs the HDCP. Your GFX card/PS3/Blu-Ray player then think they are connected to a fully HDCP complient display device.. trouble is it costs as much as a medium range gfx card.

Painman on 10/1/2010 at 10:55

Aerothorn, which model is your Sammy? Does it not have any of its own scaling options in its OSD? Some do, some don't.

I'm not buying the relevance of DRM/HDCP to the issue - I have an HDCP compliant LCD, with its own internal scaler, and on top of that, I can also freely access the scaling options in Catalyst Control Center. They're both quite functional. So let's back up that train a little bit.

I wish I could offer more specific help, but like Biker, I recently ditched my Green Card for an ATi 5800 series. But nV has broken the scaling functions in their drivers before, in flamboyantly grotesque ways.

If your LCD can't scale on its own, I'd roll back the driver to a version which still scales properly.

Zerker on 10/1/2010 at 12:48

I guess it's a good thing I've delayed my Windows 7 purchase; I will just keep delaying it for the near future. I picked up the Dell 3007WFP-HC when it was on sale at the end of 2007, and it is a wonderful monitor, but has no internal scaler. So far I've felt no need to upgrade my GeForce 8800 GT, but if this situation drags on, I may get a Radeon as my next purchase.

Aerothorn on 13/1/2010 at 02:08

I'm using the Samsung 2494SW, and sadly, there are no built-in scaling options (if I had known of this issue I would have been certain to buy a monitor with one!).

I actually have had Hybrid SLI disabled - it was my understanding that Microsoft had decided to not support it with Windows 7. From Wikipedia:

"On November 5, 2008 in Microsoft’s Guidelines for Graphics in Windows 7 document, Microsoft stated that Windows 7 will not offer native support for hybrid graphics systems. Microsoft added the reason for the decision saying that hybrid graphics systems ‘can be unstable and provide a poor user experience,’ and that it would ‘strongly discourage system manufacturers from shipping such systems.’ Microsoft also added that ‘such systems require a reboot to switch between GPUs.’"

Is this not the case? Does Hybrid SLI work on 7?

bikerdude on 13/1/2010 at 02:45

Quote Posted by Aerothorn

Is this not the case? Does Hybrid SLI work on 7?

Its not supported nativly in the OS, but the nvidia drivers might re-enable it, you wont know till you try..

Aerothorn on 13/1/2010 at 02:56

Okay, makes sense.

Oddly enough, I switched to VGA and the GeForce 8200, and while this removed the whole "HDCP check" option from the control panel it did NOT bring back flat panel scaling, so I'm wondering if it has to do with something else.

Renzatic on 13/1/2010 at 06:39

Right now might be a good time to reinstall your drivers. You're using something like (http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/) Driver Sweeper alongside a regular uninstall, right?

Aerothorn on 13/1/2010 at 14:41

I've just been doing a manual uninstall (via add/remove programs) before reinstalling.

That said, these drivers were a fresh install on the OS the first time around, so that *shouldn't* be the issue. I'll give it a go, though!

Renzatic on 13/1/2010 at 16:52

One quick and very dumb question here. Where are you looking for the scaling options at? It doesn't have its own tab in the NV Control Panel. For some odd reason, it's been shunted under Adjust Desktop Size and Position.

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but...just in case you're not. Right now I'm finding it rather curious you don't have the option at all, when every computer I've seen with an Nvidia card installed has always had it buried in the control panel. It's possible you're just looking for it in the wrong place.