Multi-monitor resolution, stretch 1080p to 1440p monitor

[Clarion]

I've always had trouble visually spotting in DCS. The primary piece of advice people will give you to help with spotting is to switch to 1080p resolution. I tried this out with a single monitor and it does help. However, I can't get this to work right with my multi-monitor setup. I have two monitors with the main camera viewport on my primary monitor and then MFDs on my second monitor. I've been playing around with the multi-monitor config file but I can't get it to stretch the 1080p camera viewport to occupy the entire 1440p monitor. The closest I can get is the camera viewport with blackbars around it on my main monitor. Is it possible to stretch the 1080p across the primary monitor?

Below is the monitor setup LUA I've been using.  I normally use a very similar config but instead with 1440p.

_  = function(p) return p; end;
name = _('MFCDS on Second Monitor (1080p)');
Description = 'Main monitor is viewport, secondary monitor with both MFCDs'
Viewports =
{
     Center =
     {
          x = 0;
          y = 0;
          width = 1920;
          height = 1080;
          viewDx = 0;
          viewDy = 0;
          aspect = 1920 / 1080;
     }
}

LEFT_MFCD =
{
     x = 1920;
     y = 0;
     width = 900;
     height = 900;
}

F14_HSD =
{
     x = 1920;
     y = 0;
     width = 900;
     height = 900;
}

RIGHT_MFCD =
{
     x = 1920 + ( 1920 / 2 );
     y = 0;
     width = 900;
     height = 900;
}


F14_VDI =
{
     x = 1920 + ( 1920 / 2 );
     y = 0;
     width = 900;
     height = 900;
}

UIMainView = Viewports.Center
GU_MAIN_VIEWPORT = Viewports.Center

 

 

[Hog_No32]

Maybe a stupid question, but did you also update the overall resolution in the DCS settings from 3840x1080 to …x1440?

My main screen (and Center viewport) is a 2560x1440 and I also have a secondary monitor (800x600) for MFD output. Works just fine.

By the way, I also have had trouble spotting other aircraft visually on a 1080p screen. Going to 1440p really makes a difference, so that is good advice for sure.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Hog_No32

[Clarion]

14 hours ago, Hog_No32 said:

Maybe a stupid question, but did you also update the overall resolution in the DCS settings from 3840x1080 to …x1440?

Yep, I change the resolution in the DCS settings as well (and check fullscreen) but no matter what combination of resolutions I try in the LUA config and the DCS settings, the closest I can get is having a 1080p camera viewport with unused black space on my monitor.

Quote

By the way, I also have had trouble spotting other aircraft visually on a 1080p screen. Going to 1440p really makes a difference, so that is good advice for sure.

Other way around  Stretching 1080p onto a 1440p monitor helps me with spotting a great deal.

[Hog_No32]

6 hours ago, Clarion said:

Other way around  Stretching 1080p onto a 1440p monitor helps me with spotting a great deal.

Eh, ok…so are you saying your monitor is capable of a 1440p resolution but you intend to run it with only 1080p regardless? Either I am getting something completely wrong here (which happens…), or that doesn‘t make any sense.

A 1440p resolution obviously gives you an additional 360 pixels for rendering, one or two of these pixels might be the other aircraft you are trying to spot. With the aircraft at the same distance on a 1080p resolution, the rendering might not be able to show the small aircraft and instead interpolate and show the sky (or whatever background)…

Btw, maybe you can post the .lua you are actually tyring to use and which does not work as intended.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Hog_No32

[Clarion]

11 hours ago, Hog_No32 said:

Eh, ok…so are you saying your monitor is capable of a 1440p resolution but you intend to run it with only 1080p regardless? Either I am getting something completely wrong here (which happens…), or that doesn‘t make any sense.

A 1440p resolution obviously gives you an additional 360 pixels for rendering, one or two of these pixels might be the other aircraft you are trying to spot. With the aircraft at the same distance on a 1080p resolution, the rendering might not be able to show the small aircraft and instead interpolate and show the sky (or whatever background)…

I don't know why it works exactly but I think it's because if you're stretching a lower resolution over a larger screen now each individual logical pixel is larger meaning when an aircraft is distant it's apparent size will be larger since the resolution has less granularity.

You don't have to trust me though, you can try it yourself.  Set up a test mission with a bunch of aircraft flying co-altitude with you on the same heading and airspeed at different distances.  Try this mission with your normal settings and see how hard it is to spot each of them.  Then temporarily turn off your multi-monitor configuration and set your resolution to 1080p with fullscreen and see how hard it is to spot them.  You can even take screenshots and compare side-by-side.

Quote

Btw, maybe you can post the .lua you are actually tyring to use and which does not work as intended.

The LUA I'm trying to use is in my original post.