output to 1980x1080 screen chops top and bottom of display

[Patton Echols]

On 11/27/2010 02:25 AM, Yorvyk wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:40:10 -0500
> Verde Denim <tdldev at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> I'm running 10.04.1 LTS and just put my Panasonic 42" screen up (my old
>> monitor went dead a day or so back). I have the nvidia utility loaded, and
>> it seems to detect the 1920 x 1080 just fine, but the top and bottom bars of
>> the display are not visible. If I move the mouse up so that it is
>> off-screen, I can find the apps and preferences drop-downs, but can't
>> minimize any open windows as they would be "lost" since I can't see the
>> bottom either. Is there any way of adjusting the display so that these bars
>> are visible? I've tried other resolutions which don't help. In reading
>> through some of the forum messages there seems to be some possibility with
>> xrandr and xbmc (although this seems to be a utility for tv and not for
>> actual desktop operation). Any input, as always, is appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks...
>>
>>     
> It is known as overscan.  This problem is well documented in the forums, if you search for threads tagged 'overscan' you should find a suitable solution.
>
>   

Right, but a lot of TVs have a built in "Zoom" function to define how to 
handle a signal that does not fit the native display.  They'll stretch 
horizontal, vertical both, etc.  I have a tv that is set so that a 4:3 
signal from the cable box looks correct (to me anyway), but if I plug 
the laptop into the vga, it will do exactly what you describe -- even 
though the display is correctly detected.  My fix is to use the remote 
to change the zoom mode.