Docking Station DVI output with different DPI

[wayneforrest]

Hello All,

I need assistance with buying an LCD,

Is the following possible with a docking station (different DPI's) ?

LAPTOP LCD = 1680x1050 at 120 DPI.
DOCKING STATION DVI output LCD = 1440x900 at 96 DPI.

Or does the DVI output have the same DPI as the Laptops' LCD?

The reason for my question is that my current resolution is 1680x1050
and the only way to get the fonts readable is to change the DPI;
but by changing the DPI, some programs text labels and buttons get chopped off, I guess most programs are not designed to be DPI
compatable since it would require EXTRA effort.


Thank you.

[jo2008]

Hello,

ok 2 things:

1) I also have changed the default DPI to 120 on my WUXGA screen and I'm also about to buy an external monitor (for desktop extension). So ideally, the notebook screen should use 120dpi and the external monitor, due to its bigger size, a lower dpi value. So I would also like to know whether its possible to specifically set the DPI for each screen.

2) I came across only a few applications that had issues with the increased DPI value. One of them (mp3/tag studio) is scaling wron and cutting off text. Recently I found a way to fix it (more or less):
Right-click on the program --> Properties --> Compatibility --> Turn off scaling when higher dpi value (don't know exactly what it's called)


Jo


Edit: apparently DPI is a system setting not per-monitor setting
http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPo ... 5&SiteID=1

[gongo2k1]

i think you might be confusing screen dpi with font dpi.

windows can render the fonts larger or smaller, to try to keep them the same physical size. this is the font dpi and the setting that i think you're modifying. you can change this, but it applies across the whole operating system, and doesn't really work all that well, imo.

the screen dpi is determined by your physical screen size and current resolution. you can't really change this since the native res will always be the same...

ideally, you want to find a desktop lcd that has the same screen dpi as your laptop panel, that way when you set the windows font dpi, all of the text remains the same physical size.

[jo2008]

Well since you cannot change the screen DPI , like you said, it should have been obvious that the changeable font DPI was meant throughout the last posts.

Finding a monitor with similar DPI as the notebook screen is kind of hard.. e.g. since I have a 1920x1200 @ 15.4" that makes 147dpi according to some calculator. Good luck finding a 24" screen that matches that.

So IMO it woudl make sense to have different scalings on different monitors. Otherwise one is either having ridiculous large font or the other is useless for things other than watching videos while you're working. A little flexibility would come in handy if you have a high res notebook screen.. The cheap 1280 displays that most vendors use don't have this issue.


jo

[gongo2k1]

So IMO it would make sense to have different scalings on different monitors.

of course it would make sense, i completely agree with you! unfortunately, it just doesn't work this way in windows... yet...

it should have been obvious that the changeable font DPI was meant throughout the last posts.

well, it never hurts to double-check. just making sure that i'm understanding what's being asked, that's all.

Good luck finding a 24" screen that matches that.

indeed, that's a problem with a wuxga+ laptop panel. i guess you could run at non-native res (*cringe*...) on the laptop panel when you're docked to try to match the physical size. it's not a great solution, but it's just a suggestion all the same.

The cheap 1280 displays that most vendors use don't have this issue.

naturally. that's economy of scale, hard at work. the market supply is high, and many end users don't know the difference so they stick those panels in there to keep costs down. unfortunately the screen quality often isn't the same. like you, i think i'd rather sacrifice dpi compatibility than screen quality. i just wish they went hand-in-hand more often on laptop panels.