crazy screen distortion (retrograde!)!!! ( 2 Views )

1. My monitor flips out sometimes. At least, I think it's the monitor. Maybe it's the video card. At this point, I'm out of ideas.
   
   The problem occurs when I load certain game titles (usually 2D, as far as I can tell) and sometimes when Firefox or IE attempt to open videos in-window. It seems to me like it would be due to the video card trying to force a resolution too small, i.e. unsupported by my monitor (21in) because it happens with games that are on the slightly-antiquated side (DX-Ball 2, Sonic 3, etc etc.). The pics I've included are the best way I have to describe what's going on.
   
   go here for pics: http://geocities.com/oddityaway/pics.html
   
   If it's hard to see exactly what's going on, imagine moving the cursor from right to left: the rightmost side of the screen seems to be folded in on itself, as is the middle part (where the brighter vertical, rectangular segment is) and when the cursor hits those parts, it will temporarily undergo what I can only describe as "retrograde mouse motion" as in, when the cursor hits the middle part going left, it will reverse direction and go right until it hits the other edge of the bright area, then reverse again. As if the bright area represents a loops coming out of and going back into the screen. (See crude Photoshop'd diagram.)
   
   What I've done: Reformatted, switched HDs, reinstalled drivers (video card and monitor), switched resolutions, manipulated external monitor controls (to no effect whatsoever), switched video card parameters from fixed to "application specified" and back
   
   What I haven't done: Broken anything. Yet.
   
   If anyone's seen anything like this or has any ideas, please let me know. I've managed to stump the Viewsonic tech guys (they, of course, told me it was NVIDIA's fault... ) so any help is greatly appreciated.
   
   Specs:
   Pentium 4 2.4GHz (<----this used to be fast!)
   1GB RDRAM (<----this is still ridiculously expensive! dying tech!)
   Viewsonic P220f 21in CRT
   Gainward GeForce FX5900 Ultra 256MB (<----waste of $450!)
   Typical running resolution & refresh rate: 1024x768, 85Hz
   Max res.: 1600x1200 @ 75Hz
   Min res.: 800x600 @ 150Hz
   
   
   (arzu, Guinea)


2. Try taking a screenshot. If the distortion shows up in the screenshot, then it is a video card problem, if it doesn't, then it is probably the monitor. Do you have any other video card or monitor you can test in your system?
   
   
   (emrah, Maldives)


3. That was a solid suggestion. When I run the game full-screen and it distorts, the capture shows a very small image of the game with extremely distorted colors/graphics. Reminds me of the artifacts that used to pop up on the original NES if you hadn't properly blown your cartridge. :) Anyway, obviously it looks like a video-card issue because of this, right? The screen capture records a small-resolution, color-distorted version of what I'm seeing large and bizarrely-distorted on the actual screen.
   
   Does it make sense that maybe the video card is forced into a mode it can't display on my monitor (monitor's too big?) and thus is flips out? I'll try another monitor and re-post.
   
   
   (can, Netherlands Antilles)


4. Yeah, it looks like it is the monitor. I switched to a 17in NEC, which must support a 640x480 resolution, and it plays fine. Ideally, I would find another 21in and use that, but I don't have access to one at the moment. So it looks like I'm stuck not playing those nostalgic games until I find myself a smaller monitor that I can easily hook up when I want to.
   
   
   (onur, Central African Republic)


5. I've never heard of a problem like that before. It's really odd...
   
   It's possible your refresh rate settings for lower resolutions are too high.
   
   
   (hakan, Faroe Islands)


6. The edge effect is standard pincushion distortion. You've got some bad caps in the monitor. I don't know whats causing the centerline distortion, but its probably the same thing.
   
   
   (Emrah, Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of)


7. But it seems to me that, because it works fine with a smaller monitor and because my monitor doesn't have any problems running stuff at higher resolutions, that it's probably a monitor incompatibility with the lower resolution. That's what it seems like to me, anyway.
   
   
   (nisa ve gizem, Guyana)


8. A CRT only understands bandwidth not pixel counts; it won't be limited on _lower_ resolutions. Not unless you video card is trying to run them at some very high refresh rate. Try a lower refresh and see what happens.
   
   
   (ayhan, Korea, Republic of)


9. Ouch, from the pics I would have to say that monitor is toast. I had a TV that did something like that once, then one day it just went POOF.
   
   
   (ekrem, Cote D'Ivoire)


10. Lowered the refresh rate on your recommendation, masher. Down to 60Hz, then I ran Sonic fullscreen. It does reduce the distortion (the centerline is gone, and there is no more retrograde business) but the whole screen's still pincushioned inwards (hourglass-esque) which essentially makes the game still unplayable. Maybe if I lower the resolution on the desktop, then lower the refresh rate even further...who knows. Doesn't seem hopeful at this point, though. I guess I could always just use a smaller monitor which can run it...but Sonic Collections isn't quite worth it. :)
    
    
    (gülsüm, Afghanistan)


11. Oh well, sorry it didn't work out.
    
    
    (ender, Maldives)


12. More than likely, there are free tools you can download from your video card manufacturer that will allow you some additional room above your monitor's controls to adjust for distortion. Getting rid of the light areas is a good start.
    
    
    (Þefik, Slovenia)

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