Fonts problems in Windows 7

[Ittiandro]

After installing a NVIDIA Ge Force graphic card to replace the original on board card and after setting a higher resolution ( 1360 X 768), the fonts have become more faded , in some cases the text shows bluish/purple fonts alternating with the black ones. Generally, the aspect of the fonts has changed all over, including the Menu bars.They are no longer solid black and well defined and the text is harder to read. I am using a Panasonic 32" TV screen as the computer monitor. This TV screen has given me no font problem until I changed the resolution from 1024 X768 (with the integrated card) to a higher resolution with the new card.

Thank you for your help

Ittiandro

 

[fseal]

Sounds like you need to tune your font AA (Anti aliasing).

You can even turn it off completely if you desire (but will have more jaggyness).

Go to start and type "cleartype" into the search box. Start the "Cleartype text tuner" and go from there...

If in the end you don;t get satisfactory results, then you can turn it off completely. Though I'd give the tuning a try first.

 

[Ittiandro]

Thank you, no matter whether "cleartype" is on or off, it doesn't solve the problem

 

[dsperber]

Depending on your tastes, you might try increasing the font size from "normal - 100% (96DPI)" to "medium - 125% (120DPI)".

This has the effect of not only enlarging text characters, but also kind of presenting text with "more ink" (i.e. 120DPI vs. 96DPI). It always makes text look better, sharper, clearer, and prettier... especially under Win7.

It's something you could try. It will also make things easier to see now that you've increased your resolution from 1024x768 typically used for 4:3 17" CRT's (with 1152x864 for 19" and 1280x960 for 21") to the 16:9 rectangular 1360x768 you're now using with your 16x9 HDTV as monitor.

Just be aware that there are some apps which do NOT display correctly with "medium - 125%" font size under Win7 (as they didn't either with what was called "large fonts (120DPI)" under WinXP). They mis-draw things, which looks like truncated text, bad outlines, etc. So this definitely is a potential downside, although you learn to live with its occasional appearance from the occasional 3rd-party app (nothing from Microsoft exhibits this problem).

Right-click on desktop, select "Screen resolution", and then click on the "make text and other items larger or smaller" and check the "medium - 125%" radio button.

Also, are you running with the latest nVidia drivers for the card?

 

[fseal]

Well another thing to consider is, there is really only one true screen resolution for any LCD monitor. Running it at anything other than the "native" resolution will result in seriously unsatisfactory text performance in most cases.

The Native Resolution is generally the top/largest one in the list. So make sure that 1360x768 is the proper full/native resolution of the monitor.

 

[dsperber]

I am using a Panasonic 32" TV screen as the computer monitor. This TV screen has given me no font problem until I changed the resolution from 1024 X768 (with the integrated card) to a higher resolution with the new card.

What is the exact model number of this HDTV?

As Fseal pointed out, it is the native display resolution of the display device which should really be set, for optimal presentation. Most PnP monitors will report to the video driver what their native display resolution is, and that usually shows up as "(recommended)" when you right-click on Desktop and select Properties -> Display Resolution and then click on the dropdown arrow for the "resolution" listbox item. Normally that is what you should leave it set at, for best possible visual results when used as a Windows desktop.

If this is a true 16x9 HDTV I'm surprised that the native resolution isn't an exact multiple of 16/9. But if it's actually a dual-purpose LCD that can be used as both HDTV (for 1280x720p or 1920/1080i) and computer monitor, then its native resolution could definitely be something other than 16:9.

1360x768 is an unusual resolution, but if that's what it really is for that model 32" monitor. Looking at the 32" Viera TC-L32X2 tech specs, it says 1366x768 is the native resolution. I would have expected that to be what the nVidia video driver offered you. Was your mention of 1360x768 a typo?

I wonder why this small but present discrepancy between 1366x768 native resolution and the 1360x768 you say is what you're driver is using... unless this is explainable.

 

[fseal]

Oh something else :/

Are you hooking this up via a DVI/VGA connector or HDMI?

I've found that TVs generally only work with some resolutions using DVI or VGA and suck pretty bad at others (Including not even supporing 16x9 aspect ratios sometimes even when the TV does!)

I've had better luck these days hooking TVs up to computers and getting good high rez settings by using HDMI...

If there's no HDMI input on the TV or no output on your video card, you may have to go and set the resolution of your desktop back to 1024x768 as that may be the highest resolution your DVI or VGA input to the TV can use.

 

[Ittiandro]

Font problem

The Panasonic model number is TC-L32C3. Looking at the spec, the native( and max) Panasonic resolution listed is indeed 1366 X768. I have reset the NVIDIA res to 1366 X768.Incidentally, the NVIDIA control panel gives 1024 X768 as Native res. I don't understand why and what is the implication, Anyway, bottom line the font problem persists.

Thank you for any further clarifications, if you can

Ittiandro

 

[fseal]

Ok, so again, are you connected via DVI?

If so then 1024x768 is what the DVI is telling windows and in fact is probably the only resolution that is going to work...

On TVs with a VGA/DVI input it's like a whole other TV there. Taking the computer signals an dthen converting them into something the TV can display and it has it's own set of resolutions which I've seen in the past has NOTHING to do with the resolution of the TV at all

If you can switch to HDMI cables then everything will probably work a lot better.

 

[Ittiandro]

Oh something else :/

Are you hooking this up via a DVI/VGA connector or HDMI?

I've found that TVs generally only work with some resolutions using DVI or VGA and suck pretty bad at others (Including not even supporing 16x9 aspect ratios sometimes even when the TV does!)

I've had better luck these days hooking TVs up to computers and getting good high rez settings by using HDMI...

If there's no HDMI input on the TV or no output on your video card, you may have to go and set the resolution of your desktop back to 1024x768 as that may be the highest resolution your DVI or VGA input to the TV can use.

Yes, there is an HDMI input on my TV, which I don't use because my ISP cable is plugged directly onto the TV.
The graphic card socket in the back of the computer, where my TV is connected, must be the DVI/VGA input to the TV, because it takes the same monitor cable I was using before I installed the NVIDIA card. There is, however, another socket next to it. It is a female socket about the same size and type as the other one, with two small receptacles for the screws, exactly like the socket for a VGA monitor cable. I don't know what it is. May be I can get a better display by using this socket, but I don't know how. It is not for a HDMI cable, I think.

Thank you

Ittiandro

 

[fseal]

My current TV also only has one HDMI slot so I have an HDMI switch that I have my computer, cable box and DVD plugged into, then one cable to the TV.

I have to use the remote for the HDMI switcher to switch to the right input when I want to switch from TV to computer or DVD. BUT, I get a full 1920x1080 desktop on the TV and it's very sharp!

 

[Ittiandro]

Oh something else :/

Are you hooking this up via a DVI/VGA connector or HDMI?

On the back of the Video card there are 3 receptacles :S-Video, DVI and regular VGA.
So far I have been using the VGA receptacle with the regular VGA cable I was using before installing the new card. Now I have switched the connection to the DVI outlet using an adaptor which allows to use the same VGA cable on the DVI terminal.
By doing so, I have noticed a marked improvement in the clarity of the fonts and also, I have been able to push the resolution to 1400 X 768. The problem seems solved, but I wonder if I could have an even better display quality by using an HDMI cable. If this is possible, I need to know how to make the connections..More specifically, how can I connect an HDMI cable to the DVI outlet on the Video card Is there an adaptor, I suppose? The NVIDIA package did contain a DVI-VGA adaptor, but not a DVI-HDMI.

Thank you for your help.

Ittiandro

 

[dsperber]

I have switched the connection to the DVI outlet using an adaptor which allows to use the same VGA cable on the DVI terminal.
By doing so, I have noticed a marked improvement in the clarity of the fonts and also, I have been able to push the resolution to 1400 X 768.

Are you still running with fontsize "100% - normal"?

Have you at least given "125% - medium" a try, to see how it looks?

 

[fseal]

Oh something else :/

Are you hooking this up via a DVI/VGA connector or HDMI?

On the back of the Video card there are 3 receptacles :S-Video, DVI and regular VGA.
So far I have been using the VGA receptacle with the regular VGA cable I was using before installing the new card. Now I have switched the connection to the DVI outlet using an adaptor which allows to use the same VGA cable on the DVI terminal.
By doing so, I have noticed a marked improvement in the clarity of the fonts and also, I have been able to push the resolution to 1400 X 768. The problem seems solved, but I wonder if I could have an even better display quality by using an HDMI cable. If this is possible, I need to know how to make the connections..More specifically, how can I connect an HDMI cable to the DVI outlet on the Video card Is there an adaptor, I suppose? The NVIDIA package did contain a DVI-VGA adaptor, but not a DVI-HDMI.

Thank you for your help.

Ittiandro

While there may be a DVI to HDMI adapter out there, I doubt that will be any better than what you have with the DVI to the TV now (That would be more for TVs that had HDMI but no DVI/VGA input). So I think you might be maxxed out with the setup you have now if 1400x768 is the highest in the list (That list is provided by your TV through the DVI connector).

However, if you upgrade your video card in the future it will certainly have an HDMI output on it and then hooking that to an hdmi switch, then to your TV would probably look better, maybe even higher resolution (IF your TV is 1080I/P that is, you can then probably get 1920x1080).