Gp2x Mkii - Better Viewing Angle When Held Upside Down?

[heisty]

So are they manufactured incorrectly?

 

[Samba Pa Ti]

mine seems to be normal but what is the angle people are using ?
i find when the top of my gp2x is pointing away from me more than the bottom the screen looks fine... like / instead of |

 

[shinneri]

So are they manufactured incorrectly?

No, it would seem that some programs have incorrect gamma settings that mess up the viewing angle on MKII screens. This is maybe because the dev is using an FE or Pre-MKII model, right?

mine seems to be normal but what is the angle people are using ?
i find when the top of my gp2x is pointing away from me more than the bottom the screen looks fine... like / instead of |

Normally I would have to hold the GP2X tilt up slightly (the top part of the GP2X was closer to me than the bottom). On most handhelds you hold the console tilted down (bottom being closer). With the gamma fixed, I can tilt it down like other handhelds, and the screen won't appear too dark.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I noticed this problem too, but after I have applied the screen brightness hack on boot, it's not so bad now.

 

[Epicenter]

Well, I don't see why you couldn't turn the screen upside down in the unit, and flip it in software. But you'd probably need to extend the ribbon cable and that is a huge task which requires incredibly precise soldering..

I wouldn't really blame this on GPH, just on whoever made that display...

 

[Parkydr]

I wouldn't really blame this on GPH

Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...
The dead rising from the grave.
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[DaveC]

Looking at my GP2X upside down seems to give me better viewing angles. The colors seem lighter and have better contrast then when I view it right way up.

ie. When I hold it right way up, even small angles seem to make the screen look dark.
Upside down, at that same angle, the screen seems to have a much nicer and more natural brightness and contrast.

Is the LCD screen upside down?

Anyone else noticed this?

Can it be opened up and somehow flipped around? Or will this need the signal to the LCD to also be adjusted?

The screen is not upside down. You can tell because the LEDs run across the bottom. That is how most LCDs are configured.

It is likely the way the bias is set. I suppose you could go in and adjust/mod it electrically to change the angle slightly if you know what to do.

You can use the gamma correction software but there is a side effect to that too. The darker values become more visible but you loose alot of values towards the top end of the greyscale. If you look at some lighter colors like sky gradients you will notice you loose some of it. Try Altered beast on DrMD or Picodrive, it is a good test. Notice how many bands are in the sky with the gamma at default or low. Now try it where the darker colors are a bit lighter. You will notice that there aren't as many color bands in the sky anymore, they were "clipped". You will have to fiddle with it to get the best balance.

I still prefer the M2 screen the best of the GP2Xs. Black is pretty black not light grey, and the contrast is pretty good. Even high end LCD HDTVs have similar problems. If you adjust to get it to show good shadow detail the lighter colors wash out. (hurry up OLED)

The best solution (if it can be done) would be a non-linear color value adjuster. This would bring up the darker values a bit without effecting the lighter ones. It would require a more complex algorythm than just bumping up everything like it is done now though. You would have to bring up the darker values and re-distribute the rest in between to make sure you don't lose in the middle either. Since the GP2X has a larger color pallette than all emulated games you have in-between values to play with. Original games can be made with the screen in mind.

 

[slaanesh]

Well I'm going to urge GP2X developers to add Gamma option to their software. It makes a BIG difference on the MKII screen's viewing angle, brightness and contrast. notaz's Picodrive and Squidgenes are excellent examples of how well the screen looks and behaves with Gamma switched on. I use ~1.40 which gives great results and increases the viewing angle to what I would consider "normal".

 

[suj]

I set Picodrive gamma to 1.30.

same here, for stuff like Mame and gngeo2x Ive got scripts that automatically set the gamma to 1.3