Just Curious

[RedBaron]

Just Curious
Why is the Pandora using a 5:3 ratio screen when all the retro games use 4:3 ratio screen?
Wouldn't it be better to use a 4.2" 4:3 ratio screen?

 

[Nintendo]

Actually, Pandora = Display: 800x480 widescreen (5:3), 4.3 inches, touchscreen LCD.

http://pandorawiki.org/Pandora

 

[Mr.Gonzo]

As you probably noticed, it does a whole lot more than emulation.

Movies? Computing? Having a big ass screen?
It's also a way to keep up with new homebrew games too, see.

 

[gruso]

IIRC they originally wanted a 4:3 640x480 display, but they were too hard to get in volume. 800x480 displays on the other hand, were growing on trees. (This was before my time here, and is just based on my memory of an old craigix post.) I guess putting in a wide screen helped it transcend the "retro emulator" label too - it wouldn't have attracted the widespread interest that it has, if it had a 4:3 display.

The screen has a 400x240 mode too. Pillarbox this (40px each side) and you're basically looking at a GP2X screen. I'm know some people will prefer to stretch their emulators to fit, but they're wrong. WRONG.

 

[RedBaron]

IIRC they originally wanted a 4:3 640x480 display, but they were too hard to get in volume. 800x480 displays on the other hand, were growing on trees. (This was before my time here, and is just based on my memory of an old craigix post.) I guess putting in a wide screen helped it transcend the "retro emulator" label too - it wouldn't have attracted the widespread interest that it has, if it had a 4:3 display.

The screen has a 400x240 mode too. Pillarbox this (40px each side) and you're basically looking at a GP2X screen. I'm know some people will prefer to stretch their emulators to fit, but they're wrong. WRONG.

I wish some one would put out a unit like the GP2X with a 4.25" 4:3 screen and have the performance of a Pandora, I would be first in line to get one

 

[kingoddball]

IIRC they originally wanted a 4:3 640x480 display, but they were too hard to get in volume. 800x480 displays on the other hand, were growing on trees. (This was before my time here, and is just based on my memory of an old craigix post.) I guess putting in a wide screen helped it transcend the "retro emulator" label too - it wouldn't have attracted the widespread interest that it has, if it had a 4:3 display.

The screen has a 400x240 mode too. Pillarbox this (40px each side) and you're basically looking at a GP2X screen. I'm know some people will prefer to stretch their emulators to fit, but they're wrong. WRONG.

I wish some one would put out a unit like the GP2X with a 4.25" 4:3 screen and have the performance of a Pandora, I would be first in line to get one

Thats a nice idea.
Maybe once the Pandora takes off, they might even consider making it themselves.

 

[WizardStan]

I wish some one would put out a unit like the GP2X with a 4.25" 4:3 screen and have the performance of a Pandora, I would be first in line to get one

Why? If you want something displayed at native 4:3 on the Pandora, you just display it pillarboxed at 640x480. On the other hand, if you've got a 640x480 and want to display widescreen, you have to go 640x384 and letterbox it, which is an inferior solution, if you ask me. By going with the 800x480, it does both widescreen and 4:3 well.

 

[Mr.Gonzo]

And widescreen is also fun for PSX and N64

 

[RedBaron]

I wish some one would put out a unit like the GP2X with a 4.25" 4:3 screen and have the performance of a Pandora, I would be first in line to get one

Why? If you want something displayed at native 4:3 on the Pandora, you just display it pillarboxed at 640x480. On the other hand, if you've got a 640x480 and want to display widescreen, you have to go 640x384 and letterbox it, which is an inferior solution, if you ask me. By going with the 800x480, it does both widescreen and 4:3 well.

A 4.25" 3:4 screen is a lot bigger than a 4.25" wide screen, it is 800x600 that's why

 

[gruso]

Can you get a 4.25" 800x600 LCD? Not that 800x600 is much good for retro emulation. You're far better off with 640x480.

So stop being silly and buy a Pandora. :/

 

[yannv]

Why is the Pandora using a 5:3 ratio screen when all the retro games use 4:3 ratio screen?
Wouldn't it be better to use a 4.2" 4:3 ratio screen?

For one thing, not all old games are 4:3 - in fact, lots of them have portrait monitors, in particular vertical scrollers (but also others, like burger time and frogger). Yet others are simply square.
The main reason the Pandora screen is such an unusual format is availability. The nubs were deemed important enough to custom develop (but only AFTER the design was centered about them and the original maker was lost), but for the screen a compromise of high enough resolution was picked. For some platforms, wide is right (psp is 30:17, very near but slightly wider than 5:3). And I think this choice is fine, particularly as it does not limit the machine to only retro use, and fits a good form factor for the machine as a whole.

All that said, I really loathe the tendency for modern laptops to get smaller, lower resolution screens. Give me a 13" 1400x1050 over a 15" 1280x800 any day!

 

[Chip]

The Pandora's display is already as large vertically as it can be given the overall device dimensions. A 4:3 display couldn't be any taller, it would simply be less wide. You'd gain nothing with a 4:3 display, but you'd lose valuable display real-estate for everything else.

 

[john4p]

Also many Amiga games are in 320x200 - meaning a format of 16:10, which is pretty close to 5:3 (15:9).

(There are also a lot of Amiga games in 320x256, meaning 5:4, but that's not the majority.)

 

[x68000]

Individual emulator devs will no doubt add the correct aspect ratio to their wares as well as a screen filling one too.

 

[second exodous]

I don't get this, this comes up a lot, and Davec complains about this on other handhelds also.

I have a 1080p monitor that I watch movies in Cinema-scope, how the movies were shown in theaters, and I have a black bar on the top and the bottom. I also watch TV episodes that are in 4:3 so I have a black bar on the right and left. In both cases the video is not distorted in anyway, sure the video doesn't fill the screen, but it's only a small portion of the screen that is black.

I don't get why people make a big deal out of this, they always say they don't want to stretch the video. Well then DON'T, just life with the black bars. You can't have a screen fit every system or every film format. Why is it so hard for people to deal with this?

I hope I'm missing something, I really do, because there are people that make a huge deal out of this. I have to be missing something, no way so many people would feel this strongly about something when it isn't that big of a deal.

 

[BaDToaD]

I have to be missing something, no way so many people would feel this strongly about something when it isn't that big of a deal.

No, you're right, it isn't a big deal but people haven't figured this out yet.

 

[marshal]

Sounds like just another pan-scan / original ratio type of debate...

If I were the one deciding I would make pan-scan and dubbing of movie illegal. There is a need for drastic measure sometime !

More seriously an aspect ratio of 5:3 is kind of unusual but it's as good a comprise as any other I guess. I don't think archos user complain of the AR of their screen all the time (I am talking about the model using the same screen as the Pandora).

 

[GizmoTheGreen]

+1 on making dubbing illegal
-1 for the aspect ratios, i seriously dont give a rats ass.

for me its about resolution, and detail in movies, so im happy with my 1080p pc screen.

next buy will be a 1080p led tv, samsung presumably

 

[Awakening]

I find 800x480 to be the minimum practical resolution. A lot of websites and apps are not made to be viewed in less then 800 px width while retro gaming will require 480 px height. For a device meant to do many things this is very useful. Nowadays I've seen that 1024x600 is getting more popular, this resolution does the same blending, of 1024x768 and 800x600. Because a wider screen is more suitable and useful these new resolutions are becoming standard on mobile devices.

 

[droneb]

from what ive seen he just wants to have a 1:1 screen because on widescreen you get less pixels or area per size.

my response, we've got as much screen we need and all that could fit into it.

and if thats enough we still couldnt go upwards but to go wide! remove those speaker ports and add wider screen