Date   : Wed, 31 May 2000 17:43:36 +0100
From   : Stuart William McConnachie <stuart@...>
Subject: Re: Screen proportions?

In message <002b01bfca7e$f65f6440$0101010a@...>, E.R.
Vaughan <e.vaughan@...> writes
>Hmmmm, so 1280x1024 would be a good resolution to run emulators in...
No, it has an incorrect aspect ratio.  I suppose you could tweak your
monitor settings (reduce the horizontal size) to make it correct.

> Anyone
>know any emulators that run at this res?
No.  Mainly I expect because it has an incorrect pixel aspect ratio.
BBC pixels are almost square.

> Sounds a better solution than using
>a tweaked 320x256 mode, 
You will require at least 640 horizontally for MODE 0/3.  You may
require more if you expect games like Boffin, which stretch the screen
horizontally, to work.

Personally I'd recommend an 800x600 mode.  You get a slight border
around the BBC screen area, which allows for adjustment with *TV and by
Boffin.  Also it's almost exactly the size of the legal PAL display
area, with a little to spare around each side (see my previous
calculations).  Plus there's a 16 colour mode which should reduce the
amount of data you have to shift to the card.

Really, your choice of screen mode will depend on your objectives:
* Maximising size of full screen mode
* Correct BBC aspect ratio
* Ability to emulate non-standard BBC screen sizes

Regards,
-- 
Stuart McConnachie (stuart@...              )
43 The Hollows, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 2ES, UK