Hacking Widescreen Correction in usbloader?

[Arm73]

.................
Homebrew can read and write the screen setting.
The wii doesn't require a reboot (when you go to your Wii setting, it switch it without rebooting).

Well if this is the case, what would prevent the CFG to perform the task by itself ?
Like I said, CFG has global options, and game options.
' If ' there were a video option to switch res ( that should be very simple like you say ) that global option should be set to 4:3 or 16:9 at user's preference.
This way whatever game you boot it will use that option.
Then let's say in Mario Party 8 , we set this specific game video option to 4:3, this way the wii will be set to 4:3 before launching the game, offering an unscaled, uncompressed 640 x 480 res and the TV should add the black borders. Yes it's an extra step for the user ( pushing the TV p.size button ) but the end result is well worth IMO.
The next game you run, will switch back to 16:9 ( if that's the global option ) no need for the user to do anything else other then setting the TV to wide again.

 

[JoostinOnline]

Arm73: Do you have a forwarder channel for Cfg? If so, I think I could pack the app in an ISO so you could run it from Cfg. Let me know what the title ID is. Check the wad you used if you aren't sure (there are almost always 4 letters in all caps at the end of the name, that's the ID).

A Forwarder should work just fine actually.
Imagine this:
2 Forwarders for the CFG, one regular, which works as usual ( starts the CFG ) ,
and one labelled ARS Forwarder ,(Aspect Ratio Switcher or whatever you'll call it), which runs AspectSwitch v1.0 first and then the CFG,effectively switching the internal res on the fly with the press of a button, by choosing the right forwarder.
The only thing I'm not sure of , is if it's mandatory to reboot the wii after switching the res, because if this is the case, then how would the Wii know to boot the CFG after the the reset ?

To answer your question,I use the USBLoaderCFG - UCXF - IOS58 v11b Stripes.wad, however these days I'm actually using postloader , which is set in autoboot, and goes straight into the CFG upon booting ( which is great, I can always press A and go to the channels instead ).
Your AspectSwitch v1.0 is working wonderfully for me because basically I only have to push two buttons now to switch the internal res ( one time A to go into postloader apps launcher, and one more time to launch AspectSwitch v1.0) ,after which the Wii reboots and postloader runs the CFG as usual, but with the new video setting.

But still, I realized that the CFG can ' detect ' the Wii internal aspect ratio as well, in fact, CFG displays the covers and the menus in the correct aspect ratio whether your Wii is set to 4:3 or widescreen.
Since the CFG is homebrew, I suspect there is a variable that can be checked and returns a true or false value regarding the Wii internal res setting.
Again , AspectSwitch v1.0 works fine as it is, adding more option to it ( like choosing the setting ) would only defeat the purpose of it being a quick way to switch res.

I'm still convinced that adding an extra setting to the CFG video settings ( that can be set globally or on a per game basis ) would be the most effective way to perform a quick, painless switch.
And again AspectSwitch v1.0 does the trick just fine for me, but I remember a few days ago somebody was asking about the lack of CFG program updates, and the answer was that there was nothing more to add, unless somebody came up with an idea.
Well I did

This will speed up the process even more:
AspectSwitch v1.1
AspectSwitch v1.1 Source

As your Wii is, this version behaves just like the first, except it is faster since it exits directly to Cfg instead of postLoader. However, I have added some code that you might find very handy.

If you create a Mario Party 8 shortcut channel with WiiGSC, then run this, it will do one of two things depending on what your current aspect ratio is. If you are in

Widescreen: It will switch to fullscreen and load Mario Party 8
Fullscreen: It will switch to widescreen and load Configurable USB Loader.

 

[Arm73]

.............
This will speed up the process even more:
AspectSwitch v1.1
AspectSwitch v1.1 Source

As your Wii is, this version behaves just like the first, except it is faster since it exits directly to Cfg instead of postLoader. However, I have added some code that you might find very handy.

If you create a Mario Party 8 shortcut channel with WiiGSC, then run this, it will do one of two things depending on what your current aspect ratio is. If you are in

Widescreen: It will switch to fullscreen and load Mario Party 8
Fullscreen: It will switch to widescreen and load Configurable USB Loader.

Hey this is great, thanks a lot , I really appreciate it.
It's such a specific, tailor made little app that I'm wondering if there is anybody else out there that would find it useful, besides me
You should give it a little advertising and post it in other places too and see if people find it useful, or even add it as an Homebrew Browser downloadable utility, I've seen far less useful stuff up there.

I see that you've been kind enough to add the source code as a separate download.
I'd like to study it and learn how it works ( as a programming exercise ), so that I might be able to help others in the future. But it's been years since I wrote any code, although recently I started writing scripts for GlovePie and I really enjoyed it and now I'd like to try my hand at some more serious stuff.
Could I ask you a favor ? Could you point me in the right direction as of what do I need in order to get started ? Like for example how do I open the source code of AspectSwitch for example, edit it and recompile it. What kind of language is the source code written in and if it's already available on my Windows 7 laptop or do I need to download it.
The Wii specific development tools and kits are probably a good point to start, or isn't it ?
Again , thanks a lot, you really got my respect !
I know I'm asking you a lot but I got a lot of free time lately and I'd like to learn something useful !

EDIT
So as I suspected, I was able to peek into the main.c of AspectSwitch by simply drag and drop it into notepad.
I can also see that the programming language is C++, and there are two files called makefile and AspectSwitch.pnproj that are probably needed to recompile the program ?
So if I wanted to do something very simple as changing the path to the CFG loader, could I just use notepad to edit main.c, or is there a proper editor that would make it easier ?
And lastly what do I need to run in order to recompile all of the above ?
Like I said , I really appreciate any help !

 

[JoostinOnline]

.............
This will speed up the process even more:
AspectSwitch v1.1
AspectSwitch v1.1 Source

As your Wii is, this version behaves just like the first, except it is faster since it exits directly to Cfg instead of postLoader. However, I have added some code that you might find very handy.

If you create a Mario Party 8 shortcut channel with WiiGSC, then run this, it will do one of two things depending on what your current aspect ratio is. If you are in

Widescreen: It will switch to fullscreen and load Mario Party 8
Fullscreen: It will switch to widescreen and load Configurable USB Loader.

Hey this is great, thanks a lot , I really appreciate it.
It's such a specific, tailor made little app that I'm wondering if there is anybody else out there that would find it useful, besides me
You should give it a little advertising and post it in other places too and see if people find it useful, or even add it as an Homebrew Browser downloadable utility, I've seen far less useful stuff up there.

I see that you've been kind enough to add the source code as a separate download.
I'd like to study it and learn how it works ( as a programming exercise ), so that I might be able to help others in the future. But it's been years since I wrote any code, although recently I started writing scripts for GlovePie and I really enjoyed it and now I'd like to try my hand at some more serious stuff.
Could I ask you a favor ? Could you point me in the right direction as of what do I need in order to get started ? Like for example how do I open the source code of AspectSwitch for example, edit it and recompile it. What kind of language is the source code written in and if it's already available on my Windows 7 laptop or do I need to download it.
The Wii specific development tools and kits are probably a good point to start, or isn't it ?
Again , thanks a lot, you really got my respect !
I know I'm asking you a lot but I got a lot of free time lately and I'd like to learn something useful !

It's in C. Follow this guide to set up everything for homebrew development:
http://www.codemii.com/2008/08/10/tutorial-1-setting-up-the-environment/
I suggest you update PN2 after you are done. Make sure you install it in the same directory as the old version so it will keep the settings (C:\devkitPro\Programmers Notepad).

I found a good way to get started was to practice modifying simple programs to see how everything works. I posted a version of ProgressiveSwitch with very descriptive notes on what things do here:
http://www.hacksden.com/showthread.php/3608-Anybody-interested-in-Wii-homebrew

As for the average user, they can use Settings Editor GUI, which is also on the Homebrew Browser. It covers almost all settings, and was designed with postLoader users in mind.

 

[Arm73]

Yes, that's what I suspected I needed, the devkitpro. I remember a couple of years back wanting to install in order to have access to DS homebrew, but never got around to do it.

Now I did it, and on the plus side I also downloaded the devkitARM so that I might do some simpler stuff on the DS as well.
It surely gonna be a busy weekend for me....

Cheers

 

[D34DL1N3R]

Also you are most likely the only person that has a worse display when using component cables in 480P oppposed to 480i.
Also ( if possible ) if you set you tv to display the Wii signal into a native resolution ( 1:1 as you call it ), you will get a tiny 640 x 480 picture. Because you set it to display in it's native resolution.

Neither of the two statements are true.

Some TV's scale miserably ( resulting in potentional lag ), some scale wonderfully.
Samsung tv's are know for there great abiltiy to process the "i" images. ( interlaced )

Samsung's are proven year after year after year to have some of THE worst input lag.

I suspect that the image processing of 480i of your TV is what you experience as a "better" picture opposed to a 480p signal.

That's the only real answer to it I see fit. The TV simply produces a better upscaled 480i image, than it does the original 480p. At least with the Wii... as all other sources (PS2 for example) are perfectly fine on my set in 480p.

 

[smf]

yeah, I dont mind the static bars in games like Mario Party - apart from burn in issues, at least the game looks correct on screen, others don't add the static bars resulting in a warped image. I must be addicted to shitty games it seems....

The reason for the graphics on the side in games like Mario Party is to reduce the chance of burn in. On an LCD you get burn in problems on black bars as that is when all the pixels are fully on (it's the opposite way round to a CRT).
My LCD has the option of setting the colour to use for the bars added to avoid damaging the TV.

How different does it look?

 

[Lucif3r]

yeah, I dont mind the static bars in games like Mario Party - apart from burn in issues, at least the game looks correct on screen, others don't add the static bars resulting in a warped image. I must be addicted to shitty games it seems....

The reason for the graphics on the side in games like Mario Party is to reduce the chance of burn in. On an LCD you get burn in problems on black bars as that is when all the pixels are fully on (it's the opposite way round to a CRT).
My LCD has the option of setting the colour to use for the bars added to avoid damaging the TV.

How different does it look?

I dont know what kind of TV you have, but if I set my TV to 4:3, or any resolution smaller than its native (no upscaling), it turns OFF the unused pixels.
You cant get a burn in when something is turned off, its when a TV have to display the exact same thing for longer periods of time.
Also, black is the color thats least likely to cause a burn in.

 

[Hielkenator]

yeah, I dont mind the static bars in games like Mario Party - apart from burn in issues, at least the game looks correct on screen, others don't add the static bars resulting in a warped image. I must be addicted to shitty games it seems....

The reason for the graphics on the side in games like Mario Party is to reduce the chance of burn in. On an LCD you get burn in problems on black bars as that is when all the pixels are fully on (it's the opposite way round to a CRT).
My LCD has the option of setting the colour to use for the bars added to avoid damaging the TV.

How different does it look?

I dont know what kind of TV you have, but if I set my TV to 4:3, or any resolution smaller than its native (no upscaling), it turns OFF the unused pixels.
You cant get a burn in when something is turned off, its when a TV have to display the exact same thing for longer periods of time.
Also, black is the color thats least likely to cause a burn in.

Upscaling happens on ALL flatpanels. Only if the input signal image is higher than the TV'native res ( Higest res possible for the TV ) is the image downscaled.
Upscaling simply means "streched to fill the screen"
Only the highest resolution your panel your panel can handle is called Native. it simply means 1:1 pixels that is.
All input with a lower res than the panels Native res, is upscaled by the TV's hardware/ software.

There's nothing "native" about 4:3 the Wii 's signal is simply scaled up in 4:3.
The square ( 4:3 ) that is visible will burn in, not the added bars. Take a look in your tv's manual.
Watching4:3 displayed content on a Widescreen TV can result in a burn in if the image in displayed for long periods of time.

Also, adding the option to switch to 4:3 upon loading a game via the Loaders is a very cool option IMHO.
A LOT OF game benifit from this mode. Also the 4:3 image of games that support this mode is a lot better in my experience.

After testing myself I clearly understand what the OP means.
Make it happen it would be very cool!

Games I tested in 4:3 are:

Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 resulted in far better picture quality
Monterhunter Tri looks awesome in 4:3, especially the fonts were a lot clearer. Has an in game setting for 4:3
Zelda TP , better difinition a lot less "blurry".
Zelda SS Has a letterbox as this game is meant to play in Widescreen. It gets sharper but this is because the picture itself is a lot smaller...
Mario party 8, clearly how it's meant to be played.
Metroid P Trilogy, BETTER picture, though not fully 4:3.Very small bar on top and bottom.
Resident evil 4 Wii ed. Letterboxed, but better definition all around.
Resident evil archives, meant to be played in 4:3 and it's obvious
Tatsunoko vs Capcom, results in a better image quality in4:3
WarioLand shake dimension Meant to be played in 4:3 and it shows.

Nsmb Wii has no benifits from 4:3 at all, the images switch between 4:3 and letterbox overall the characters get to small imo when playing the levels.

This is a cool feature if implemented in future loader as it can improve the image quality for a lot of games that support 4:3

 

[FIX94]

3:4? Never heard of it If you mean 4:3 then yeah, some games look better, but the image is too small in my opinion.

 

[Hielkenator]

3:4? Never heard of it If you mean 4:3 then yeah, some games look better, but the image is too small in my opinion.

Lol, that's a rather BIG typo...sorry!

About size: it depends how "big" your Widescreen tv is...

 

[Lucif3r]

Upscaling happens on ALL flatpanels. Only if the input signal image is higher than the TV'native res ( Higest res possible for the TV ) is the image downscaled.
Upscaling simply means "streched to fill the screen"
Only the highest resolution your panel your panel can handle is called Native. it simply means 1:1 pixels that is.
All input with a lower res than the panels Native res, is upscaled by the TV's hardware/ software.

As I said I have no idea what kind of TV you have, but I can disable the upscaling on mine, so it only shows whatever the cable sends to it. In wii's case thats a 480 small box, the rest of the 1080 pixels are turned off.
I can also chose to have a partial upscaling, meaning I can zoom that little 480 box to make it fill more of the screen. That, however, turns on all pixels. and can result in a burn-in.

 

[Arm73]

yeah, I dont mind the static bars in games like Mario Party - apart from burn in issues, at least the game looks correct on screen, others don't add the static bars resulting in a warped image. I must be addicted to shitty games it seems....

The reason for the graphics on the side in games like Mario Party is to reduce the chance of burn in. On an LCD you get burn in problems on black bars as that is when all the pixels are fully on (it's the opposite way round to a CRT).
My LCD has the option of setting the colour to use for the bars added to avoid damaging the TV.

How different does it look?

I dont know what kind of TV you have, but if I set my TV to 4:3, or any resolution smaller than its native (no upscaling), it turns OFF the unused pixels.
You cant get a burn in when something is turned off, its when a TV have to display the exact same thing for longer periods of time.
Also, black is the color thats least likely to cause a burn in.

Upscaling happens on ALL flatpanels. Only if the input signal image is higher than the TV'native res ( Higest res possible for the TV ) is the image downscaled.
Upscaling simply means "streched to fill the screen"
Only the highest resolution your panel your panel can handle is called Native. it simply means 1:1 pixels that is.
All input with a lower res than the panels Native res, is upscaled by the TV's hardware/ software.

There's nothing "native" about 4:3 the Wii 's signal is simply scaled up in 4:3.
The square ( 4:3 ) that is visible will burn in, not the added bars. Take a look in your tv's manual.
Watching4:3 displayed content on a Widescreen TV can result in a burn in if the image in displayed for long periods of time.

Also, adding the option to switch to 4:3 upon loading a game via the Loaders is a very cool option IMHO.
A LOT OF game benifit from this mode. Also the 4:3 image of games that support this mode is a lot better in my experience.

After testing myself I clearly understand what the OP means.
Make it happen it would be very cool!

Games I tested in 4:3 are:

Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 resulted in far better picture quality
Monterhunter Tri looks awesome in 4:3, especially the fonts were a lot clearer. Has an in game setting for 4:3
Zelda TP , better difinition a lot less "blurry".
Zelda SS Has a letterbox as this game is meant to play in Widescreen. It gets sharper but this is because the picture itself is a lot smaller...
Mario party 8, clearly how it's meant to be played.
Metroid P Trilogy, BETTER picture, though not fully 4:3.Very small bar on top and bottom.
Resident evil 4 Wii ed. Letterboxed, but better definition all around.
Resident evil archives, meant to be played in 4:3 and it's obvious
Tatsunoko vs Capcom, results in a better image quality in4:3
WarioLand shake dimension Meant to be played in 4:3 and it shows.

Nsmb Wii has no benifits from 4:3 at all, the images switch between 4:3 and letterbox overall the characters get to small imo when playing the levels.

This is a cool feature if implemented in future loader as it can improve the image quality for a lot of games that support 4:3

Yeah that's exactly the kind of experimentation I've been doing, and I agree 100% with what you say here.
I prefer to play some games in 4:3 as well, even though they support ' fake widescreen '.
Another game that you should add to the list would be Guitar Hero 3.
I always suspected something was wrong with the picture ( it's widescreen, but looks stretched somehow ) as soon as the stretched warning screen is displayed.. .
When I played GH3 in 4:3 ( and I mean both the Wii and the TV set to 4:3 ) , it was like a revelation, everything seemed in the right aspect ratio, and the image was noticeably sharper and the blur was gone....

So definitely it's worth to do a little experimentation and check things out. The only games who are not worth playing in 4:3 are actually those who only have widescreen, like Zelda SS or Xenoblade Chronicles. They do in fact add black borders on the top and bottom when n 4:3 , giving a considerably smaller picture.
That's why we need such an AspectSwitcher application or a way to set this option in the Loader, otherwise I'd just keep it at 4:3 !

 

[Hielkenator]

Upscaling happens on ALL flatpanels. Only if the input signal image is higher than the TV'native res ( Higest res possible for the TV ) is the image downscaled.
Upscaling simply means "streched to fill the screen"
Only the highest resolution your panel your panel can handle is called Native. it simply means 1:1 pixels that is.
All input with a lower res than the panels Native res, is upscaled by the TV's hardware/ software.

As I said I have no idea what kind of TV you have, but I can disable the upscaling on mine, so it only shows whatever the cable sends to it. In wii's case thats a 480 small box, the rest of the 1080 pixels are turned off.
I can also chose to have a partial upscaling, meaning I can zoom that little 480 box to make it fill more of the screen. That, however, turns on all pixels. and can result in a burn-in.

Yes that's how it should work. My tv ( Samsung ) does'nt have the option to display it's input signal 1:1 unless it's 1920 x 1080 through it's componenet connection, so the Wii's output is upscaled to fit the screen in 4:3 or 16:9. If you would leave that unscaled image on for let's say a few days, you will get a burned in box in the middle of your screen, wich will get noticable watching screen filling content.
at least that's what Samsung say's

yeah, I dont mind the static bars in games like Mario Party - apart from burn in issues, at least the game looks correct on screen, others don't add the static bars resulting in a warped image. I must be addicted to shitty games it seems....

The reason for the graphics on the side in games like Mario Party is to reduce the chance of burn in. On an LCD you get burn in problems on black bars as that is when all the pixels are fully on (it's the opposite way round to a CRT).
My LCD has the option of setting the colour to use for the bars added to avoid damaging the TV.

How different does it look?

I dont know what kind of TV you have, but if I set my TV to 4:3, or any resolution smaller than its native (no upscaling), it turns OFF the unused pixels.
You cant get a burn in when something is turned off, its when a TV have to display the exact same thing for longer periods of time.
Also, black is the color thats least likely to cause a burn in.

Upscaling happens on ALL flatpanels. Only if the input signal image is higher than the TV'native res ( Higest res possible for the TV ) is the image downscaled.
Upscaling simply means "streched to fill the screen"
Only the highest resolution your panel your panel can handle is called Native. it simply means 1:1 pixels that is.
All input with a lower res than the panels Native res, is upscaled by the TV's hardware/ software.

There's nothing "native" about 4:3 the Wii 's signal is simply scaled up in 4:3.
The square ( 4:3 ) that is visible will burn in, not the added bars. Take a look in your tv's manual.
Watching4:3 displayed content on a Widescreen TV can result in a burn in if the image in displayed for long periods of time.

Also, adding the option to switch to 4:3 upon loading a game via the Loaders is a very cool option IMHO.
A LOT OF game benifit from this mode. Also the 4:3 image of games that support this mode is a lot better in my experience.

After testing myself I clearly understand what the OP means.
Make it happen it would be very cool!

Games I tested in 4:3 are:

Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 resulted in far better picture quality
Monterhunter Tri looks awesome in 4:3, especially the fonts were a lot clearer. Has an in game setting for 4:3
Zelda TP , better difinition a lot less "blurry".
Zelda SS Has a letterbox as this game is meant to play in Widescreen. It gets sharper but this is because the picture itself is a lot smaller...
Mario party 8, clearly how it's meant to be played.
Metroid P Trilogy, BETTER picture, though not fully 4:3.Very small bar on top and bottom.
Resident evil 4 Wii ed. Letterboxed, but better definition all around.
Resident evil archives, meant to be played in 4:3 and it's obvious
Tatsunoko vs Capcom, results in a better image quality in4:3
WarioLand shake dimension Meant to be played in 4:3 and it shows.

Nsmb Wii has no benifits from 4:3 at all, the images switch between 4:3 and letterbox overall the characters get to small imo when playing the levels.

This is a cool feature if implemented in future loader as it can improve the image quality for a lot of games that support 4:3

Yeah that's exactly the kind of experimentation I've been doing, and I agree 100% with what you say here.
I prefer to play some games in 4:3 as well, even though they support ' fake widescreen '.
Another game that you should add to the list would be Guitar Hero 3.
I always suspected something was wrong with the picture ( it's widescreen, but looks stretched somehow ) as soon as the stretched warning screen is displayed.. .
When I played GH3 in 4:3 ( and I mean both the Wii and the TV set to 4:3 ) , it was like a revelation, everything seemed in the right aspect ratio, and the image was noticeably sharper and the blur was gone....

So definitely it's worth to do a little experimentation and check things out. The only games who are not worth playing in 4:3 are actually those who only have widescreen, like Zelda SS or Xenoblade Chronicles. They do in fact add black borders on the top and bottom when n 4:3 , giving a considerably smaller picture.
That's why we need such an AspectSwitcher application or a way to set this option in the Loader, otherwise I'd just keep it at 4:3 !

Agreed, never knwe it before, makes a BIG difference.

 

[PsyBlade]

As I said I have no idea what kind of TV you have, but I can disable the upscaling on mine, so it only shows whatever the cable sends to it. In wii's case thats a 480 small box, the rest of the 1080 pixels are turned off.
I can also chose to have a partial upscaling, meaning I can zoom that little 480 box to make it fill more of the screen. That, however, turns on all pixels. and can result in a burn-in.

The chances of burn in are exactly the same wether a big black box or some smaller black bars

 

[JoostinOnline]

That's why we need such an AspectSwitcher application or a way to set this option in the Loader, otherwise I'd just keep it at 4:3 !

I'm willing to make custom versions of the app for anybody who wants them. Just tell me the title ID of the game(s) that you want displayed in 4:3.

 

[Lucif3r]

The chances of burn in are exactly the same wether a big black box or some smaller black bars

You missed (or ignored) the important part >_>, the pixels are turned OFF when I turn off upscaling. If something is turned off it cant get burned in.

 

[Hielkenator]

JEZUS, games look a LOT better in 4:3 on Wii!
Never knew that, it's like most of them are "meant" to be displayed in 4:3.

Just played MW3, Major diference opposed to the fake Widescreen..

Epic Mickey is just breathtaking sharp.
Also most games get rid of the annoying blur and jaggies in 4:3.

I'never take my Wii out of 4:3 unless a game only has 16:9 ( some only have Widescreen support )
It really is a HUGE difference!

 

[Cyan]

I never went back to 4:3 except for Strong Bad ep1 (which crash in 16:9).
I will have to test wii games
Though, even if the picture is stretched and it's a fake widescreen, there are more content on screen in 16:9.

 

[Hielkenator]

I never went back to 4:3 except for Strong Bad ep1 (which crash in 16:9).
I will have to test wii games
Though, even if the picture is stretched and it's a fake widescreen, there are more content on screen in 16:9.

Yes, but most games look so much better in 4:3.

It would be cool to have a "on the fly" option in usb loader gx to set this for each game.
Just like the OP said.
Makes more sense now that there are "only" a few Wii games that look how they are supposed to look in Widescreen..

A few games that ONLY have Widescreen support.
NSBW
Metroid other M
Zelda SS
Rayman origins
DKC returns etc...