NES Classic Mini display resolution problems

[Sprony]

Hello everybody,

I finally got my hands on a NES Classic Mini but I'm having these weird display resolution problems:

http://i.imgur.com/UEXPXDJ.jpg

Obviously, this doesn't look right. The NES mostly has filter options for the display and these are the display options for the tv:

http://i.imgur.com/vavmCHA.jpg

The only logical option is 4:3 which fixes the menu (the other options look terrible):

http://i.imgur.com/G25M36Y.jpg

But when I start the game, the screen ends up a bit smaller again (not as small as before):

http://i.imgur.com/9MIogs0.jpg

I tried different HDMI ports and cables, but nothing changes. If I hook up the NES to my other tv, all is well.

http://i.imgur.com/CLFSDCn.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JbluBsm.jpg

So the tv is cause. It's a 4 year old Philips 46PFL4208H/12. Does anybody know what might cause this and how I fix it? I was thinking about modding the console (I'm new to this) to fix this specific problem (if at all possible).

Honestly, I would prefer a full screen but as Reddit tells me, that apparently won't work because:

NES games render in 240p. They upscale very nicely to 720p because it functions a multiple of 240 (240 X 3 = 720) the system can render each NES pixel as a perfect 3x3 pixel in 720. 1080p however is not a multiple of 240. you could do 4x4 pixels and have a black box around the unused space. or stretch the picture, resulting in inconsistent pixel sizes. this would create a shimmering type effect on moving object that would be very noticeable. that being said, the 4:3 mode suffers from a similar issue already so maybe that's something some people are ok with

Yeah I would think Nintendo has already gone over all this and optimized it the way they thought worked best. Also are the menus in 1080p, or how is it known the hardware is capable? Its gpu may only output 720 at the hardware level, but I haven't really looked into it.

The hardware CAN'T handle it. That's the problem. The SoC in the NES clasic mini is Allwinner R16 and has GPU that can only output:
*Supports 1/2/4-lane MIPI DSI up to 1280x800 resolution
*Supports RGB/CPU/LVDS LCD up to 1280x800 resolution (this output is connected to EP952 HDMI trasmitter on the NES classic mini)

Besides the GPU the SoC has a "video engine" that can do 1080p video decoding in hardware but that is then downscaled to the max resolution of the output if you were to use it in a tablet for example - because this SoC was really meant for tablets, Nintendo just put a HDMI transmitter in place of the LCD screen. There is no way to software hack or physically mod your way around this limit unless you were to replace the SoC and that would mean building a new computer.

I hope someone can help me out.
Thanks!

 

[GerbilSoft]

The NES Classic Mini's output is 1280x720. The "4:3" photo of the menu you posted is shrunken; it *should* be rendered as 16:9.

Try setting the display mode to "unscaled".

 

[Lumstar]

NES Classic Mini has no resolution setting. It always outputs a 16:9 image, with the games boxed into a 16:9 space using black bars.
They cannot be stretched to fake widescreen.

On the other hand, the menus are widescreen only. No native option for a 4:3 interface real or fake.

 

[Sprony]

The first image: http://i.imgur.com/UEXPXDJ.jpg is unscaled.

 

[spinal_cord]

Perhaps your tv has a setting for a preferred format?

 

[Sprony]

Perhaps your tv has a setting for a preferred format?

I went through all the settings and those that I made a photo of, are all of them.

I was told that this:

Install Retroarch and run Nestopia, then press [Start] + [Select] and choose whatever resolution you like : ]

But apparently that ain't true?