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HMDInfo resolution: native or active?

flashk
Honored Guest
I noticed that the HMDInfo HResolution/VResolution fields return the native resolution of the HMD and not the current active resolution. I'm using Windows 7 and I modified the resolution of the Rift through the Control Panel to 1280 x 720, but the HMDInfo still reported the resolution as 1280 x 800.

Is this a mistake or the expected behavior?
3 REPLIES 3

cybereality
Grand Champion
This is expected behavior. HMDInfo is designed to report the native resolution (or other properties) of the headset. So this makes sense. If you want to find the actual resolution, you can probably do that with the engine you are using.
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geekmaster
Protege
In Windows, the GetMonitorInfo() WinAPI call can be used to get the desktop resolution of any specific monitor on a multi-monitor desktop, or the bounding rectangle of the entire desktop defined by all monitors. You can pass it the Display number returned from the OculusVR SDK, to find the desktop resolution that is being (poorly***) downsampled to the Rift display native resolution inside the Rift display controller hardware.

And here is some sample code that shows how to position display objects on multiple monitor desktop, so you do not need to clone your Rift with your desktop display, and so you do not need to make it your primary monitor:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd162826(v=vs.85).aspx

*** I said "poorly" above, because the software display drivers can do a MUCH better job downscaling an image than the tiny little display controller inside the Rift DK. And better yet when GPU subpixel downsampling is used. I mention this here and now because your question implies that you are attempting to let the Rift DK do its own downsampling. Not only does this reduce the quality, but it actually causes any subpixel rendering (including ClearType text) to make the image WORSE instead of better. Subpixel processing REQUIRES that the display be used in its native resolution. That said, the Rift downscaling is useful for developers, while creating and testing content, allowing a much larger cloned desktop environment (when switching repeatedly between HMD and desktop displays). But for "normal" (media consumer) use, Rift hardware downsampling should NOT be recommended!

flashk
Honored Guest
Thanks for the verification. I already have access to the current resolution. I just wanted to make sure this behavior is by design because the comments in the HMDInfo class declaration are not explicit about this.

Thanks for the info geekmaster. In this case I'm not cloning the display. We are using the Rift in a wireless setup, but the wireless controller is forcing a resolution of 1280 x 720. Not ideal, but it's working now after applying the proper aspect ratio multiplier.