Display Issues

The purpose of this page is to inform about typical display issues common to wii homebrew. Unwitting developers and users seeking information/help concerning their display problems should be directed here in order to avoid wasting time with lengthy explanations.

The Problem

Not all television sets are created equal. This means that the display area will often mismatch the actual picture. If a developer does not properly compensate for certain factors, the results are usually not good. There will be ugly black borders on some user's picture output and in some cases certain elements will even be placed outside the physical display range, such as buttons and status elements (health, lives, ammo, score, etc). For the end-user, this can be frustrating and even confusing.

Preventative Measures for Developers

The first and easiest thing to do is make sure not to place anything like buttons or status displays too close to the edges of the screen, because this creates the likelihood of having them partially or completely cut off. The BBC recommends keeping a margin of 5 percent on each side. There's also a way to specify a bigger or smaller output such as in the following example:

...

rmode = VIDEO_GetPreferredMode(NULL);

if( CONF_GetAspectRatio() )
{
	rmode->viWidth = 678;
	rmode->viXOrigin = (VI_MAX_WIDTH_PAL - 678)/2;
}

...

But of course this will not yield the same results for everyone. Some users will be pleased with certain settings and others will not. The best thing to do is to allow the user more than one option so that they can pick whatever best suits their television.

Useful Links

• http://www.gamasutra.com/gdc2004/features/20040326/caminos_01.shtml
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overscan

List of Applications and Display Support

This are tables based on user feedback indicating whether or not a the latest version of a given application is likely to show correctly on different types of displays. If an appears it means support is absent or incomplete, meaning some users may experience no problems while others will. Some televisions will automatically compensate for a discrepancy and should therefore NOT be used as a basis for judgment of properly implemented video output unless the auto-compensation can be disabled. If a appears, then it means that app has very good support and works well with that display type. Question marks are for unreported results. Console mode applications are not included.

Emulators:

Application	NTSC SD TV	PAL SD TV 50Hz	PAL SD TV 60Hz	NTSC 16:9 TV	PAL 16:9 TV 50Hz	PAL 16:9 TV 60Hz	Notes
AtaWii	?	?	?	?	?	?
FCE Ultra GX	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration.
Genesis Plus	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Gnuboy GX	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Hugo-Wii	?	?	?		?	?
Neopop Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
RIN Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
SDL MAME	?	?	?	?	?	?
SMSPlus	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Snes9x GX	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration.
Trojan Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
uMSX	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration. Attempts proper support but fails for some users.
UAE4Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
Visual Boy Advance GX	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration.
Wii64	?	?	?		?	?
WiiEngine	?	?	?	?	?	?

Media Players:

Application	NTSC SD TV	PAL SD TV 50Hz	PAL SD TV 60Hz	NTSC 16:9 TV	PAL 16:9 TV 50Hz	PAL 16:9 TV 60Hz	Notes
DragonMedia Player	?	?	?	?	?	?
GeeXboX		?	?		?	?	Depends on Wii Linux
HiivelyPlay	?	?	?	?	?	?
MiniMP3 Player	?	?	?	?	?	?
MPlayer	?	?	?	?	?	?
MPlayerWii		?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Wii MFE Port	?	?	?		?	?	Depends on Wii Linux
WiiMPC	?	?	?	?	?	?

Loaders:

Application	NTSC SD TV	PAL SD TV 50Hz	PAL SD TV 60Hz	NTSC 16:9 TV	PAL 16:9 TV 50Hz	PAL 16:9 TV 60Hz	Notes
All-in-1 Emuloader	?	?	?	?	?	?
Front SD ELF Loader	?	?	?	?	?	?
Homebrew Channel		?	?		?	?

Games

Application	NTSC SD TV	PAL SD TV 50Hz	PAL SD TV 60Hz	NTSC 16:9 TV	PAL 16:9 TV 50Hz	PAL 16:9 TV 60Hz	Notes
Another Rock Paper Scissors	?	?	?	?	?	?
Asteroids	?	?	?	?	?	?
Ballion	?	?	?		?	?
Barrage	?	?	?		?	?
BibleQuiz	?	?	?	?	?	?
Bichejos	?	?	?		?	?
BuscaWiinas	?	?	?	?	?	?
CharioMan	?	?	?		?	?
Chess	?	?	?	?	?	?
Chess Wiimote	?	?	?		?	?
Chippy	?	?	?	?	?	?
Commander K. Wii	?	?	?		?	?
CosmoRaketti	?	?	?		?	?
DopeWars Wii	?	?	?		?	?
Duck Hunt	?	?	?		?	?
Dungeons	?	?	?		?	?
Freecell	?	?	?	?	?	?
Fuse	?	?	?	?	?	?
Gravity	?	?	?	?	?	?
Guitarfun	?	?	?	?	?	?
Jewel Quest	?	?	?	?	?	?
Jump 'n Bump	?	?	?	?	?	?
Kobo Deluxe	?	?	?		?	?	Depends on Wii Linux
MadQuiz	?	?	?	?	?	?
MahJongg Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
Masteroids	?	?	?	?	?	?
Matching Cards	?	?	?	?	?	?
Minesweeper	?	?	?	?	?	?
Missile Command	?	?	?	?	?	?
OpenTyrianWii	?	?	?	?	?	?
Particle accelerator	?	?	?	?	?	?
PONG	?	?	?	?	?	?
Pong2	?	?	?	?	?	?
Pop Me!	?	?	?	?	?	?
Portii	?	?	?		?	?
Quake	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration
REminiscence	?	?	?	?	?	?
Rick Dangerous Wii	?	?	?		?	?
Rock Paper Scissors	?	?	?	?	?	?
Rokoban	?	?	?		?	?
Scogger	?	?	?		?	?
ScummVM		?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Simon	?	?	?	?	?	?
Smashing	?	?	?		?	?
Snake	?	?	?	?	?	?
Space Shooter	?	?	?	?	?	?
Sudoku	?	?	?	?	?	?
Sudoku2	?	?	?	?	?	?
Tetris Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
TicTacToe	?	?	?	?	?	?
Touhou Fangame	?	?	?	?	?	?
UNO	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii-Tac-Toe	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii Breakout	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii Quizz	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii Shooting Gallery	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii Solitaire	?	?	?		?	?	May require configuration
Wiibreaker	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiDoom	?	?	?		?	?
Wiiero	?	?	?		?	?
WiiOperation	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiPoker	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wiiship	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiPoker	?	?	?	?	?	?
Yabause Wii	?	?	?	?	?	?
YOG	?	?	?	?	?	?

Other:

Application	NTSC SD TV	PAL SD TV 50Hz	PAL SD TV 60Hz	NTSC 16:9 TV	PAL 16:9 TV 50Hz	PAL 16:9 TV 60Hz	Notes
Homebrew Browser	?	?	?	?	?	?
Wii Linux	?	?	?		?	?
WiiPaint	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiPhysics	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiStrobe	?	?	?	?	?	?
WiiWhiteboard	?	?	?	?	?	?