Are virtual resolutions possible?

Wupideedoo

Quick question. I've been doing some work on my brothers laptop, making a few upgrades and all that, when he asked if there was any way to update the screen. My first response was that there wasn't and at that point you enter the realm of desktops, but then I got to thinking. I know that my phone (Windows Mobile) can emulate a higher resolution using subpixels, and it surprisingly usable. I also know that the OQO can emulate higher resolution screens, presumably also using subpixels. Since these things can't be physically altering the resolution of the screen, obviously the solution on these devices is software based.

Is there any kind of software I can download that would allow me to do something similar on a laptop display? I've done a dozen or so searches, but I can't seem to find anything.

Smasher

Each pixel is composed of separate regions of red, blue, and green color. Programs that use subpixel rendering take advantage of that to turn on only part of a pixel, which if done correctly can do things like reduce vertical jaggies (don't think it works for horizontal ones) and the like.

However, a particular program has to be designed to work like that; there's no way to run a program that will cause it to happen automatically with other programs, which I think is what you're looking for.

For more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel#Subpixels

Wupideedoo

Kind of. I was thinking something more like a program that would use the video card to allow a higher resolution and scale that down to fit whatever resolution you needed it to. A kind of system-wide supersampling. I know my brother doesn't use his video card for anything else. But it sounds like that doesn't exist, regardless of whether or not it's possible.

Gihgehls

Have you tried just setting the resolution higher than the laptop's screen goes and seeing if it scales?

Frem

Yes. In Linux, one can do funky things with the Xserver and/or VMs.

Those crazy EEEpc people are also doing magic things to gain more screen space.

El Guaco

If you could come up with something, I would think it would have to be hardware specific, since it would have to know the layout or orientation of the subpixels in order to take advantage of such a scheme. Plus, the video would probably much slower trying to do the additional work. I think at best it would look fuzzy and not very sharp.

Not to be a downer, but this is why any time a friend asks me to recommend a laptop, I preach ad nauseum about the fact that laptops are purpose-built and are incredibly expensive to upgrade (if not impossible). Unless you NEED a laptop, you can save yourself money and headaches by going the desktop route. If you're not prepared for the expense of a laptop that will last at most 3 years (and most likely less than that through wear and tear, or just plain obsolescence) then don't buy one. Laptops are not for budget shoppers, IMO.

Sorry, I just rant about that because I get that a lot from people. Back to being on topic...

Frem

Yeah, El Guaco, that almost doesn't apply here. You can plug in a new monitor to a laptop just the same way you can to a desktop. He just doesn't want to, for some reason. ;-)