Add Support for 640x480 240p/480i Monitor's Resolution Player Autodetection.

[eliankeil]

Sorry for the translator, this isn't my language.
I'm a retro-gaming user and I have my setup with a 240p/480i CRT TV.
In addition to the entire collection of games and platforms, I have Microsoft Edge Web Apps like YouTube, Netflix, etc.
I love Ultrawidify because I can stretch all widescreen videos to 4:3 in full screen.
The problem is that auto-detection doesn't work at such a low resolution. For it to work, I had to install a 'VirtualDisplay' as a secondary display and set its resolution to 1920x1080. So when I open a web player, I have to send the window to the virtual display for 1 or 2 seconds. Ultrawidify detects the player, and then when I return the window to the real display (CRT TV), the stretching works.
I have to repeat this procedure every time, with each video.
Is it possible to add support for 240p/480i resolutions in the player's auto-detection?
Thank you so much.

[tamius-han]

Hi,

thanks for asking nicely. I think I can see where the issue is, but it will probably be a while before a new version is out, as I'm also dealing with some other issues right now.

In the meantime

Aspect ratio auto-detection is rather expensive in terms of computing power¹. Thus, if extension thinks that the video is playing in a setting where autodetection is unlikely to make a difference, aspect ratio checks run less frequently — but they shouldn't stop entirely (unless there's a different issue at play).

I consider the following a workaround, not a fix — but I'd appreciate if you tried, and report if it works for you or not.

You can theoretically change how often autodetection checks run, however you'll need to plug in a monitor that's at least 1920x1080 (since extension targets ultrawide monitors, UI is made with ultrawide monitors in mind).

Open the extension settings, preferably from the popup:

Then, scroll down to the bottom of the settings window (you may have to click on the settings window before scroll will register) and click this checkbox:

Then, in settings editor, navigate to arDetect > timers and change value of playingReduced to 333. When number is highlighted like in the following screenshot, you can start typing to enter a number.

Then, check the 'enable save button' checkbox, click save, and then reload the page.

———

[1] Nowdays less so, because parts of auto-detection actually use hardware acceleration since the start of this year.

[eliankeil]

Thanks for your response. I implemented the changes you recommended, and they didn't work. So I tried playing around with that number, gradually lowering it, and that didn't work either.
For now, I'm still using my virtual display solution and wrote a very rudimentary AutoHotkey script to automate the process by pressing a single button on the arcade controller.
I know, it must look primitive to a programmer, but it works for me, haha.

$Joy3::
Send {LWin Down}{LShift Down}{Right}{LWin Up}{LShift Up}
Sleep, 90
Send {LWin Down}{Up}{LWin Up} ;This is WinMaximize for the autodetection
Sleep, 3200
Send p ;This is my hotkey in Ultrawidify for 'Basic Stretch'
Send {LWin Down}{LShift Down}{Right}{LWin Up}{LShift Up}
Sleep, 1200
Send f
Sleep, 800
Send p
MouseMove, 660, 50

This example is for players that go full screen with the 'F' key: YouTube, Netflix, Max, Prime Video, etc.

[tamius-han]

I've did some changes to how player detection is handled, and I think this issue should be fixed now.

If you're still waiting for the fix, you can try and see if this pre-release build fixes the problem:

https://github.com/tamius-han/ultrawidify/releases/tag/6.4.0-rc1