[FEATURE REQUEST] Aspect ratio of images and videos on the screens DMD and Topper

[jejegameex]

Is there already a way to conserv the aspect ratio of images and videos on the screens DMD and Topper ?
For example, you can see on the screenshot my setup to the left : I have a monitor divided by two for the DMD and the topper. But when images and videos are viewed, they do not retain their aspect ratio; they expand to the size of the screen.
What I would like is visible on the right.

[Mike_da_Spike]

Rather than splitting your screen into two sections, it is necessary to create a topper that matches your display's aspect ratio, and the same principle applies to the backglass.

For instance, if you design a backglass with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a topper with a 4:1 aspect ratio, and your video or image content adheres to these dimensions, it will be displayed accurately.

[jejegameex]

Sometimes I take the time to resize my videos, but I think that should be handled by the front-end software. Because the day my screen setup changes, all my videos will be unusable.

[Draco1962]

6 hours ago, jejegameex said:

Sometimes I take the time to resize my videos, but I think that should be handled by the front-end software. Because the day my screen setup changes, all my videos will be unusable.

Seems to me that TerryRed was doing some of this a long time ago with a split display (and he may have been using DisplayFusion or the like). You may want to search the forum to see if there is any mentions by him regarding how.

Otherwise, I do not think it is reasonable to expect the frontend to handle this vs. an external 3rd-party solution. Below is a Copilot response to a query regarding:

If you want to split one physical monitor into two virtual displays so that Windows or macOS treats them as separate screens, you have a few options depending on your hardware and software preferences.

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1. Hardware / Monitor Features

• Picture-by-Picture (PBP) Mode
  Many ultrawide monitors have a built‑in PBP mode that splits the screen into two independent inputs.
  • Check your monitor’s on‑screen menu for PBP or Split Screen settings.
  • Each half can be connected to the same PC (two outputs) or different devices.

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2. GPU Software (Virtual Displays)

If your monitor doesn’t support PBP, your graphics card software can create virtual monitors:

• NVIDIA Control Panel → Set up multiple displays → enable Mosaic Mode or Surround with split settings.
• AMD Radeon Software → Eyefinity → create a split layout.
• Intel Graphics Command Center → Display → configure split regions (limited support).

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3. Third‑Party Software

These tools let you split a single monitor into multiple independent work areas:

• DisplayFusion – Advanced monitor management, lets you create virtual monitor splits, custom resolutions, and hotkeys.
• Actual Multiple Monitors – Similar to DisplayFusion, with precise split control.
• Microsoft PowerToys – FancyZones – Free, lightweight, lets you define custom window zones (doesn’t create true OS‑level monitors, but great for workflow).
• Ultramon – Older but still effective for multi‑monitor and split setups.

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✅ Recommendation:
If you need true OS‑recognized separate displays for apps/games, use PBP mode or GPU software.
If you just want window snapping and workflow organization, PowerToys FancyZones or DisplayFusion is the easiest.

[jejegameex]

I'm going to test DisplayFusion. But will it change anything? Will my videos keep their aspect ratio? If so, thank you for this solution !

FYI : I use Actual Multiple Monitors for my PC, this does not create multiple virtual screens. We can have multi task-bars. It can launch a program on the second screen, which will remain on the second screen (it's why I use this software).

[Draco1962]

Other than what Terry Red had done in the past, you are the only other person that I know attempting to divide a single display into two virtual monitors for use via PinballX, so all I can say is give it a try and good luck!

https://www.displayfusion.com/Features/MonitorSplitting/

[Draco1962]

P.S. You will have to have everything dialed in outside of PinballX first in order for it to attempt to recognize the splits as their own monitor, assuming this works. 

[jejegameex]

I tried DisplayFusion, but it doesn't work: you can indeed split a screen to get several taskbars, but it doesn't create "virtual screens" that PinballX can recognize as unique screens.

[Mike_da_Spike]

But why not let pinballx have it segmented ? Give the bg the size and location and do the same for topper

[jejegameex]

1 hour ago, Mike_da_Spike said:

But why not let pinballx have it segmented ? Give the bg the size and location and do the same for topper

Yes. That's been my setup for a long time. But the problem is that PinballX doesn't maintain the aspect ratio of images and videos.

It would be nice not to have to resize all the media every time. Especially since if my setup changes in the future, my images and videos won't be the same anymore.

Many software programs allow you to choose how medias will be displayed: enlarged on the screen, centered... See my first post.

[jejegameex]

Example of display options :

[Draco1962]

At this point, can you attach your pinballx.ini and log.txt files? I think that is apropos given the direction this discussion is going. 

Anything else @Mike_da_Spikeyou can think of so far as support files go?

[jejegameex]

I'm not sure if my problem has been understood correctly, but it seems simple:
I've configured the Topper screen in PinballX on my third monitor (1600x900). It's set to display at the top of the screen at 1600x450.
My problem is that for each pinball game/table, I have to resize the image or video to 1600x450 for it to display correctly. If my original image is 1000x450, it would be ideal if PinballX displayed it in the center of the screen. Instead, PinballX stretches the image to 1600x450, which ruins the aspect ratio.

MyPinballXConfig.zip

[Mike_da_Spike]

It must be that I'm missing something.

If you have your screen set up to 1600x450, but you want it to display 1000x450, why not set it up as 1000x450?

Or do you want to create a feature request so media can be set to stretch, keep aspect ratio, etc.?

@Tom Speirsis this something for a feature request, or should thw media size be set correctly by the end user

[jejegameex]

3 minutes ago, Mike_da_Spike said:

It must be that I'm missing something.

If you have your screen set up to 1600x450, but you want it to display 1000x450, why not set it up as 1000x450?

Or do you want to create a feature request so media can be set to stretch, keep aspect ratio, etc.?

@Tom Speirsis this something for a feature request, or should thw media size be set correctly by the end user

Yes I setup the screen to 1600x450 and it's ok. My first question was whether there was a way to preserve the aspect ratio of the medias. But that doesn't seem to be the case. So yes, it's a feature request. All users have the same problem, regardless of their screen size : if you have a 4:3 video and a 16:9 screen, the video aspect ratio will not be preserved.

Currently, I'm trimming my videos. But if I ever get a Full DMD, all my videos will be useless. We shouldn't have to resize media, media should be compatible with all configurations.

If Tom feels up to improving the software... Thank you.

[Draco1962]

Definitely a feature request then. Having an option to center an image that does not fit the user selection for display size would likely need to be created to avoid any attempts of the FE to attempt to upscale it.

I believe TerryRed was creating the media to fit the dimensions for his work since it is not a standard way of using the software.

@jejegameexplease submit a feature request for this. Thank you.

 

 

[jejegameex]

OK I added the feature request here : https://forums.gameex.com/forums/topic/22259-pinballx-enhancementsfeatures-requests/page/35/#findComment-227550