gbadev.org forum archive

This is a read-only mirror of the content originally found on forum.gbadev.org (now offline), salvaged from Wayback machine copies. A new forum can be found here.

Graphics > 5 pixels 'tall' subpixel font

#87128 - Pikanya - Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:20 am

I've been considering creating a text reader specifically for the GB Micro, as I have not found one that suits my tastes. I thought of the possibility of using subpixel fonts, but I realize that the horizontal distribution of the subpixels doesn't make them very useful, as typography favors a contrast of wider vertical lines and narrower horizontals. So I thought, what about creating a subpixel font meant to be used with a tilted screen? The Micro would be perfect for this. So I designed this font, expecting it to fit enough text horizontally, for which it should be quite small. The result was a 5 pixels 'high' font, which might as well be the smallest that an actually very legible lower-case font can ever get.

If you have a LCD screen with R-G-B ordered subpixels, you should be able to read this if you tilt your head to the left:

[Images not permitted - Click here to view it]

Note that I used green for every horizontal line, as it appears brighter to our eyes than blue or red, so the text will look greenish.

I tested this on hardware, and sadly it is just too small for long texts. That doesn't mean that it can't be used for other purposes, though, as it is quite legible, so hence this thread was created. Someone might find this idea useful, so I release this font (or the concept behind it) for the public to use.

Also, if someone knows of a good text reading application for GBA, please let me know about it--it might spare me some work, especially as I can't really code.

#87269 - ScottLininger - Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:37 am

Clever idea...

What exactly do you need a text reader for? I wrote a GBA subpixel text reader that I could email to you. PM me if you're interested.

-Scott

#87437 - Pikanya - Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:29 pm

Why, to read texts, of course. Long texts; stories, to be exact.

#88227 - PhoenixSoft - Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:38 am

Could you please confirm the pixel order of the Game Boy Micro's screen? Because http://www.devrs.com/gba/files/gbadevfaqs.php#SubPixel says that the order is BGR, but I have used test images on the screen, and the RGB versions look much better, leading me to believe that the screen is actually RGB ordered. Tepples' own site, http://www.pineight.com/pc/, also says that the pixels are BGR ordered. My laptop produces the same results as the GBM's screen, and it has an RGB screen.

So who is right? The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the pixel order is reversed on the GBM compared to older GBs, and people were referring to older models.

#88895 - Pikanya - Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:24 am

RGB for my Micro, but that's not necessarily true for all Micros, as they could use slightly different screens, depending on the provider, I guess. I remember reading somewhere something about detecting the order of the subpixels, but can't remember where. :/

#88902 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:53 am

Microsoft's ClearType does not have an option to switch the order, so either Microsoft does have some method of finding which order they are in, or they are just assuming that all screens are RGB.

#88906 - tepples - Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:29 am

PhoenixSoft wrote:
Microsoft's ClearType does not have an option to switch the order, so either Microsoft does have some method of finding which order they are in, or they are just assuming that all screens are RGB.

If "some method" of determining the inherent misalignment in an LCD existed, it would be an extension to Plug and Play, right?
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

#88936 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:31 am

tepples wrote:
PhoenixSoft wrote:
Microsoft's ClearType does not have an option to switch the order, so either Microsoft does have some method of finding which order they are in, or they are just assuming that all screens are RGB.

If "some method" of determining the inherent misalignment in an LCD existed, it would be an extension to Plug and Play, right?

To be honest, I know hardly anything about the communications that occur between Windows and a monitor. Upon reflection, however, it does seem quite unlikely that Windows is made aware of the subpixel order, since this information would not normally be needed.