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Getting the Best Image Quality on Your SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard

Overview

This document explains how to get the best possible image quality on your SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

Details

A SMART Board interactive whiteboard consists of three main components:

1. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard, which provides touch and digital ink feedback to a computer

2. A standard computer, with a Windows, Mac or Linux operating system

3. A display device, which is usually a projector aimed at a Front-Projection SMART Board interactive whiteboard

SMART Board interactive whiteboards have one display property: physical aspect ratio.

The computer has three related display properties: display resolution, display refresh rate, and physical aspect ratio, if it has a physical display such as a laptop or notebook screen.

The display device, or projector, has two main display properties: native display resolution and physical aspect ratio. It can also support up to three other important display properties: supported input resolutions, supported input refresh rates, and an aspect ratio adjustment setting.

Physical Aspect Ratio

The physical aspect ratio is the ratio of the display’s width to its height. Three common aspect ratios are illustrated below:

The 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios are commonly referred to as widescreen displays. As you can see, for the same height, the width varies depending upon the aspect ratio. Most SMART Board interactive whiteboards have a physical aspect ratio of 4:3, which has been the most common display standard for years, but is now becoming less common.

The SMART Board family of interactive whiteboards have different aspect ratios for different models:

• Front Projection SMART Board 690 interactive whiteboards – 16:9 aspect ratio

• Front Projection SMART Board 685 interactive whiteboards – 16:10 aspect ratio

• SMART Board for Flat-Panel Displays interative whiteboards or Actalyst interactive overlays – 16:9 aspect ratio, depending on the model

To calculate the aspect ratio, divide the width by the height, as follows:

A display 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high has a 4:3 aspect ratio because 640/480 = 1.33333.

There are other aspect ratios more commonly associated with films and DVDs such as 1.37:1 (academy format) 1.66:1, 1.75:1, 1.85:1, 2:1, 2.35:1 (anamorphic widescreen), but they are not typically associated with SMART Board interactive whiteboards.

Every display device, including projectors, has a physical aspect ratio, which lets you know the shape of the image as it’s produced by the display device. If your display device’s physical aspect ratio doesn’t match your SMART Board interactive whiteboard’s physical aspect ratio, one of the following display issues may occur:

When the display and SMART Board interactive whiteboard’s aspect ratios don’t match, the display doesn’t fit the interactive whiteboard correctly. This may be aesthetically undesirable, and may also cause issues with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard’s orientation.

Some display devices, such as projectors, have an option which allows you to adjust the displayed image’s aspect ratio. This is usually done by shrinking or stretching the displayed image to fit the desired physical aspect ratio. This is not recommended because:

• The display may not match the native display resolution of the display device (projector) and may look blurry or jagged.

• The display stretches so that shapes don’t display properly. For example, square objects appear to be rectangular, and circular objects appear to have an oval shape.

Display Resolution

The display resolution, or the number of digital pixels that make up a complete image, is another important consideration when trying to produce optimal image quality. There are two parts of the system where resolution is a factor, as follows:

1. The display resolution output from the computer

2. The display resolution(s) supported by the projector

On the Windows XP operating system, access the display resolution setting by pressing Start > Control Panel > Display > Settings, or Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Display > Settings.

On the Mac OS X 10.4 operating system, access display resolution settings by pressing Apple > System Preferences > Displays > Display.

If your computer doesn’t output a display resolution that is the same as the display device’s native resolution, then the display device adjusts the image to fit the device’s actual native resolution. This can produce two issues:

• The display device may enlarge the image to fit the display’s resolution, and may appear pixilated.

• The display device may shrink the image to fit the display’s resolution, and may appear blurry or illegible.

The following are common display resolutions with their associated aspect ratios:

A computer displays its data at a refresh rate of 60 Hz by default.

Summary

To get the best possible display image from a SMART Board interactive whiteboard, confirm the following:

• The aspect ratio of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and display device (such as a projector) are the same.

• The display resolution output from the computer matches the native display resolution of the display device (such as a projector).

• The display resolution output from the computer is appropriate for the aspect ratio of the display device (such as a projector).

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