user12326: Goal: I'd like to upscale a recording from a 1680 x 1050 (16:10 aspect ratio), 2010 Macbook Pro screen to 1920 x 1080 (16:9) for 'best-try' upload to a variety of target platforms (FB, YT, Vimeo etc).
Note: thanks to the crap graphics chip ('Black Screen of Death' NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M) on this laptop model, I cannot attach an external monitor.
Clearly, the largest 16:9 aspect ratio video I can natively capture on this screen is 1680 x 945, making the scaling to be applied = 1920 / 1680, or approximately 1.14 times the original.
Not bad, but taking a step back for a moment, am I at the time of recording truly stuck with 1680 x 945 (16:9) max, or are there other options in the pursuit of a 1920 x 1080 end result?

Would (for example) ffmpeg allow original recording at a resolution
larger than the native screen size? (conceivable, as all user interaction is in the middle of the screen, the remainder simply providing visual context).
Can I otherwise trick my laptop into thinking it has a 1920 x 1080 screen attached?
is there some other possibility I should be aware of?

If you see a practical approach to a native 1920 x 1080 recording, some detail (for example ffmpeg command) would be helpful.
Operating System - OS X Yosemite - Version 10.10.5 (14F1021)
Hardware:
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
Processor 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 288 MB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M

user1871: Apparently, it may be possible to get the OS to output a higher resolution than the native one. It requires some config files tweaking. I can't vouch for this method.
If you just need to show, say, the middle third of the screen, then another possibility is to zoom in to provide a larger source for ffmpeg to upscale. Depending on the size of the area of interest, this might not make much difference. 
Of course, I dare say, 1680 --> 1920 should be an easy upscale post-recording with hardly much difference in perceptual quality unless your items of interest are very small.

12326: <p><strong>Goal</strong>: I'd like to upscale a recording <strong>from</strong> a 1680 x 1050 (16:10 aspect ratio), 2010 Macbook Pro screen <strong>to</strong> 1920 x 1080 (16:9) for 'best-try' upload to a variety of target platforms (FB, YT, Vimeo etc).</p>

<p><strong>Note</strong>: thanks to the crap graphics chip ('Black Screen of Death' NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M) on this laptop model, I cannot attach an external monitor.</p>

<p>Clearly, the largest 16:9 aspect ratio video I can natively capture on this screen is 1680 x 945, making the scaling to be applied = 1920 / 1680, or approximately 1.14 times the original.</p>

<p>Not bad, but taking a step back for a moment, am I <strong>at the time of recording</strong> truly stuck with 1680 x 945 (16:9) max, or are there other options in the pursuit of a 1920 x 1080 end result?</p>

<ul>
<li>Would (for example) ffmpeg allow original recording at a resolution
<strong>larger</strong> than the native screen size? (conceivable, as all user interaction is in the middle of the screen, the remainder simply providing visual context).</li>
<li>Can I otherwise trick my laptop into thinking it has a 1920 x 1080 screen attached?</li>
<li>is there some other possibility I should be aware of?</li>
</ul>

<p>If you see a practical approach to a native 1920 x 1080 recording, some detail (for example ffmpeg command) would be helpful.</p>

<p><strong>Operating System</strong> - OS X Yosemite - Version 10.10.5 (14F1021)</p>

<p><strong>Hardware:</strong></p>

<p>MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
Processor 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 288 MB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M</p>
 1871: <p>Apparently, it may be possible to get the OS to output a higher resolution than the native one. It requires some config files <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/2ia242/enabling_1920_x_1200_hidpi_resolution_on_the_13/" rel="nofollow">tweaking</a>. I can't vouch for this method.</p>

<p>If you just need to show, say, the middle third of the screen, then another possibility is to <a href="https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18385?locale=en_US" rel="nofollow">zoom in</a> to provide a larger source for ffmpeg to upscale. Depending on the size of the area of interest, this might not make much difference. </p>

<p>Of course, I dare say, 1680 --> 1920 should be an easy upscale post-recording with hardly much difference in perceptual quality unless your items of interest are very small.</p>
