Mac Mini does not display HDMI 1080i in full screen on TVs

I have a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini that I am having problems getting video to display 1920 x 1080 @60hz in full screen on my Sony XBR 1080p HDTV. The Mac is connected to the TV via a DVI to HDMI cable. The Mac recognizes the display as a "Sony TV"

When the Mac first starts up the entire TV screen is filled with the grey Apple startup screen, but when the Mac fully boots and gets to the desktop, the screen has shrunk so that it is slightly off the screen on the left, and has about 80% of the screen filled horizontally and about 90% vertically. I have tried all combinations of the overscan selection on the Mac and on the TV, but they make the image about 120% of the size of the screen so the top, bottom and sides are cut off.

I have tried 2 different 1080p HDTVs with the Mac Mini and get the same results for both TVs.

Now here is the thing that makes me believe that there is something funky with the Mac Mini. If I take my 2.16 GHz Macbook Pro 15" Intel Core 2 Duo and plug its DVI display port into the Same DVI to HDMI cable that is connected to the same Sony TV, it displays full screen with no problems.

What can I do to make my Mac Mini display properly?

1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini, Mac OS X (10.5.4), DVI to HDMI cable connected to Sony 1080P TV

Posted on Jul 10, 2008 4:28 PM

49 replies

kooli9

Level 1

0 points

Jun 18, 2009 3:09 PM in response to Gary J. Lieber

like another user in an archived topic i'm also having this problem when connecting my mac mini to a panasonic plasma. The overscan feature just cut off the tool bar at the top. and switched off it leaves black line and scale the picture down in size. This is particularly frustrating as i have just got my mac mini and after being told that vga is an dead technology by staff in the apple store and being convinced to buy a dvi to hdmi cable. Now my tv which is a TX-P42G10 (latest tv) comes with a vga port not dvi. An had i plugged the mac mini into the vga port i would have been given vertical and horizontal size adjustment as you get with any standard vga monitor. but because its going through hdmi i cannnot maniulate it. Come on apple please find a fix

Aug 21, 2009 6:58 AM in response to Gary J. Lieber

I had this issue between Mac mini and Samsung UE55B7090, using the mini-DVI to DVI converter that came with the Mac mini, a DVI-to-HDMI converter, and a HDMI cable: Switching the resolution to 1920x1080 @ 60Hz with the 'genuine' OS tool, the picture does not fit the screen (and looks generally bad).

To shorten the story, I'm not telling you what hints from postings I tried out without success, and I just tell you what worked for me finally:

0) Use HDMI1/DVI input at the TV

1) In the TV menu (Picture options -> Size), I chose "Screen Fit"

2) Using DisplayConfigX, I created a custom setting for 1920x1080 @ 60Hz, sync polarity H/V: / (see Samsung user manual)); for all the other values, I took what DisplayConfigX suggested

Now the picture is full size, and looks good.

Aug 21, 2009 1:11 PM in response to Community User

Just found another (and better!) way to fix the issue of the HDMI connection between Mac mini and Samsung UE55B7090 (I assume that this approach will be valid for most TVs). No, not using VGA - which is an idea which I don't like 😉

Instead of using the (mini)DVI port of the Mac mini, I use the mini display port (which all newer Mac minis should have, as far as I know), with an HDMI adapter (mine is from Delock, product no. 65099, see http://www.delock.de/produkte/gruppen/Konverter/DelockAdapter_mini_Displayport_HDMI_pin_Buchse65099.html?setLanguage=EN).

Still, the following two points have to be fulfilled:

0) Use HDMI1/DVI input at the TV

1) In the TV menu (Picture options -> Size), choose "Screen Fit"

However, using DisplayConfigX can be omitted, it just works without such "dirty" tricks.

Maybe it is also worth mentioning that in the Picture Menu of the TV, "Sharpness" should be turned to 0 (it is 50 by default). Otherwise, fine lines (and small fonts) look strange.

Oct 2, 2009 6:26 PM in response to Gary J. Lieber

For my Mac Mini + Epson projector, changing the setting on the projector's 'Output' setting to 'Auto', which is not the default, did the trick.

Hope that helps someone.

Dec 19, 2009 10:09 PM in response to Gary J. Lieber

This is my experience - When I don't select overscan in the Display Options (for the TV) and instead try to change the image size using the TV functionality to change the size, I can't get it to fill up the screen.

However when I do select the overscan option in the Dislay Preferences, at first the desktop edges go off the TV screen. But when I cycle through the TV's options to scale the image, one of them (Fit Screen) correctly fills up the screen without distorting the image.

macbob7

Level 1

0 points

Dec 20, 2009 4:09 AM in response to Gary J. Lieber

I have a JVC 42 inch TV and just installed the latest Mini Mac 2.53 Ghz and had the same problem. I disabled the Overscan function in the Options of the Display section and it works fine for me now. Although the image doesn`t quite cover the screen, but works fine!
PS. I didn`t have this problem with my previous Mini Mac 1.83 Ghz.
Merry Christmas to all!

kenjidm

Level 1

0 points

Dec 30, 2009 3:18 AM in response to Community User

Will this affect the settings when I watch my cable tv or dvd player that is hooked up to my tv as well? Or are these setting specific to the input?

Dec 31, 2009 3:17 AM in response to E.T.

well done buddy 🙂 thank you!

tim41

Level 1

0 points

Jan 17, 2010 8:32 AM in response to RyDawg78

Got it to work (MacMini connected with HDMI to a Sony BRAVIA 52") using overscan and changing the settings on the Sony TV: in MENU / Settings / Screen / Display Area / select "Full Pixel".

Mar 15, 2010 2:48 PM in response to kenjidm

These setting are specific for each input, so it does not affect the other sources.

The Gorp

Level 1

0 points

Mar 15, 2010 4:12 PM in response to Community User

I have a viewsonic n4285p tv and a mini 1.66. Osx either overscans too much or not enough and I can't find anything on the tv to fix it. I'm running in 1080p, I'm running Plex for my media player so I can fix the overscan with that but I would like to have the desktop working properly too. Any suggestions? Switchres settings or better that a way to fix without separate software?

Thanks

Nick.mac

Level 1

0 points

Apr 3, 2010 2:39 AM in response to Gary J. Lieber

Not sure if this is already mentioned, as it's a pretty long topic may have missed it. I have a two year old Mac Mini and a 720p 32in Panasonic, I eventually got it displaying full screen by turning overscan on the mini on and on the TV off. The TV setting is under Menu / Settings / Picture Overscan = Off. Fits the screen perfectly whether I choose 1080 or 720.

The Gorp

Level 1

0 points

Apr 3, 2010 6:09 PM in response to Nick.mac

My tv doesn't havethat function unfortunately.

Apr 4, 2010 7:47 AM in response to Community User

Thanks mwolf66..it works

Apr 13, 2010 3:55 PM in response to Gary J. Lieber

I just purchased a Sony 40EX500 -- 40" 120Hz LCD. I hooked up my 1.83ghz Mac Mini (running 10.4/Tiger) that I've been using for a few years via vga cable. I can't get the full HD output (not 1080i or 1080p.)

In all the posts I've read, people refer to a 1080p or 1080i setting in the Display preferences -- I have no such option. My resolution options close to that number are 1920x1440, 60 Hz, 1920 x 1440 75 Hz. Even without the specifically-labeled "1080p" there's no 1920x1080 option available...I don't understand. Also, nothing changes when I select the "show displays in menu bar" option and then check what's available there. And I see no evidence that my Mac "autodetected" anything (some people have referred to "Sony" actually showing up in their display preferences...?)

Any advice? Would all this change if I just got a DVI-->HDMI cable? Do I need to be running Leopard? Or a newer Mac Mini altogether?

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Mac Mini does not display HDMI 1080i in full screen on TVs