Poor resolution when plugged into 1080p 32" TV

Hi!

Thanks for replying! I am sorry but no, I can´t turn the PC/AV mode off. I can only choose between the two. And even in AV mode I can get the same picture as in PC mode, by adjusting it afterwards.

But in PC mode, Overscan on my mac set to off, the text is still pixelated, and chopped up.

I will try and post a picture of it.

Yeah, I suppose the name of the thread should better describe the issue people are having, which is not being able to output 1080p at all over (mDP to) HDMI. (Even if it worked previously.)

OS X usually detects the native resolution (Best for display) but this is not the case for everyone experiencing this issue. Setting the resolution manually can work but sometimes OS X does not display all the resolutions that your monitor actually support. (Like 1080p, for instance.)

Pressing option(alt) and clicking "Scaled" should give you the full list of resolutions. (See screenshot)

However, it doesn't for everyone... Which is why we have this thread.

You usually can't have mirroring and 1080p unless both displays support it. (Mirroring usually won't allow a resolution that exceeds the native resolution of any of the mirrored displays, that's why it was limited to 1280x800 in your case.)

OK, you must be using Lion. I am still using Snow Leopard because I always wait several updates before I update anything, since updating anything always breaks something. This is an example of that. I don't have the 'Scaled' option at all. But I do get all supported resolutions for both monitors, even when I turn mirroring on. It looks the same either way.

Of course, in mirrored mode, I can only set the TV to 1280x960 max, which is closest to the native 1280x800. Odd choice since this is 4:3. 1280x720 would have given 16:9, which is also what 1080p is, and hence, most people's TV.

I talked about not seeing the refresh rate in unmirrored mode.

But I do see the option to change it in the settings dialog above, which was ending up on the TV so I never noticed it while working on the MBP screen. It's good to see that I can know which rate I am using without resorting to trial and error.

That leads me to another dilemma I have. I would, naturally, like to see only the app of my choice appear on the external monitor, and everything else on the native screen. It is annoying, and in this case, misleading, to have a settings dialog like that split between two screens. Totally counter-intuitive and undesirable IMO. I have found no good way to do this. AFAIK there is no setting to associate an external monitor with a particular app. Or is there?

I've posted this in another thread, but I thought I'd add it to this one to help those out with the same issue I had.

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I reckon I've found a solution to this - or at least I managed to resolve the issue you're all describing at my end; a new 2011 MacMini driving HDMI to a TV (1080p) with a shocking picture quality (text with white halos, stark contrast, etc). This (unfavourably) compared to a Core 2 Duo Mini which had perfect picture quality at 1920x1200.

So after trying

HDMI out -> TV = poor

Mini DisplayPort -> HDMI = poor

Mini DisplayPort -> VGA = great picture quality at a low res, but after clicking 'detect displays', avail res's changed and the picture took on a very purple hue...?!

The TV didn't have a DVI connector, so I couldn't try that path.

Just before throwing in the towel, I though I'd try coupling the MiniDisplayPort/T'bolt -> DVI adaptor with the 3rd party DVI -> HDMI adaptor we had connected to the previous MacMini.

To my great surprise and relief, this solution works! It makes sense too - the Mini now thinks it's connected to DVI and shows the full range of resolutions it previously showed with the previous Mini, 1920x 1200 being one of them rather than the TV-only res's (1080, 720 etc) it displays over HDMI.

SO, MiniDisplayPort to DVI, then DVI to HDMI and hopefully, champagne and caviar!

Uhh, pretty sure there's a note at the bottom of every email you receive stating:

You are receiving this email from Apple Support Communities. You can change your email preferences in your Apple Support Communities Profile.

It's actually pretty standard to see unsubscribe options at the bottom of any email (because it's required by law and all).

I don't think it will work because you're merely going HDMI - DVI - HDMI.

Better to try Mini display port to the VGA socket on the monitor. Apple have a cable for this...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB572Z/B/mini-displayport-to-vga-adapter?mco=M TA4OTEwNjA#

You will need a VGA to VGA cable as well.

I don't think HDMI to VGA will work, see here why...

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/41624/how-can-i-connect-a-mac-mini-to-a -vga-monitor

Failing that, I think you might have to change the monitor, but at least it's easy to take the mac mini into the store and check before you buy.

Good luck.

I'm also having this problem. Although I appreciate the fixes in this forum, they are not actual solutions. So far I've heard:

1. Use an adapter that converts Apple's old mini display port to VGA in the Thunderbolt port - I've already done this, and yes the display looks awesome on my monitor that only supports a VGA input. However, I am trying to get a second display to work (which is an LCD TV)
2. Use an adapter from mini display to HDMI through the Thunderbolt port - Again, same issue as above. I need to utilize the HDMI port on my Mac Mini.
3. Do a bunch of ridiculous adjustments to your TV to make it kiiiiind of look almost okay. - Obviously not a true solution either.

I'm just really annoyed at Apple for not even testing this. Or if they did, they chose to overlook it. And now that people are complaining about it, what do they do? Sit quiet until more people complain. I read (can't remember if it was this thread or elsewhere) that someone sat with the techs at the Apple store, and their solutino was #1 I listed above. That's just not acceptable. As someone else mentioned on this thread, "I only bought this crap to write iPhone apps." Well, now I'm stuck with one monitor to write my apps, while a perfectly good PC could be allow me to use both monitors and help me greatly with my production.

My only other option at this point is to shell out $50+ for an external (USB) graphics card to plug in my TV or my other spare VGA monitor. I'd be happy to do that if Apple's willing to pay for it (since I'm not doing this for gaming or anything). But we all know they won't do that... Unless practically all of their users complain (remember the "Death Grip" fiasco with the AT&T iPhone 4?). Probably at least 50% of the users of these things won't ever notice the blurriness, or they won't ever plug their machines into a display via HDMI.

I guess I'll try to hit up Apple support, but I definitely don't want to devote my whole life to troubleshooting their issue (which you know will happen). I hope this is a driver issue that will just get resolved in an update to Lion.

Thanks all.

Looking at video prefference settings, I am currently using the 1080p HDTV choice (and my HDTV confirms the source is 1920x1080p). I don't see the alleged max resolution (1600x900) as an option, is that only available if you have the mini-display port dongle attached? The highest I have available (from memory, not at the screen this moment) is 1280x960, and while that looks a little better, it makes everything mega-huge on my 40" screen (uncomfortable to read), and defeats the whole point of big screen for more desktop real estate.