User profile for user: Wes Rand
Wes Rand Author
User level: Level 1
59 points

No brightness control for Cinema Display

I got a new workstation and am having a problem with the very bright display. I've been digging around, trying to figure out how to adjust the display but can't figure it out. When I call up the Display panel in the System Preferences there are no control sliders for brightness or contrast and checkboxes for ambient light (only thing I can do is choose color depth.) The keyboard controls do nothing either.

The USB cord from the Cinema display is plugged into the computer. I've tried resetting the SMC. Nothing seems to work. Also tried the "Shades" utility and that also did nothing. Any ideas?

Message was edited by: Wes Rand

Message was edited by: Wes Rand

Message was edited by: Wes Rand

Quad-Core Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Nov 15, 2010 4:31 PM

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61 replies
User profile for user: Lance Mcvickar
Lance Mcvickar
User level: Level 1
132 points

Nov 16, 2010 3:32 PM in response to Lance Mcvickar

I also have a brightness slider when looking at the "display" option for my 30 inch but my two other displays only have "display" with no slider and "color" settings no options menu like I mentioned earlier but when I moved the main menu under "arrangement" to be on the other montitor I was then able to dim that monitor
which is aslo an apple monitor but when I made the third monitor an Acer it had no effect on dimming the display. You should be able to calibrate it darker with the advanced color settings but you must save the profile after you go through the settings.
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User profile for user: swashley3
swashley3
User level: Level 1
11 points

Mar 23, 2012 5:20 PM in response to Wes Rand

I had originally sucessfully followed the step-by-step given earlier in this thread by gilletty on Jan 31, 2011 4:13 AM to get the brightness control for my 2011 Apple LED 27" Cinema (mini-disply port) connected to my 17-inch MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (late 2007) via the GefenDual Link DVI to Mini DP Converter.


The brightness control remained functional with slider present until upgrading from OSX 10.6.6 to 10.6.8. The slider can no longer be persuaded to appear after the upgrade. The driver is up to date and the 27-inch LED Cinema Display Software Update 1.0returns 'Your computer does not need this update.'


No amount of rebooting, plugging and unplugging seems to bring the slider back after the upgrade.

Has anyone else experienced this?

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User profile for user: Lance Mcvickar
Lance Mcvickar
User level: Level 1
132 points

Nov 16, 2010 10:26 AM in response to Wes Rand

which cinema display do you have? I have the thirty inch and the brightness buttons are on the right lower right side of the unit plus my brightness keys located at F1 and F2 do darken / lighten the screen. There is no real contrast settings but you can go into display settings / color then click on calibrate then
click the expert check box and go through the steps it will effect brightness and contrast you just need to experiment with the settings to get what you want. You can always go back to the default settings.
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User profile for user: gilletty
gilletty
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jan 31, 2011 4:13 AM in response to Wes Rand

I was having the same issue on my MacBook Pro. Here is what I did to resolve it:

1. Ensure lid of laptop is open
2. Plug in power, mini-display, AND USB from the Cinema Display into MBP
3. Restart computer ( *this was the key step for me)
4. When computer comes back up, launch System Preferences > Displays and you should now see the brightness option that was once hidden!
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User profile for user: ronfab1
ronfab1
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jan 31, 2012 6:41 PM in response to Wes Rand

Hello

I'm new here but now chiming in as I have a new 6 core Mac Pro running Lion 10.7.2. And I bought the standard 27" Cinema Display which I love a lot just getting used to everything over past several days. EXCEPT as the member says over a year ago earlier below, it gets too dim at night and there is no slider in Preferences or any way to turn the stupid auto dimming off. If you don't want it on.


lucywrite1



"I had exactly the same problem in hooking up my new 27" Apple Cinema Display to my new iMac 27"...no brightness slider and no check box to disable automatic ambient control. Plus which, the screen was too dim to see much. Using the keyboard to make it lighter (or darker) produced no results at all. After a lengthy consultation with two Apple tech support people, they diagnosed it as a hardware problem and suggested that I return it for a new one.
My son brought his MacBook Air over, hooked it up to the monitor, and both the brightness control slider and the ambient light control box appeared. He corrected the brightness and unchecked the ambient control, re-attacheded it to my computer and all is well. Plus which, the brightness slider and the ambient control box now appear on my iMac system preferences."


iMac 27", Mac OS X (10.6.5), external led Cinema Display



I called a local specialty shop, Melrose Mac this morning, where I bought the monitor and asked them. He got back to me a couple hours later after checking with everyone, techs & all, and they just confirmed no way to override or adjust manually.


How freaking stupid is this??? 14 months later and a whole new OS Lion and still the same problem. My old two legged 20" Mac Monitor had the controls right on it flush with a subtle button on lower front. If they didn't want to put any buttons then put the darn controls in Preferences. I don't get this at all and am really irked at this.


I tried the Shades software but so far it just shows it is at the brightest part of the slider, and doesn't even dim down if I check it.


Why has Apple not given the most rudimentary controls on this $1,000 display that is magnificent in every other respect?


Anyone have any other advice for a Mac Pro user? Equally puzzling is that some persons earlier in this thread posted they had two of the 27" with one having the needed "OPTIONS" show in Display Preferences and the other not having them show.


Really Apple?? Seriously??


Help!!! I need more brightness at night. Daytime is fabulous.


Any ideas much appreciated.


Thanks much


edit.... None of the keyboard functions do anything either....

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User profile for user: ronfab1
ronfab1
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jan 31, 2012 7:23 PM in response to Wes Rand

Not sure why it wasn't posted in this long thread as well but I found further down an answer to a more recent question same issue, if I have linked it correctly below, a software update for the 27" Display. Also says the USB cable coming off of the monitor has to be plugged into the Mac Pro or Macbook. So before I can test it will have to see if I can find around the house an extension for the short USB from monitor or go buy one. Keeping fingers crossed.


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4293

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User profile for user: Lance Mcvickar
Lance Mcvickar
User level: Level 1
132 points

Nov 16, 2010 3:21 PM in response to Wes Rand

Try this it worked with my thirty inch, go to Displays in system prefs, then click on options. There is an option half way down for disabling the brightness buttons on the keyboard when I have it checked the brightness buttons on the keyboard don't work and the monitor is locked at full brightness but unchecked it lets you use the keys on the keyboard to dim the display. I have three monitors connected to my mac pro, this only works for the main monitor. I am running 10.6.5 so your options in 10.5.8 may be different.
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User profile for user: Lance Mcvickar
Lance Mcvickar
User level: Level 1
132 points

Nov 17, 2010 8:06 AM in response to Wes Rand

Does your video card have a second dvi port on it, perhaps try changing ports. Maybe borrow a second monitor from someone and see if anything changes, you could also upgrade to snow leopard and you might get the brightness slider. Also you could zap your pram to set your computer back to it's default settings, seems like you may have a system glitch of sorts because the color settings should change the monitors preset. Tomget default settings zap the pram by holding down the apple shift p and r buttons, all four at the same time then hit the power button or have someone do it for you, keep holding them until you hear the computer chime twice if not three times then let go and the computer will boot as usual.
This restores some parameters to the factory settings, other than that I am out of ideas....
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User profile for user: Studio80s
Studio80s
User level: Level 1
8 points

Dec 13, 2010 10:53 AM in response to Wes Rand

I have the same issue.. and I do have two Cinema displays, exactly the same ones. A1081 from 2005
One has the brightness control slider and the other doesn't. (I can change the brighness on the side of the monitor, but have no idea at what setting I am) I calibrated both using the expert mode, and wow, they looked so different, like black and white! Then I calibrated with Spider Pro3 and still they are different, but not as much. Contrast being the main difference.
Not sure what to do...as I do require the monitors to be accurate!
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No brightness control for Cinema Display

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