Viewsonic VX2739wm on Macbook Pro 15" - Fuzzy

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Level 1

9 points

Viewsonic VX2739wm on Macbook Pro 15" - Fuzzy

I just purchased on of these monitors to use as a main, external display for my 15" Macbook Pro (Model 5,3). According to reviews, the display (though not perfect) should be sharp and good enough for gaming and general computer use.

Not the case here.

I'm connected via the display's DVI port, using the Apple Displayport-to-DVI adapter. I've tried different setting on the monitor, but still have fuzzy, slightly pixelated text. I'm running the monitor's native resolution of 1920x1080. I've also connected my PS3 via HDMI and the image is not as sharp. Most reviews (PC users) says this monitor is sharp. Is this a Mac driver issue? Unfortunately, there are no Mac video drivers for this display (only PC).

My Samsung B2330 was tack-sharp on this Macbook Pro, so I am trying to figure out why this 27" display is fuzzy.

Anyone else having similar issues?

Macbook Pro 2.8Ghz (Model 5,3): 9600M GT, 500GB/7200RPM, 8GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Dec 18, 2010 10:11 AM

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Answer 1

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Dec 19, 2010 8:47 AM in response to russ anthony

Could it be you are just reacting to the low pixel density of the Viewsonic? Depending on which screen is in your MBP, it has a pixel per linear inch count of either 110 or 128. The Viewsonic has only 82 pixels per linear inch. When you work that out into areal pixel counts, the Viewsonic has around 6,700 pixels in a square inch whereas your MBP has at least 12,000, which is nearly double. It only stands to reason that text will look a lot sharper on the higher density display.

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Answer 2

russ anthony Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 20, 2010 8:42 AM in response to BSteely

What still leaves me suspect is that my PS3 (HDMI 1080p) is not tack sharp either. I wonder at the lack of settings/calibration via my Macbook Pro.

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Answer 3

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Dec 20, 2010 4:17 PM in response to russ anthony

What you are seeing is a limitation of your display. 1920 x 1080 is a low resolution for a 27" computer monitor that will be viewed from 2-3 feet away. It's fine for a 27" TV set that will be viewed from 8-12 feet away, but when used as a monitor, its great big pixels (closer in size to those of a 1984 Mac screen than to any current Mac display) simply can't render details or text finely enough for close viewing. Apple's 30-inch 2560 x 1600 Cinema Display had the same problem, but not nearly as bad. That's probably why Apple has replaced it with a 27" model at 2560 x 1440. That 27" display, like several other high-end 27" monitors on the market, has 78% more pixels with which to render sharp detail than yours has.

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Answer 4

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Dec 21, 2010 6:37 AM in response to russ anthony

What still leaves me suspect is that my PS3 (HDMI 1080p) is not tack sharp either.

Further suggesting a deficiency in the monitor.

I wonder at the lack of settings/calibration via my Macbook Pro.

The Mac can't compensate for this type of problem. Low resolution is inherent to the display and can't be fixed.

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Answer 5

Jan 8, 2011 9:56 AM in response to russ anthony

How did you connect your macbook pro to the Viewsonic? Did you have to buy other connectors? thanks

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Answer 6

Feb 24, 2011 3:56 PM in response to leahdevora

I find it very interesting that you have this take. I'm using the same setup and have 0 issues, and I've blown up some serious pics on Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator using this monitor. No issues. I had to setup the display as 1080P, since there wasn't a display option for 1920 x 1080p, but it SUPER clear.

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Answer 7

Mar 9, 2011 9:12 PM in response to Kudzu Consultant

Found a solution for a similar problem with a Samsung Syncmaster. It was a settings issue with the monitor. There was a default setting for the HDMI port that limited the resolution. Not an expert here, so I apologize for the lack of tech savvy language. Went into the Menu and then to the Input/Source List, scrolled to HDMI, found the submenu (using arrows, tools, other menu buttons) and choose to edit the name, which ended up actually changing some basic properties. I was told it needed to be changed from a basic AV setting to PC. There were several options and I chose PC DVI which pretty much cleared everything right up. I few more adjustments to the MBP settings and Bob's your uncle.

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Answer 8

hopsRus

Level 1

4 points

May 10, 2011 4:10 PM in response to slam dingo

As slam here mentioned, this is exactly what I did with my new Macbook Air connected VX2739wm via minidisplayport->HDMI.

By default, the monitor had the input at HDMI AV, which caused quite a bit of overscan. When trying to set the underscan via the mac and being disappointed with the results, I found the HDMI PC input on the monitor which worked great. As others have mentioned, it's almost too sharp due to the large screen at 1920x1080 resolution, but it still looks great.

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Answer 9

Jun 1, 2011 7:15 PM in response to hopsRus

Hey... me too!!

New MBP with a Viewsonic 2260 22" display.

Was fuzzy looking. Just not right. Thought I was gonna have to get a new display.

But it looks good enough for me now...

Not a lot of menu options / buttons. Just changed mine to HDMI PC input

Seek and ye shall find. SWEET

Thanks Slick... er Slim. Slam

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Answer 10

Jul 3, 2011 7:21 AM in response to russ anthony

I bought htis monitor a couple of months ago to use with my MBP 15. I had originally got it setup OK through trial and error, but this morning it seemed to have lost all of its configuration settings so I did a manual reset on the monitor itself and then used these options to get a nice full-screen, ultra crisp picture:

In Preferences, select 1080p and check the overscan option. On the monitors OSD, go into Input Selection and select the HDMI PC option.

HTH

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Answer 11

Oct 12, 2011 10:31 AM in response to russ anthony

Just wanted to add one more piece of information. I had the same issues on my MBP with pixelated text and fuzzy images with my ViewSonic 1080p monitor (VG2436), but, I didn't have some of the same monitor menu options as those listed above.

My solutions was simply to use the DVI cable instead of the VGA (I had both mini adapters).

Worked like a charm and my screen wasn't compressed anymore either (wouldn't extend all the way to the edges of the monitor when I was using the VGA adapter).

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Answer 12

Oct 20, 2017 10:01 AM in response to slam dingo

This was very helpful. After looking at my detailed settings I found my display was set to HDMI AV rather than HDMI PC. Switching the mode changed the quality.

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