Mac Mini HDMI output gives bad resolution on external 1920x1200 external monitor

Find 2 solutions:

1. - Reset PRAM, unfortunatelly it isn't work for me.. but there sucessful cases

2. actually it isn't a solution, just found some facts that it works fine up to Mac OS X 10.5.7.

so if there are users of 10.5.6, could you please confirm that HDMI-HDMI works fine for resolution 1920*1200?

Just to leave a not-so-related solution here if anyone searches for "hdmi problems with HP 2159m."

In case anyone has an overscan issue (blurry text, underscan adjustment doesn't help, etc.) using the Mac Mini HDMI port, the solution is weird but simple.

• Turn on your Mac and plug in the monitor and the image is crappy.
• Turn off the monitor.
• Press and hold the monitor's power button until the image shows up.
• Try it a few times if it doesn't work. It works like a charm for me.

Thanks Apple for removing the "disable overscan" option from the display panel for PC monitors.

I'm afraid we're going to need some more information to help.

What monitor?

Does the monitor have any "scaled" or pixel mapped" or "1:1 display" or similarly named setting?

What resolution does the Displays panel (in SysPrefs) say it's outputting?

What refresh rate?

Does it offer you "overscan" choices (probably not.)

Does it offer you 1920x1200 (hopefully yes!)

What's the resulting pixel clock from using SRX? If it is above 165 MHz, it won't work. If it is above that level, use the "Use simplified settings" check box in SRX and select "CVT-RB" in the related pop-up. That should cause the pixel clock to fall to below 150 MHz.

"Anyway I do not understand why HDMI-HDMI connection detects SAMSUNG as display and selects 1080i only."

It could be because Samsung only sends that resolution information from the EDID for the HDMI port. That's something else you can check using SRX. But I guess you don't need to now.

Hi tlaci60.

I'm experiencing the very same issue you had with your monitor. Mine is a different brand (Westinghouse24" L2410NM), but the issue is the same. Not surprisingly, the resolution of this monitor is exactly the same as yours:1920x1200. Interesting…

Basically,I connect my brand new Mac Mini to my 24" monitor, and it results in a fuzzy and grainy image, with washed-out colors, and text so blurry it's difficult

to read. I'm sure you are familiar with what I describe.

Anyway: I’m kind of desperate, because nothing seems to work .I have tried your suggestion, but it doesn't work for me. I tried other suggestions from other threads and forums... and nothing works either. I just get the same awful look,even though the Mac recognizes the monitor and applies the correct resolution(1920x1200). Nevertheless, it looks just horrible.

Any suggestions? Any ideas? I'm just losing my mind with this, and I already bought every adapter and cable combination I could think of.

Thank you

I was having a similar problem with a 24" Dell U2410 1900x1200 display connecting to a mid-2011 mac mini. The fonts were fuzzy and colors washed out. I was using HDMI to HDMI.

I changed the input to use the HDMI to DVI dongle on the mini and connected it via a DVI cable to the DVI input on the monitor and it is now working fine. The fonts are crisp and the colors look good. Not sure if this will help you as you say you have used a lot of cable/input combinations but it worked for me.

Also having this issue. Just got the mini today. I have a HP2311x monitor with a 1920x1080 resolution. 3 out of 4 times it will boot and the screen will be fuzzy and extend beyond my monitor to about where the physical outside edges are. If I open the display settings and go from 1080p to 1080p (PAL) and back again, it'll fix it everything will fit the screen and be crisp.

I've also had it go from fitting the screen to extending past the screen in the fuzzy state after the mini went to sleep. I will try the HDMI to DVI.

Both the monitor and the cables work fine with my PC, so I don't think they are the problem.

Hey,

Just got my 2011 mac mini, hooked up to LG 22" HDTV (22lg31) and am experiencing the exact same issues as you and others. This HDTV was connected to my older mac mini (2006) via dvi-vga and looked great. Not so with the new HDMI-HDMI. Was on the phone with Apple twice; they suggested a new cable; went out and bought new cable.... no difference. Took the mini into local apple store; they hooked it up to 3 different displays (an older HDTV, a thunderbolt display and a 40" sony HDTV), all looked great. The "genius" suggested I zap the PRAM when I get home with the LG connected; didn't make a difference! Picture still is marginal, text is blurry. I turned down the sharpness on the HDTV as others have suggested, better, but not satisfactory. HELP!

FOLLOW UP: easy fix, as has been suggested somewhere previously, is to get a mini display port to VGA adapter and connect via VGA rather than HDMI. Works perfectly, easily finds native resolution. No more blurry images or text!

"Just an update. Using the supplied HDMI to DVI seems to have fixed the problems. Haven't had a problem at start up or after waking the computer up from sleeping."

No, this didn't fix the problem, it merely ignores it. Both ports are supposed to work properly, and one doesn't and there doesn't seem to be much to do about it. If I have a bad leg, putting most of my weight on my other leg doesn't fix the problem, it just lets me walk...