Dell 2408WFP at mac mini over hdmi

I have exactly the same issues as you, ie the lack of clear / sharp text and the colour management problem. Did you get anywhere with this?

I was using this Dell display with Windows 7 and had none of these problems. I calibrated the display using a semi-professional calibration utility (i1Profiler / Eye-one Match) and the results under Windows were great. But with the Mac Mini I find that many colours lack saturation. Yellows are very faint, and reds look more like a brown-orange. I tried replacing the HDMI cable with a DVI cable and the Mac HDMI -> DVI converter but I don't see any improvement.

Interestingly I find that the text looks best at the monitor's native resolution, ie 1920 x 1200 but it's still nowhere as crisp as text is under Windows.

For me the colour management issue is the biggest problem. I do lots of underwater photography and I just wouldn't dare work on any of my photos with the display as it is.

The profile I find works the best is sRGB IEC61966-2.1 but it's way off being natural / correct.

I specifically bought the Dell display as it has variable height and fits neatly in the corner off my office where the height is limited, I don't have room for a 27" thunderbolt display even if I could find the funds (~$1600 in the UK!)

I'm running 10.7.2 (Lion) in case it makes a difference.

I can confirm the same problem. It's the same monitor I've used a MacBook Pro with for a couple of years with great color fidelity. Only now with a brand new Mac Mini over HDMI do I get exactly this scenario. Bluish greys, a green cast to any warm colors, and very flat reds which are more orange in nature. As it stands this is next to useless for doing any design or photographic work.

I've spent quite a bit of time using a Spyder3 Pro colour calibratation tool in a variety of ambient lighting conditions, and all to no avail. I will try the Mini on some other monitors at work and see if it's only this brand and model where the problem lies.

Late answer.

Just got a Mac Mini 2012 myself.

I used the dvi convertor, all was fine, then i went and bough an hdmi cable and noticed the problem.

If you use the the dvi to hdmi convertor, and use a DVI port on the dell, 90% of the problem goes away.

I do apologise. I did wind up using the DVI adapter that came with the Mini, and all worked fine.

I'll probably spring for a Cinema Display when they next get updated. I do like the idea of sound, audio and usb, all down one cable:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Displays

Meanwhile I solved the problem. It is a bit tricky to get the Dell Monitor color settings working correctly. But it is definitely not a mac or HDMI problem.

Now everything is working ok. I have the correct colors and everything is sharp. Simply play with the color management of the Dell monitor until you are satisfied.

Could you please share all your settings on the Dell monitor. I spent a LONG period of time, with and without calibration hardware on this, and could never get anything that did not look like Warhol screenprint on the monitor. I have no doubt this is an issue with the Mini HDMI output.

I will do, but at the moment my colleague is using the monitor and I meanwhile forgot, where I found the right knob to adjust the colors, so I have to look again. 🙂

But it was definitely not the calibration. The calibration is only for finetuning, to get the things perfect.

Andy Warhol screen colors are nice, aren't they 🙂

til later

I have the same problem, so I hope you can provide more details, too. 🙂

My problem is compounded somewhat. I hope to use the Dell as my secondary monitor.

I have to use the HDMI route with my Mac Mini. Although I have the MiniDisplay to DVI conversion adapter to plug directly into the Dell's DVI port, I have to use that port (which doubles as Thunderbolt) to connect to a Thunderbolt-only display. 😕

Furthermore, I still share the Dell with a PC using VGA, and I'm concerned that I would affect its color settings. Or perhaps the HDMI connecting cable (I have tested one that is male HDMI to male DVI) will limit my ability to set color. Guess I'll have to give it a try. 😉

At the moment I am abroad, so I can not tell exactly, because my monitor isn't with me. But it is simply a question of adjusting the colors in the color-panel of the Dell monitor. It has nothing to do with the calibration of the monitor neither with the hdmi cabel. It was simply at the color panel of the monitor, where you could adjust the colors. It took me a while to find out. Try around with the color adjustment.

I can assure everyone on this thread, that this was not a calibration issue. I tried this extensively, with dedicated calibration hardware to no avail. The only thing that worked for me was to use the DVI / HDMI adapter.

It did come in the box, but I avoided using it as I thought I could keep the cable clutter to a minimum. It really was the only solution for me.