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Horrible colors on external monitor using macbook air(2012) with mini dp to hdmi

I have one of the new macbook airs (2012) hooked up to an external monitor (Dell SR2320L) using a mini display port to hdmi adapter.


The dsiplay shows up fine on the external monitor, except for the colors and contrast being terrible. Any color grey on a white background doesnt even seem to render. However if I look at that same image on the airs screen, I can see all of the grey colors perfectly. I have tested the hdmi cable and monitor on different computers and they work perfectly. I have tried three different adapters all with the same problems, leaving me to believe that there is something wrong with the macbook air itself and its ability to output a mini display port signal.


Does anyone know why I would be having a problem like this?

MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012), Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Jul 4, 2012 1:55 PM

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Posted on Jul 5, 2012 1:15 AM

I have exactly the same problem:


Laptop: MacBook Pro 13", Mid 2012


External Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster SA550 (HDMI input)


Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter: Moshi Mini DP to HDMI Adapter with Audio Support (H1824ZM in the Apple Store)


Colors are generally washed out, very low contrast, very high brightness, some fonts are distorted.

438 replies

Dec 12, 2012 10:43 PM in response to Vangelis Afantenos

Interesting - my 2012 MBA has a "Display" profile on offer that has an almost identical name/icc identifier as your download zip file (mine ends with C5C1 and yours is C5C3, otherwise identical in name).


I will use Color Sync Utility to look at values of the profile to compare parameters.


I will try it when I get home, but would be interested to hear of others' experiences (good or bad...)


Message was edited by: EJW Tas)

Dec 23, 2012 7:03 AM in response to jtehlert

I'm using macbook air 13.3mid 2012, graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 384mb and software is OS X 10.8.2 and I connected my mac to my TV (Samusng 40C650). I have the worst colors.. The display is so brigt, the blue is so blue, the red is so red, the green is so green. Overall, is it really bad. I switched from Windows to MAC a couple of months ago and I never had this problem on Windows. So the problem is not the TV I believe it is some configuration problem. I wish someone had a precise solution for the problem.. I tried to change the color profiles a couple of times but none worked. What will i do?

Dec 23, 2012 8:14 AM in response to jtehlert

Mid 2012 MBA 13 inch, i5. OSX 10.8.2, latest updates.

Problem with MDP to VGA with my Samsung SyncMaster 2223NW external monitor.

Colours and contrast are horrible. Light shades are gone.


I use original Apple adapter. Also tried a different one.


Changing the color profile doesn't change very much. Neither in the Samsung settings, nor in the MBA color profile settings.


Nothing Apple Support advised was of any help. They tell me my monitor must be the problem. But it works perfectly well under Windows! So I think it's must be bad graphics software.


I guess it all adresses to the very same problem people in this thread experience with HDMI to HDMI, MDP to HDMI and HDMI to DVI.


I hope Apple will come up with a solution soon, because this is realy terrible to work with!

Dec 30, 2012 4:58 AM in response to Vangelis Afantenos

Can anyone else confirm whether this has worked for them?


Vangelis, what monitor do you have?


I have tried this colour calibration (and other thrid party colour calibration softwares) many times to no effect. Although some slight improvement can be achieved, it doesn't come close to sorting out the "greys issue" and frequently upsets the balance of the other colours in the process.


I fear that although it appears to have solved your issue, perhaps you did not have the same issue as many other posters on this site who have tried, to no avial, to solve the problem by calibrating the display.

Very much hope to be proved wrong though!

Dec 30, 2012 5:12 AM in response to Vangelis Afantenos

Okay - interesting!


....and yet strange..


For whatever reason it appears not to provide a solution to the issues I am experiencing. 😟


As with others, Windows presents like a dream - so there shoudl be no fundamental compatability issue with the MBA hardware and the monitor - something associated with OSX would seem to be logically at fault.

Dec 31, 2012 3:29 PM in response to Biggles Smith

Doesn't work for me. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Apple doesn't fix this, or that they ignore it. They would much rather force us into buying an Apple monitor. Perhaps we should contact the media. Maybe that will get Apple's attention, or at least let other consumers know the problem so they can be forewarned.


I have two large, very expensive Apple display monitors. I bought my MacAir thinking I'd be able to attach it to one of those monitors, but I can't because the monitors are too old and the connections won't work. So then I went out to buy a cheaper PC monitor. It didn't work. THinking it was the monitor, I went out and bought another. I now have 4 monitors, none of which work on my Mac Air. 😟

Jan 1, 2013 12:27 AM in response to jtehlert

Another sad customer adding their story to the pile. I have a recently purchased new MBA, 13inch. Plugging in using the same cables and the same monitor my older MBP (bought in about febuary 2012 I think) looks immediately fine without any need for adjustment. The Air looked hideous at first. I've run the calibration utility to improve things slightly, but light greys in particular go a kind of yellowy colour or pinkish. Not good enough for a unit I intended to do some graphics work on. I'm breaking down and getting a MDP to DVI cable as some have said that solves their problems. It's stupid but I'll live with that if I have to.

Horrible colors on external monitor using macbook air(2012) with mini dp to hdmi

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