HDMI On Mac Mini Late 2012: Problem with hardware?

I'm having this very same issue. I just bought a Mac Mini 2012, hooked it up to an LG 23 inch LED monitor via HDMI, and it doesn't look that great. The text is blurry, and no blue blocks show up at all on lists like iTunes etc. But when i plug the same monitor into my thunderbolt port with the DVI adapter, it looks just fine.. Something seems to be wrong with the HDMI out on my mac. I'm taking it in Monday, but from what I hear people have taken theirs in with no resolution.

Did you try the HDMI to DVI cable that came with the Mac Mini? That's what I'm using and it's perfect. The problem with HDMI to HDMI is the handshake limits you to TV based video formats, i.e. 1080p. You need to convert it to DVI to get a true 1920 x 1080 native resolution. While 1080p and 1920x1080 are considered to be the same spec your monitor does a conversion to it's native resolution. On my monitor the native resolution is 1920x1080 so I assumed it would work the same but with HDMI there is additional overhead for things like overscan that caused the image to appear soft or "fuzzy". When I switched to the HDMI->DVI cable that came with the Mini and plugged into the DVI port on the monitor the display is crystal clear. IMHO it's the monitor conversion that caused the issue, not the Mini's interface.

Hey there,

I have NOT tried that yet.. I have dual monitors, and so my mini display/VGI adapter is being used in the Thunderbolt port.. but I suspect your advice might be just what I need. I'm going to run to the store and get a DVI cable and try the HDMI to DVI adapter and see!

Thank you so much.. I'll let you know!

I had my mac mini 6.2 hooked up to my TV via the HDMI - DVI adapter and I experienced the same issues with clarity and colour depth.

My next step will be trying the mini displayport to DVI adapter.

I got the DVI cable and used the HDMI to DVI adapter and it worked! Thank you so much for this advice. I wonder if you should post your answer in the forums, a lot of people are having the same issue I'm having.

Again, THANKS!! It was driving me crazy!
Tom

I got an DVI cord and used the HDMI to DVI adapter and now it's working great. I hope you're able to solve your issue as well

Tom

I was experiencing the poor resolution, poor colors and text issues as others. I bought a 2012 core i5 MM to replace a 2007 Core 2 Duo MM. The 2007 MM was connected with a DVI-HDMI cable and was sharp. I connected the 2012 MM with an HDMI-HDMI and was poor. My monitor only has VGA and HDMI inputs.

I solved my issue with a MDP-DVI adapter. Ordered a couple of MDP adapters online, and the MDP-DVI adapter solved the issue; and the image is same or better as before with my 2007 mini. Need to point out that I also ordered a MDP-HDMI adapter, and it did not work, same issues as the HDMI out. For some reason the HDMI-HDMI connection has issues. Also with the MDP-DVI adapter, I don't have to underscan; with the HDMI-HDMI connection I had to underscan, which is part of the problem because it creates blurry text.

Also, when connected HDMI-HDMI monitors showed "1080p", now it shows "1920x1080"

Mac MINI 2012 HDMI Output Issues, (Color & Quality Image Poor and ugly) Solved!

Hey Fella´s, I got the same Issue, I am just migrate from Windows to mac, and brugth a new mac Mini i7 in a Mac Store in Mexico, Before expend many hours trying to calibrate my LED HDTV, go to the Mac Store and get a Thunderbolt-HDMI Adapter, and Bingo! Looks like Crystal Awesome.

I Hope this help. Greetings from Mexico

Intel has written new drivers for their HD4000 and sent them to Apple. As soon as they are tested Apple will post. More about this here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/30/intel_insists_mac_mini_hdmi_fix_inbound/

Hi. I just bought a late 2012 Mac Mini 2.3 with a Samsung 128GB SSD as the Startup Disk (not Fusion Drive) and a new Viewsonic 23" VX2370Smh LED monitor with native 1920 x 1080 resolution. The two are connected by HDMI. Certain colour details are missing, e.g. open Finder in Columns view and the vertical separators are non existent - strangely they become slightly visible when another open window is dragged across the open Finder window. The text is not sharp and, beside being extremely disappointed, usage of the setup is hard on the eyes. Horizontal separator colours are not visible on my online bank account using Safari, but are visible in my old G5 iMac. I have tried every possible combination of setting the colours in System Preferences - Displays, as well as monitor adjustments, but to no avail. I don't have cables to try HDMI to DVI etc. I intend to visit my local Apple Store and lodge a complaint. I just hope there is a downloadable fix otherwise I am stuck with a faulty product.

G. Brisbane, Australia.

PS: Just borrowed a DVI-D cable from my neighbour, and used the Apple HDMI - DVI adaptor that came with the Mini. This cable arrangement fixed all the problems, and the display looks very good - colours are great, more contrast for text, column separators returned in Finder - all is well.

Any update as of today?

Hi Fouad Abbasi

I purchased a HDMI to DVI-D cable and all problems were solved; I could have purchased a DVI-D to DVI-D (male to male) cable and used the HDMI to DVI-D adaptor supplied by Apple in the box with the Mac Mini. However, to avoid using another adaptor I chose the HDMI to DVI-D cable. Of course, sound/audio is NOT conveyed over a DVI cable, so I used a standard stereo 3.5mm cable to connect from the sound output of the Mini to my monitor which has inbuilt speakers.

The quality of the screen images is now perfect.

It is my understanding that Intel have sent some new HD4000 drivers to Apple to test to overcome the problem, and, if succesful, they will become available in a latter software update.

G. Brisbane, Australia

I know that but I shouldn't have to do that.

Hdmi one cable will and should be enough to carry both signals to my Onkyo receiver.

MAC MINI 2012 Hey there, I changed the refresh rate in mac display settings and this has fixed the problem, on 60hz NTSC I had some blackouts, on 50hz I have had no issues.

Basically, I joined the chorus for answers from mac but please check your refresh rates first