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jent

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
892
567
I have a 24" Samsung external display which I love. I connect both my 13" MacBook and my 11" MacBook Air to it. On the 13" MacBook, the image is crisp and couldn't be better.

If I understand correctly, the 11" Air can output a higher resolution, and in the Displays section of System Preferences the default and best resolution is "1080p." On the 13" MacBook it's something significantly lower.

That being said, the picture quality is somewhat fuzzy when hooking up the monitor to my Air, and I don't think it's due to the Air itself, but instead something must be misconfigured. What can I do to get the sharpest picture possible? Thank you!
 
Last edited:

Pixellated

macrumors 65816
Apr 1, 2008
1,100
0
Scroll down, look for 1920x1080, because the 1080p setting will have overscan and cut off the corners.
 

jent

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
892
567
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately that option isn't there. Can I somehow force it?
 

zinka

macrumors regular
Nov 27, 2009
193
0
How are you connecting? Use DisplayPort or DVI for best results. It sounds like you might be using HDMI, which is a bad idea.
 

jent

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
892
567
How are you connecting? Use DisplayPort or DVI for best results. It sounds like you might be using HDMI, which is a bad idea.

On the 13" MacBook I use a Mini DVI-to-DVI adaptor with a DVI cable. On the 11" Air I use a straight HDMI-to-Mini DisplayPort cable.
 

Stetrain

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2009
3,550
20
It must be because of the HDMI cable. The monitor may be treating it differently than DVI.
 

BRS-Aus-Tex

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2011
2
0
Austin, TX
Go with DVI

I'll second the DVI recc. I always thought DVI and HDMI were the same except for audio but when I hooked up my 13" MBA to a 23" Dell via HDMI the image was worse than my 5 year old ThinkPad! Switched to mini-to-DVI adapter and it's perfect!
 

bri1232001

macrumors newbie
Jan 4, 2011
26
0
How are you connecting? Use DisplayPort or DVI for best results. It sounds like you might be using HDMI, which is a bad idea.

Why is HDMI a bad idea for external moniters? I really don't know. Is it a bad idea for hooking up to TVs as well?
 

jent

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
892
567
Why is HDMI a bad idea for external moniters? I really don't know. Is it a bad idea for hooking up to TVs as well?

This is a great question, and I'm quite curious since everyone talks about HDMI as being the latest and greatest.
 

hfg

macrumors 68040
Dec 1, 2006
3,621
312
Cedar Rapids, IA. USA
Although not the same computer, I have a current Mac Mini Server hooked up via HDMI to a Sony 46" LCD TV. The picture quality at the 1080P setting doesn't look very good (fuzzy), but if I set it for interlaced 1080I it has a very acceptable display. I want to try the DVI inputs but I need to get someone to help me lift it down to reach the connectors on the back.

-howard
 

Stetrain

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2009
3,550
20
Why is HDMI a bad idea for external moniters? I really don't know. Is it a bad idea for hooking up to TVs as well?

I think it has to do with the way that the TV/monitor processes the signal (good for video, bad for tiny text and UI elements) when it gets a signal via HDMI as opposed to a DVI signal, which it treats as raw pixel data since it's most likely coming from a computer.
 
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