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bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
You will always be limited by your actual screen resolution. Scaling up will help a tiny bit, but your actual resolution will always limit you in the end. Viewing distance will not make up for the fact that the one pixel you're viewing cannot properly represent that data that was contained in 4 pixels. Increasing view distance will indeed give you the retina effect of not being able to see your pixels (that's the definition of retina) but your initial resolution will still be the same. It's like the retina display of an iphone vs that of an ipad. They are both retina, but the ipad can show you much more data, because it actually has more pixels.

Since you work with photos, let me put it this way: scaling on a non retina display is just like taking a photo of a detailed high resolution photo, but you're taking that photo with a low megapixel camera. Those low megapixels will always mean you're losing visual information from your initially high resolution image.

Speaking of retina, which Apple device has the best resolution display? The MacBook pro, the iPad 4, or the iPhone five? Which retina rules them all?
 

bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
I always assumed the iPad 4. But I believe it's the 15 inch MacBook Pro. You can watch 4K video on that, believe it or not.
 
Nov 28, 2010
22,670
30
located
I always assumed the iPad 4. But I believe it's the 15 inch MacBook Pro. You can watch 4K video on that, believe it or not.

4K video was originally meant for 3" mobiles, but due to pixel density problems, 15" displays are currently the only alternative. Any higher than that, and you would not be able to enjoy those images anyway.
 

Snowshiro

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2008
387
6
I always assumed the iPad 4. But I believe it's the 15 inch MacBook Pro. You can watch 4K video on that, believe it or not.

No you can't.

You can watch footage shot at 4k and downscaled to the retina's native resolution. 4K video means a horizontal resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels (give or take a couple of hundred depending on the standard). The rMBP 15" has a native horizontal resolution of 2880.

Really, I've read this whole thread, and despite many kind people trying to inform you about how these things work, you seem to have completely failed to grasp the basic concepts of how screens function. The best advice I can give you is go and read up on what screen resolution and pixel density actually are. You really need to get these things straight in your mind.
 
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bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
No you can't.

You can watch footage shot at 4k and downscaled to the retina's native resolution. 4K video means a horizontal resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels (give or take a couple of hundred depending on the standard). The rMBP 15" has a native horizontal resolution of 2880.

Really, I've read this whole thread, and despite many kind people trying to inform you about how these things work, you seem to have completely failed to grasp the basic concepts of how screens function. The best advice I can give you is go and read up on what screen resolution and pixel density actually are. You really need to get these things straight in your mind.

What's wrong with downscaling? I mean, it's the highest quality video there is. Just take basic high definition, you could just keep increasing and increasing but what would you end up with?

I mean, 5 years down the line, retina is not going to impress anybody.
 

NT1440

macrumors G5
May 18, 2008
14,450
20,389
Like with the iPad mini, you can't have thin and retina.

Uh, IGZO displays hit it big this year. Please don't just throw generalities out there when clearly you don't follow or understand the technology behind any of these products.
 

rezwits

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2007
811
414
Las Vegas
Ok I just found

SwitchResX will get you 1920x1080 on your MacBook Air 11"

You can also enable 960x540 HiDPI with Quartz Debug, and enable that Resolution too...

Don't try to make a custom of 2560x1440 or you will have to do tricks to get your display back.

There might be other resolutions you can try if you want to fiddle, but they will all be beta test resolutions...

Good Luck!
 

dlimes13

macrumors 6502a
May 3, 2011
744
13
Perrysburg, OH
I just enabled 1680 x 1050 with SwitchResX on a scaled resolution and I have to say it doesn't look bad at all. Great way to get some extra screen real estate out of the MacBook Air with very little sacrifice in screen quality. Maybe 80% of the quality of native resolution is there. 1920 x 1200 also works fine, but only around 60%. If I can find a way to sharpen text just a tad, I'd use this all the time. 1680 x 1050 that is.
 

HeinsDreamR

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2016
1
0
I know you can change the resolution from like 800 x 900 to a little bit higher, but is there a way to make the resolution even higher so that you get the same effect that you would get if you had a retina display?

I just bought a Macbook Air, i would've gotten the Macbook Pro, but I felt it was just too chunky. So it came to the decision of having to choose retina but chunky, or standard but thin. I chose thin.

Also: You wouldn't believe this, but I was sitting in the park one day with the Air in my lap and the wind can actually blow the Air right off of your lap, that's how thin it is.
[doublepost=1481466547][/doublepost]No. Actually, bigger resolution is the total opposite of retina display. Smaller resolution is retina display, however real retina display even though they have smaller screen resolution they also have smaller pixels, so large numbers of pixels, and smoother look. It is like a shrinked big monitor, so you can't really do anything. Hope this helps.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,271
12,994
where hip is spoken
[doublepost=1481466547][/doublepost]No. Actually, bigger resolution is the total opposite of retina display. Smaller resolution is retina display, however real retina display even though they have smaller screen resolution they also have smaller pixels, so large numbers of pixels, and smoother look. It is like a shrinked big monitor, so you can't really do anything. Hope this helps.
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