Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Anyone interested in a Hi-def (1920 x 1200) mod for PB/MBP?

Success!

After being the first to take the plunge on this mod many, many moons ago... I finally have a 1920x1200 display in my old MacBook Pro running OS X beautifully.

I'm using the latest revision L04 Samsung panel (so if you guys are interested in whatever the updates are in this panel, it works). Right now I don't have brightness control working, but that's alright. The screen is beautiful. Picked up a brand new one off ZTronics on eBay. Can't speak highly enough of the quality/price of the screen.

I'll have to browse the thread a bit to see how the Samsung users got brightness working :p

Oh, and one more thing... the screen doesn't fit snugly in my display casing (the left side of the screen for some reason is lower than the right side, making the display a bit whacky). I'll have to jam a piece of paper in the casing next time I open it (probably to swap it into a newer MBP -- screw LED, I want 1920x1200).

Many, many thanks to thomaschaos for his great work on the ATIinject module that saved the day :]
 
A little follow-up to that. thomas' override doesn't work for the L04 panel. I hooked up SwitchResX and did the whole 1920x1200 56Hz redirected to 60Hz and it works now with the brightness control now.

It's also a different model number, obviously, so you need to rename the override as well.

Guess I'll have to pay $10 or whatever for SwitchRes soon =p
 
I was following the topic from the beginning, reading from time to time to see if there was any progress. What I am interested in is to know where you got your panels or where one can get replacement panels. I know of one internet reseller, maybe there are others.
Anyway I hope that future upgrades of the MBP (15") will also offer optional displays with higher resolutions (WUXGA+ hopefully)! I was kind of disappointed that only the new 17" model has this option.
 
-Cyman- said:
I was following the topic from the beginning, reading from time to time to see if there was any progress. What I am interested in is to know where you got your panels or where one can get replacement panels. I know of one internet reseller, maybe there are others.
Anyway I hope that future upgrades of the MBP (15") will also offer optional displays with higher resolutions (WUXGA+ hopefully)! I was kind of disappointed that only the new 17" model has this option.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't count on Apple offering any BTO offers of higher resolution screens in the 15" model :( Historically they never have.

I highly recommend ztronics on eBay for a WUXGA panel. They have great prices for brand new panels.
 
17" iMac panel suggestions?

On a semi-related topic, can anyone recommend a good replacement panel for a 17" Core Duo iMac? I picked up a 17" iMac CD for fairly inexpensive, and other than a cracked LCD, it works perfectly. The backlight still works, but the LCD looks like a murder scene when it's on. I know the factory panel is an LG Philips LM171W02 (TL)(B1), but I'm having little luck finding those at reasonable prices and availability.

Preferably, I'd like to spend as little as possible, so 1440x900 (standard resolution) isn't really a problem, but if something higher resolution is a possibility, I'd certainly consider it. Higher resolution may also be more common/available/cheaper. I'm going to be disassembling it today, so I can probably post pictures of the connectors in a few hours.

Thanks in advance for any tips/tricks/advice. This thread has been invaluable already.
 
ClunkClunk said:
On a semi-related topic, can anyone recommend a good replacement panel for a 17" Core Duo iMac? I picked up a 17" iMac CD for fairly inexpensive, and other than a cracked LCD, it works perfectly. The backlight still works, but the LCD looks like a murder scene when it's on. I know the factory panel is an LG Philips LM171W02 (TL)(B1), but I'm having little luck finding those at reasonable prices and availability.

Preferably, I'd like to spend as little as possible, so 1440x900 (standard resolution) isn't really a problem, but if something higher resolution is a possibility, I'd certainly consider it. Higher resolution may also be more common/available/cheaper. I'm going to be disassembling it today, so I can probably post pictures of the connectors in a few hours.

Thanks in advance for any tips/tricks/advice. This thread has been invaluable already.
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure what kind of panel iMacs use. I'm thinking it's not a laptop panel, so I'm not sure where you'd go about finding a replacement for it :(
 
MacOSX from 17" WUXGA MBP?

Does the use of MacOSX from the new 17" WUXGA MBP facilitate using "generic" WUXGA displays in 15" MBPs?
 
TeddyTheBear said:
Does the use of MacOSX from the new 17" WUXGA MBP facilitate using "generic" WUXGA displays in 15" MBPs?
Click to expand...

I guess no. They might have added an override file for the new 17" panel according to its ProductID and VendorID. For your 15" panel you will need your own one as before.
 
whateverandever (among others),

first, kudos on some fantastic work and dogged persistence on this mod!

second, is someone planning to summarize the successful procedure? I don't recall if it was you, but somebody was going to submit this howto for a contest? I personally, would like to see a concise, repeatable set of steps come out of all your hard work; both for the feather in your cap (and the others who contributed significantly), and the general bettering of the community.

third, I'm confused...are you going to make your new MBP high-def? Or did you go with the LED backlight?

thanks again for sharing this great mod!
 
flcbenj said:
whateverandever (among others),

first, kudos on some fantastic work and dogged persistence on this mod!

second, is someone planning to summarize the successful procedure? I don't recall if it was you, but somebody was going to submit this howto for a contest? I personally, would like to see a concise, repeatable set of steps come out of all your hard work; both for the feather in your cap (and the others who contributed significantly), and the general bettering of the community.

third, I'm confused...are you going to make your new MBP high-def? Or did you go with the LED backlight?

thanks again for sharing this great mod!
Click to expand...

The summary of the procedure is different depending on the panel you use, sadly :(

If you use the Samsung L01 revision panel, you can copy thomaschaos' screen overrides into /System/Library/Display Overrides/ and his ATIinject file into the proper directory (I'd check, but I'm in Windows at the moment). After that, reboot and you're up and running.

For the Toshiba panel you just install Faye's overrides and reboot -- then you're set.

For other panels you install thomaschaos' ATIinject and then you need to install SwitchResX. Rebooting will get you a working panel but not working brightness. You need to find the model and manufacturer of your panel and create the proper directories in your Overrides folder. Then you can copy over thomas' override. This will make the panel nuts when you reboot. From there you add a custom res to SwitchResX (1920x1200 at 56Hz -- have it "redirected" to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz). Reboot, choose the 1920x1200 at 56Hz from your control panel. You should be up and running.

It's still not an easy project, but it's really worth it for old laptops.


I'm not going to make my Santa Rosa MBP high-def. I don't believe the enclosure will fit standard LCDs. I haven't opened it up to check, but it's different than previous enclosures.

Maybe down the road I'll be more willing to throw my warranty away to check =]
 
Now let's upgrade the LED 15" ..... :)

Hi ALL,
I have bought a 2.4 GHz Led MacBook Pro.
I have a dead pixel...
I'd like to upgrade.... Do you think I should bring my laptop to the shop and buy a 2.33 GHz....... to upgrade to UWXGA :)???:confused: :apple:
 
maxoft said:
Hi ALL,
I have bought a 2.4 GHz Led MacBook Pro.
I have a dead pixel...
I'd like to upgrade.... Do you think I should bring my laptop to the shop and buy a 2.33 GHz....... to upgrade to UWXGA :)???:confused: :apple:
Click to expand...

It's up to you. The WUXGA panel is going to give you higher resolution but nowhere near the screen brightness or power-savings of the LED screen.
 
No substitute for Di-Def at 15"

baxterbrittle said:
Nooo we can't - that's why I have a QUAD geez I guess we can't all have quads now can we? Now this is turning into a pi**ing match isn't it? Wanna race em? Hedge your bets, oh no thats right yours can run windows - you must be very excited to use the operating system that we've hated for all these years! For ages people have been bitching and moaning about Apple not releasing a High Definition laptop and I am prepared to make one myself and inform others how to do so and this is what I get - some guy who takes so much pride in his fat overweight laptop that he can't see the point. So let me ask you this - Why get the 17" MBP when you can have a 15" cheaper and minus firewire 800 is fuctionally identical apart from being too unwieldily to actually use as a laptop.... Maybe it was the screen size? Hmmm just maybe?

Baxter, this 17" guy is crazy. Let me put this in perspective. I'm a person who has to do SERIOUS work while being mobile. For me, Hi-Def resolution is mandatory, and if it's not in the laptop, it's not portable. Apple has FINALLY offered a HiDef option, but only in their top of the line 17" MBP. This MBP is not even 10% more powerful than the 15" MBP, but it weights more than a pound extra and is big and bulky. And the hassle doesn't end there - only a few back packs will hold a 17" MBP, and most are so oversized they are ridiculous. But Most important of all - it costs nearly $1000 more!!! That represents an extra year of savings for me, plus the fear of carrying around a $3,000 piece of equipment.

Bottom line - I would kill for a 15" HiDef Macbook, and you've exposed just how sad the situation is - the panels exist, and Apple could clearly have offered them as a $150 option. But Apple must love making profit, since they don't even offer the HiDef option on the base 17"MPB.

Even if we don't all have the guts to make our own HiDef 15", thanks for showing the world just how easy it would be for Apple to offer this.
Click to expand...
 
JeffApple said:
Baxter, this 17" guy is crazy. Let me put this in perspective. I'm a person who has to do SERIOUS work while being mobile. For me, Hi-Def resolution is mandatory, and if it's not in the laptop, it's not portable. Apple has FINALLY offered a HiDef option, but only in their top of the line 17" MBP. This MBP is not even 10% more powerful than the 15" MBP, but it weights more than a pound extra and is big and bulky. And the hassle doesn't end there - only a few back packs will hold a 17" MBP, and most are so oversized they are ridiculous. But Most important of all - it costs nearly $1000 more!!! That represents an extra year of savings for me, plus the fear of carrying around a $3,000 piece of equipment.

Bottom line - I would kill for a 15" HiDef Macbook, and you've exposed just how sad the situation is - the panels exist, and Apple could clearly have offered them as a $150 option. But Apple must love making profit, since they don't even offer the HiDef option on the base 17"MPB.

Even if we don't all have the guts to make our own HiDef 15", thanks for showing the world just how easy it would be for Apple to offer this.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you read through the bajillion pages of discussion here, but baxter left a long time ago.

Baxter did the mod for the PowerBook 15" using a MBP 15" casing. There are several of us that have worked on the mod for the MBP 15" and it's confirmed working in all first and second gen models.

It's not an easy task to mod your book to WUXGA, and it would be simple for Apple to do it, it's just not necessarily profitable for them to do so.
 
A couple more questions...

I think this thread took me two hours!

Anyway, what happens if you were to do a complete clean system restore? Would that wipe everything out?

I don't usually keep my hardware for too long, so my mod would probably be sold along with my C2D 2.33GHz at some point. I would like for whomever buys the laptop to be able to get it working again after a reinstall of the OS without having to go through this thread!

Also, does anyone know how the HD screens compare in brightness to the OEM C2D screens? The higher the rating the better, right? According to colorblindmac.com, the C2D uses a Samsung panel rated at 300cd brightness. If I found a comparable HD screen with that brightness rating, is it safe to assume my screen would be as bright?

TIA.
 
bryanus said:
I think this thread took me two hours!

Anyway, what happens if you were to do a complete clean system restore? Would that wipe everything out?

I don't usually keep my hardware for too long, so my mod would probably be sold along with my C2D 2.33GHz at some point. I would like for whomever buys the laptop to be able to get it working again after a reinstall of the OS without having to go through this thread!

Also, does anyone know how the HD screens compare in brightness to the OEM C2D screens? The higher the rating the better, right? According to colorblind,ac.com, the C2D uses a Samsung panel rated at 300cd brightness. If I found a comparable HD screen with that brightness rating, is it safe to assume my screen would be as bright?

TIA.
Click to expand...

You'd need a custom install usually to get it working out of the box.

That said, I just sold my custom mod'd MBP on eBay today. Thanks for reminding me that I need to advise the buyer that reinstalling everything is a bad idea :]

As for brightness comparison, I found that even the newest Samsung panel (L04 revision) WUXGA display is a little dimmer than the stock MBP display (and a lot dimmer than the new LED displays. It's entirely tolerable though.
 
Only $1200? That seems like a pretty good deal with all of the mods you did to it.

whateverandever said:
You'd need a custom install usually to get it working out of the box.

That said, I just sold my custom mod'd MBP on eBay today. Thanks for reminding me that I need to advise the buyer that reinstalling everything is a bad idea :]

As for brightness comparison, I found that even the newest Samsung panel (L04 revision) WUXGA display is a little dimmer than the stock MBP display (and a lot dimmer than the new LED displays. It's entirely tolerable though.
Click to expand...
 
bryanus said:
Only $1200? That seems like a pretty good deal with all of the mods you did to it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well it was pretty beat up from all my fun. It was a great laptop, just wasn't too pretty case-wise. I really wanted to keep using that one instead of my new one which was why I put the Buy It Now up at $1200.

Darn new MBP has a squeaky space bar that drives me crazy. Not to mention how hot it gets :/ I guess I need to do the thermal paste re-app on this computer as well.
 
-10.4.10 Warning-

Looks like 10.4.10 ate my brightness control. If you need this capability, consider holding off on the 10.4.10 update until a workaround is (I hope) found.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back