Horrendous screen quality when connected to HDTV

[Cmd-the-World]

Hi all

I hooked up the Mac Pro with a DVI to HDMI to a Sony 40" Full HD TV and the quality is horrendous. I arranged it for 1080p at 60Hz but still the screen quality is horrendous. The text is unreadable it looks pixelated. I set up boot camp and the quality of Windows is incredible the text is smooth and readable.

Is there a set up I can arrange in order to arrange the picture quality.

 

[GoCubsGo]

What GPU do you have?

 

[Cmd-the-World]

The stock 2010 model Mac Pro graphics card. The AMD HD 5770

 

[MacHamster68]

yes eventually font smoothing might help

little ->system preferences -> appearance -> tick " use font smoothing when available "
...as i had a sony tv but smaller 32" and it was just usable if i did squint all the time , seems Mac and sony dont work well together as i then bought a polaroid tv 32" and it works really well still far away from monitor quality , but usable if needs must , for watching movies and sitting on the couch a couple meters away from it , still would not want to use any tv as main monitor so i bought a samsung monitor for that matter and only really use the tv to watch movies

1080p is the common size for 21.5 inch displays

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I have a Sony and it is very good when hooked up to my 5770.

Windows compensates automatically for HDTVs (underscan, font smoothing and such).

You should probably check your TV's settings. Look first for "1:1" pixel mapping.

 

[goMac]

Windows compensates automatically for HDTVs (underscan, font smoothing and such).

You should probably check your TV's settings. Look first for "1:1" pixel mapping.

This. Turn off overscan.

Keep in mind, typically TV's do not produce quite as good an image as a computer display for this sort of thing, as they're optimized for two different viewing situations, and the colors may not be as finely tuned.

 

[ActionableMango]

initialsBB and Gomac are right. Almost certainly you have a resolution mismatch caused by overscan or underscan. On my Pioneer Kuro I have to set it to "dot by dot" in order to fix this.

Here's an article about the problem:
http://hd.engadget.com/2010/05/27/hd-101-overscan-and-why-all-tvs-do-it/

 

[PenguinMac]

I have a 2010 Mac Mini hooked up to a Sony 1080P television, and the picture is outstanding. The Mac Mini does have an HDMI port, while the Mac Pro only has DVI or MiniDP. Have you tried DisplayPort, it might better match with the HDMI input of your television?

The Mini has various output choices in System Preferences, Displays that shows the HDTV very plainly, and offers the correct 1920x1080 resolution as well as a slider to eliminate overscan. Do you have those options on the Mac Pro when hooked up to an HDTV?

 

[bmb012]

That sounds like what happens when I run my computer in 1080i on my 720p TV...

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

DVI or mDP won't change anything when going to HDMI, both will be fine.

 

[Cmd-the-World]

Thanks all for your replies. But still the problem still persists

1) The 1-1 tv option

The HDTV was already set for "Full Pixels" so that is not an issue.

2) MDP

I bought an adapter from the local authorised reseller with the capability to pass audio as well (it is not a straight cable). However when I connected the HDTV, with the adaptor and an HDMI cable, and set it at 50Hz or 60Hz I started seeing White 1 pixel tick dots dancing around on the screen. The cause of this trouble could be the cable, the adaptor or the graphics card. When I connected the HDTV with the DVI to HDMI cable this problem ceased to exist.

3) Windows

When I set up Windows the only problem I had was with the overscan. I downloaded the catalyst driver and the problem was solved. Under Windows the text is smooth and the colours are correct.

4) Mac OS X

In setting -> display all I get setting are for resolution, refresh rate (24Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz), over and under scanning and rotation.

For resolution I don't get 1920x1080 but just 1080p and 1080i

I am not able to set the colour like on the iMac from thousands to millions and the like.

Under the colour tab I can set the different profiles however when ever I choose a profile and restart the setting is lost. To enable the profile I have to enter the system preferences choose display choose colour tab and the setting is applied. Another thing when I connected the Sony TV with the DVI cable I got another colour profile name Sony xv.

I am annoyed that Windows has video compensations when connecting to an HDTV and that Mac OS X doesn't. The text under Mac OS X is nearly unreadable and the colours aren't that good.

 

[Cmd-the-World]

yes eventually font smoothing might help

little ->system preferences -> appearance -> tick " use font smoothing when available "

Yes it is selected

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Thanks all for your replies. But still the problem still persists

1) The 1-1 tv option

The HDTV was already set for "Full Pixels" so that is not an issue.

2) MDP

I bought an adapter from the local authorised reseller with the capability to pass audio as well (it is not a straight cable). However when I connected the HDTV, with the adaptor and an HDMI cable, and set it at 50Hz or 60Hz I started seeing White 1 pixel tick dots dancing around on the screen. The cause of this trouble could be the cable, the adaptor or the graphics card. When I connected the HDTV with the DVI to HDMI cable this problem ceased to exist.

3) Windows

When I set up Windows the only problem I had was with the overscan. I downloaded the catalyst driver and the problem was solved. Under Windows the text is smooth and the colours are correct.

4) Mac OS X

In setting -> display all I get setting are for resolution, refresh rate (24Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz), over and under scanning and rotation.

For resolution I don't get 1920x1080 but just 1080p and 1080i

I am not able to set the colour like on the iMac from thousands to millions and the like.

Under the colour tab I can set the different profiles however when ever I choose a profile and restart the setting is lost. To enable the profile I have to enter the system preferences choose display choose colour tab and the setting is applied. Another thing when I connected the Sony TV with the DVI cable I got another colour profile name Sony xv.

I am annoyed that Windows has video compensations when connecting to an HDTV and that Mac OS X doesn't. The text under Mac OS X is nearly unreadable and the colours aren't that good.

Don't praise Windows too quickly. I have problems with quite a few games not running full screen (black bars around the edges) because it forces the underscan compensation, and there are no solutions.

I have never had a problem with my 46" Sony screen and any of my macs. I am currently using a 20$ mDP to HDMI adapter with audio passing through at 96/24 from a 2010 Mac Pro and HD5770.

One thing I can think of are there options for different modes on your HDTV ? Maybe there is a 240Hz, overdrive, motion interpolation, etc etc. This would definitely degrade image quality for computer use. Can you put your TV into a "film" or "game" mode ?

I have three presets on mine. Usually I set my "film" mode to deactivate any and all of the TV's post-processing. That way I can watch Blu-rays and plug in my Mac Pro without the screen messing with the picture.

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

PS what is the exact model of your Sony screen ?

 

[Cmd-the-World]

I am not a Windows fan but I was annoyed to find out that windows performed better for basic viewing not gaming or graphic intensive jobs. Currently I am away from home but if I remenber well my tv is the following: Sony Bravia KDL-40W4000

I will confirm when I get back.

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I have a 46w4000 and it works, so there is a setting somewhere in the TV... It's been so long since I set it up that I can't remember any more. I'll look into it if I have some time tonight.

 

[DocNo]

For resolution I don't get 1920x1080 but just 1080p and 1080i

What's the native resolution of your TV? If it's 720 (p or i - doesn't matter) then that is more than likely your problem.

As for getting the 720 resolutions to show up in the Mac system preferences there are ways to do that. But if your screen is 1080 native then there is no reason to get 720 resolutions to show up

 

[ActionableMango]

More things to try now that I know your specific model:
Set Screen Aspect to Wide
Set Display area to Full pixel

Press the (i)nfo button on the remote control and see what it says.

Also, are you going through an AV receiver? If so, for troubleshooting purposes, try a direct connection to the TV.

Another thing to try is SwitchresX.
http://www.madrau.com/indexSRX4.html

If either the direct connection or SwitchresX solves the problem, I think you have an EDID reporting issue.

 

[Cmd-the-World]

More things to try now that I know your specific model:
Set Screen Aspect to Wide
Set Display area to Full pixel

The Screen aspect is already set to Wide and the set display area is already set to Full Pixel

Press the (i)nfo button on the remote control and see what it says.

Also, are you going through an AV receiver? If so, for troubleshooting purposes, try a direct connection to the TV.

When I press it I get the following 1080p on the top left. Bottom left I get the following Screen Format: Wide. Top right corner I get the symbol of two speaker facing away from each other.

The Mac Pro is directly connected to the TV with a DVI to HDMI cable. I don't know if it affects but I connected it to the HDMI port 3

Another thing to try is SwitchresX.
http://www.madrau.com/indexSRX4.html

If either the direct connection or SwitchresX solves the problem, I think you have an EDID reporting issue.

I had already tried SwitchresX but I found it too confusing and did not improve anything so I removed it. I will download it again and give it another shot.

Currently what I find extremely annoying is when i log out or restart I lose the setting of the colour profile I would have selected. I find it annoying as the default colour is extremely white washed.

@ initialsBB that would be very helpful.

 

[ActionableMango]

Currently what I find extremely annoying is when i log out or restart I lose the setting of the colour profile I would have selected. I find it annoying as the default colour is extremely white washed.

Oh, maybe we're barking up the wrong tree. You may have a colorspace mismatch and not a resolution mismatch.

In your TV is there a parameter for color space or white space or white levels maybe? The available settings might be something like PC, Video, RBG FULL, RGB Limited, 0-256, 16-235, etc. I would try changing that.

Typically PCs output RGB in 0-256 but TVs expect 16-235 because that's what most AV equipment outputs. Some TVs can autodetect and some cannot. Even those with autodetect can get it wrong and it has to be set manually, such as my Pioneer TV.

 

[initialsBB]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Switch your TV to the Cinema/Film picture mode and try the settings from the review site below, it may help.
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Sony-KDL40W4000/Settings/

It's not normal that the colour setting does not stick in system preferences, though. Have you repaired file permissions recently ?

 

[Cmd-the-World]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Switch your TV to the Cinema/Film picture mode and try the settings from the review site below, it may help.
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Sony-KDL40W4000/Settings/

It's not normal that the colour setting does not stick in system preferences, though. Have you repaired file permissions recently ?

I haven't tried the settings yet I am away from home.

About the permissions yes I repaired the permissions as I had a problem with keychain as it refused to save any passwords. I was surprised to find the huge amount of permissions that I had to fix, considering it is a new system just 4 days old. The majority was fixed however there was still a few that keep cropping up namely Java related. The problem is Disk Utility marks them as repaired but when I run the scan again I figure out that they were still not repaired. Another thing this issue with the colour settings not sticking started prior I repaired permissions.

 

[Cmd-the-World]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Switch your TV to the Cinema/Film picture mode and try the settings from the review site below, it may help.
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Sony-KDL40W4000/Settings/

It's not normal that the colour setting does not stick in system preferences, though. Have you repaired file permissions recently ?

Finally I had time again to try to solve the problem as I was very busy of late.

My setting was nearly identical to the settings shown in the link the only difference was that the "Colour Space" was set to Wide. After I changed the setting there was an improvement to the colours. The reds especially became more subtle. However the text is still appalling and nearly unreadable.

I know I should start a new thread but I think this might be slightly related. I am experiences problems when I come to switch from Mac OS X to Windows. Under Mac OS X I am not able to select Windows as my boot drive. The only method that remains is by pressing the options key but it is extremely unreliable. Most of the times I am unable to get the option to select the OS I want. It would work after about 6 restarts and an SMC reset and PRAM reset. It is quite annoying is anyone else experiencing this problem?

 

[ActionableMango]

I am at a loss. You might have better luck posting in the Home Theater forum here instead of the Mac Pro forum. Also try http://avsforum.com.

 

[modit]

Hi all

I hooked up the Mac Pro with a DVI to HDMI to a Sony 40" Full HD TV and the quality is horrendous. I arranged it for 1080p at 60Hz but still the screen quality is horrendous. The text is unreadable it looks pixelated. I set up boot camp and the quality of Windows is incredible the text is smooth and readable.

Is there a set up I can arrange in order to arrange the picture quality.

I'm having the same problem with the same TV and I came by your thread via Google. I have a MacBook Pro though.

For some reason, the Sony TV cut off the very top of the screen, the menu bar, and an inch on both sides. I fixed the missing menu bar by changing the display area from normal to full pixel.

This doesn't fix the missing sides and the underscan slider is greyed out and the text as you said seems...off.

Any advice?