LCD Display is Fuzzy!!

[Littleodie914]

Hey guys, here's what I'm trying to do. I have a 14" iBook, and am hooking it up to a HP f1703 flat panel display, which sports a recommended resolution of 1280x1024. When I plug it in, it mirrors the screen perfectly (I know of the spanning hack, but I really do want to mirror), but it's fuzzy. This is because there are a certain number of pixels in the monitor, and displaying anything but that certain number will produce fuzziness, correct? Is there any way to force my iBook to run at 1280x1024, just while it's plugged into the display, or is there a way to possibly make the LCD not look so fuzzy? I know that I could purchase a CRT or possibly a 15" LCD who's native resolution is 10x7, but I really don't want to buy a new monitor just for my iBook. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And one easier question, I know that when spanning across multiple monitors, the graphics card has to work harder, as it's in a sense 'powering' both screens. Does this additional stress occur when mirroring screens? Muchas gracias!

 

[KevRC4130]

I'm not sure, but keep in mind that maybe instead of buying a new monitor, you could sell the iBook and get a Powerbook with the monitor money, and then you can run the mirrored monitor at a higher/clearer resolution, be able to span, AND get the added benefits of having a PB.

Sorry, that really wasn't helpful

 

[Nspace]

When I hook my Powerbook up to my 19" CRT (which looks really good on my windows machine, great colour and very sharp) I get the same thing. It is not sharp like windows is and it is not sharp like it is on the lcd. I cannot figure it out either. I am running it 1600x1200 on my 19" same refresh rate just like I am from the windows machine.

If we are having the same problem, everything is still readbale and everything just things do not look nearly as crisp and sharp. Correct?

I don't get what could be causing it but I am definately interested if anyone else knows a solution.

 

[MoparShaha]

There is a firmware hack for iBooks that allow them to run at higher resolutions on external monitors. Do a google search on it. It will void your warranty, but many people have done it without ill effects.

 

[Timelessblur]

also trying changing the phase and clock setting on the monitor it might clear things up some.

 

[homerjward]

native resolution is the only one that looks good on a lcd. i like to run my pc at 800x600 just for the novelty sometimes and it's reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaly fuzzy, but it's a crappy display anyway. you can get the hack here by the way

 

[Littleodie914]

The right hack?

native resolution is the only one that looks good on a lcd. i like to run my pc at 800x600 just for the novelty sometimes and it's reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaly fuzzy, but it's a crappy display anyway. you can get the hack here by the way

Is this the monitor spanning hack? I believe the hack we're looking for is the one that allows the iBook to run at higher resolutions than it was designed to run at.

 

[brap]

You're not going to get it to mirror without looking really silly - either live with it, or span.

IMHO, you should download the Screen Spanning Doctor archive -- I used it on both G3 and G4 iBooks, and it worked fine. There is also an option to reset the firmware to it's original settings, so any warranty voidings can be undone with the click of a button.

I believe the hack we're looking for is the one that allows the iBook to run at higher resolutions than it was designed to run at.

Unlikely. It'd have to be a "show every other pixel" type hack, which wouldn't change the ratio, even if someone was stupid enough to write one. I can do this on my Risc PC, can get some crazy resoltuions when 1600*1200 is set to show every third pixel!

 

[baby duck monge]

You're not going to get it to mirror without looking really silly - either live with it, or span.

i agree. having used the monitor hack for the past year or so, i can say it has never caused a problem with my ibook, and that the extra real estate is priceless.

of course, if that is not enough for you, i can also tell you that the hack will not allow you to change the resolution of an external display that is being mirrored unless the display on the laptop is changed as well. it wouldn't exactly be mirroring if both pictures weren't the same...

 

[Littleodie914]

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for your help, I'll live with the spanning! The reason I was wondering is I like to play a lot of games, but when I plug it into the LCD, the game can only run at 1024x768, which is a bit low for my liking. Oh well, I guess it'll be okay!