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Mac Mini - Screen blurry

L

Luke_227

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 20, 2015
4
0
Hello,

I have recently set up a new Mac Mini with a 22inch monitor/TV using HDMI. I have tried all options in the Display Settings but the text is still blurry.

I have tried 1080p, 1080i, 720p and 1600x900 which is the only resolution available. 'Default for display' does not work either.

I have installed all the updates via the app store and rebooted but the problem still exists. Any suggestions?

I do have a spare monitor that has a VGA connection - would purchasing the Mini Port to VGA adapter help?

Thanks
Luke
 
Luke_227 said:
Hello,

I have recently set up a new Mac Mini with a 22inch monitor/TV using HDMI. I have tried all options in the Display Settings but the text is still blurry.

I have tried 1080p, 1080i, 720p and 1600x900 which is the only resolution available. 'Default for display' does not work either.

I have installed all the updates via the app store and rebooted but the problem still exists. Any suggestions?

I do have a spare monitor that has a VGA connection - would purchasing the Mini Port to VGA adapter help?

Thanks
Luke
Click to expand...

Are you just trying different settings on the Mac Mini, or on the monitor/TV also? If the monitor itself is set to a lower resolution, nothing you do on the mac is going to fix it.
 
Thanks for the response.

The monitor is set to 1080p. I have gone through all the menus on the TV and there are no other options to change input settings or the resolution. I think the issue might be that the Mac does not recognise the correct screen resolution for the monitor and either gives the option to use 1600 x 900 or to use 1080p. Neither of which cause the text to display clearly.

Thanks
Luke
 
Have you tried going to System Preferences > General > Use LCD font smoothing when available? (The option all the way at the bottom)
 
Hello,

Just tried LCD font smoothing and the issue is still occurring. I have also tried downloading SwitchResX but all of the resolution options still cause the font/text to be very blurred, especially at 1080p. 720p is the only usable resolution but is still very unclear.

Anyone know if using a Thunderbolt (I think this is what the MacMini has) to VGA adapter would help?

Thanks
 
When you open the "displays" preference pane, does it give you any options regarding "underscan" ???

Also, a minidisplayport-to-VGA adapter should work with the VGA monitor.
Be aware that even though the adapter should fit right into the port on the back of the monitor, the two thumbscrews may not be the "right thread". If they won't screw in, don't worry, just leave them be...
 
Thanks for the advice.

Bought the mini display port to VGA adapter in the end from the Apple store. This has done the trick. As mentioned the adapter doesnt screw into the VGA cable properly but seems to hold at the moment.

Thanks
 
The blurriness problem that occurs with many monitors and the Mini is caused by the Mini detecting the monitor as a TV rather than a monitor. In TV mode the text on your screen ends up fuzzy and blurry. Sometimes there is a setting on the monitor to force monitor mode and disable TV mode, other times on the Mini side you have make sure that "Underscan" is set to off. Also, this problem seems to occur more frequently with HDMI-to-HDMI connections, whereas with DVI-to-HDMI or Thunderbolt-to-HDMI connections, using an adapter, it doesn't. There's some kind of bug that can crop up when using HDMI that feeds the Mini the wrong monitor profile, and causes it to see a TV instead.
 
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I'm having a similar issue. I have a 2012 Mac Mini with a 32 inch LG TV connected via HDMI to HDMI and the TV set to PC profile at 1080p. The problem is when I set the Mac to 1080p, the font scales too small to see comfortably at a distance. When I set the Mac to 720p, the fonts scales bigger but everything gets really blurry. Can I do anything to fix this? I'd like to be able to sit at normal TV watching distance and still have the screen be sharp.

I've talked to geniuses at the apple store and they say it has to do with resolutions. They said that TVs can only support 1080p max whereas Macs output much higher resolutions. And this is why Macs are blurry on TVs. Is there any truth to this? I've tried to think it over and I just don't know enough about resolution formats to make an assessment.
 
Luke_227 said:
Hello,

I have recently set up a new Mac Mini with a 22inch monitor/TV using HDMI. I have tried all options in the Display Settings but the text is still blurry.
I have tried 1080p, 1080i, 720p and 1600x900 which is the only resolution available. 'Default for display' does not work either.
I have installed all the updates via the app store and rebooted but the problem still exists. Any suggestions?
I do have a spare monitor that has a VGA connection - would purchasing the Mini Port to VGA adapter help?
Thanks
Luke
Click to expand...
===
IF YOU HAVE A DVI MONITOR INPUT: What I recommend is getting an HDMI to DVI-D adapter and run your HDMI to the DVI port on your monitor. Then once you get that up and running, set your resolutions for the best picture available. I have a 2012 Mini running two 24-inch monitors, one with HDMI to DVI and the other with Minidisplay port (Thunderbolt) to VGA. The HDMI to DVI is slightly crisper, because VGA output is not digital. (however by fine tuning the resolution on my VGA monitor, the difference is nearly negligible.)
 
Avid99 said:
===
IF YOU HAVE A DVI MONITOR INPUT: What I recommend is getting an HDMI to DVI-D adapter and run your HDMI to the DVI port on your monitor. Then once you get that up and running, set your resolutions for the best picture available. I have a 2012 Mini running two 24-inch monitors, one with HDMI to DVI and the other with Minidisplay port (Thunderbolt) to VGA. The HDMI to DVI is slightly crisper, because VGA output is not digital. (however by fine tuning the resolution on my VGA monitor, the difference is nearly negligible.)
Click to expand...

Say Avid99! I doubt that your advice will do any good for the OP. If Luke_227 has not solved the problem in the 5 months since that original post there is probably no way to help him. ;)
 
Negritude said:
The blurriness problem that occurs with many monitors and the Mini is caused by the Mini detecting the monitor as a TV rather than a monitor. In TV mode the text on your screen ends up fuzzy and blurry. Sometimes there is a setting on the monitor to force monitor mode and disable TV mode, other times on the Mini side you have make sure that "Underscan" is set to off. Also, this problem seems to occur more frequently with HDMI-to-HDMI connections, whereas with DVI-to-HDMI or Thunderbolt-to-HDMI connections, using an adapter, it doesn't. There's some kind of bug that can crop up when using HDMI that feeds the Mini the wrong monitor profile, and causes it to see a TV instead.
Click to expand...

There's a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI cable on Amazon for use with non-DP monitors, would that fix the problem?
 
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