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MacBook Pro 16" does not recognize LG LG 38WK95C UltraWide as monitor

ghulst

ghulst

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 15, 2011
42
30
South West, NL
Does anyone here have the same problem? It is getting annoying. When I first bought the thing, it would only connect as a TV and not as a monitor, giving me terrible colors and resolution. Something did trigger it into working as a monitor after that, but I cannot remember doing something special. And yes, I am using the cable LG supplies. This morning, after updating to OS X Catalina 10.15.4, the LG is back to being a big TV again.

Any suggestions on how to fix this?
 
What's your GPU? I use the 15" & 16" on a far higher resolution LG Ultrawide (the 5K2K ultra-wide or 5120x2160) with no issues.

Make sure to plug the monitor via the top left Thunderbolt 3 connector as a sanity check.
 
Which cables are you using? Use direct USB-C connection, if you want HDMI try another dock.
 
Might be good to show the specs:
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
2,3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9
32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB
Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

When I connect it with the original LG cable to the Macbook, it is recognized as:
LG HDR WQHD Display
37,5-inch (3840 x 1600)
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB graphics

But when I click "Displays" in the menu bar on the desktop, it says: Connected TV: LG HDR WQHD with no mention of resolution etc.

Honestly, the reds are orange etc. it is grainy and it looks terrible. :(
 
Yeah, I guess it doesn't hurt to use a different Thunderbolt 3 cable. My 5K2K ultra-wide is my work computer, & I'm working from home now w/ my Pro Display XDR.

Only gotcha I've had w/ Macbooks & high-res monitors is that you should use the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left to connect displays to get the expected output + full 100w power from the connected device if applicable.

Don't know if that applies to the 16", but it did for some 15" models
 
ghulst said:
Might be good to show the specs:
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
2,3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9
32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB
Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

When I connect it with the original LG cable to the Macbook, it is recognized as:
LG HDR WQHD Display
37,5-inch (3840 x 1600)
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB graphics

But when I click "Displays" in the menu bar on the desktop, it says: Connected TV: LG HDR WQHD with no mention of resolution etc.

Honestly, the reds are orange etc. it is grainy and it looks terrible. :(
Click to expand...

Use a different USB-C cable, you can try the one it came with your Mac
 
That is interesting - I have a LG 27UK850 USB-C monitor and since the upgrade to 10.15.14 the colours on the monitor seem very garish despite the monitor settings being the same. I have tried recalibrating the display under Displays / Colour / Calibrate without any success. Ideas anyone?
 
Ok, so I bought an expensive Belkin cable...
No change.

However, the garish colors can be corrected by switching off HDR. :(
 
OK - under the 'Picture' settings for the monitor I now only have:

* HDR Vivid
* HDR Standard
* HDR Game
* HDR Cinema

There are no other options?
 
njvm said:
OK - under the 'Picture' settings for the monitor I now only have:

* HDR Vivid
* HDR Standard
* HDR Game
* HDR Cinema

There are no other options?
Click to expand...
Go under System Prefs, open "Displays" and uncheck "High Dynamic Range".
That will give you back all the options and it won't look awful. Did the same to me. Uncheck, all good.
 
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