Monitor recommendation for closed lid/clamshell mode

[rmt5]

Hi! I enjoy using my macbook pro in closed lid/clamshell mode, where I have a monitor connected through a thunderbolt/HDMI connector. In my case, I'm using a 22" vizio television as the monitor, which is great... EXCEPT... if I turn the TV off and come back to it later, I have to re-engage the connection (which involves re-opening the macbook pro, etc.) to double the display.

I generally keep my MBP connected this way, so I'm looking for a monitor that I can turn on and off at my leisure without it loosing the connection to my MBP. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Ideally, it'd be 24"+, full 1080p, and (maybe this is a stretch) also allow for a coaxial cable input.

Thanks!

 

[jimray]

I have a 40 or 42" samsung 1080p from a few years back, i love connecting my MBP to it. The only thing i have to do is click a mouse button to re-engage the connection. Maybe the 42" is too big for what you're looking for, but I bet they all work the same.

Side note, if hooked to a TV and the text is hard to read, turn the sharpness all the way down. Good thing about the samsung (and i'm sure other brands) is that when you switch to another video mode, the sharpness and other settings are remembered for each mode differently.

 

[surfbo740]

This is the best thing I've found if you want something bigger than 24", but not quite a 32" TV (although this is still a full HDTV like you stated). 27" is a great size for a monitor/tv combo for a bedroom or office in my book.

As the above poster stated one common problem PC/Mac users have with Samsung monitors, and more often TV's is when connecting a computer via one of the TV's HDMI plugs, it often looks terribly grainy/wrong resolution/aspect ratio, etc. on-screen. Text especially looks abysmal. To remedy this problem on this particular model (and I'm assuming their larger TV's too) you need to follow these steps:
1) Go into "Menu" and scroll to "Input"
2) Choose the "Edit Name" option and scroll to "HDMI"
3) Select "DVI PC"
4) Once you exit the "Menu," you should be able to view 1080p in clear, sharp detail

This lets the TV know that you would like to use the HDMI connection as the default PC input as opposed to the default DVI or VGA rear plug.

My roommate has one of these and it looks stunning after you get it set up properly (text included).

 

[jimray]

This is the best thing I've found if you want something bigger than 24", but not quite a 32" TV (although this is still a full HDTV like you stated). 27" is a great size for a monitor/tv combo for a bedroom or office in my book.

As the above poster stated one common problem PC/Mac users have with Samsung monitors, and more often TV's is when connecting a computer via one of the TV's HDMI plugs, it often looks terribly grainy/wrong resolution/aspect ratio, etc. on-screen. Text especially looks abysmal. To remedy this problem on this particular model (and I'm assuming their larger TV's too) you need to follow these steps:
1) Go into "Menu" and scroll to "Input"
2) Choose the "Edit Name" option and scroll to "HDMI"
3) Select "DVI PC"
4) Once you exit the "Menu," you should be able to view 1080p in clear, sharp detail

This lets the TV know that you would like to use the HDMI connection as the default PC input as opposed to the default DVI or VGA rear plug.

My roommate has one of these and it looks stunning after you get it set up properly (text included).

Dude that's the tip of the century, thanks!

Quick question. I did what you said, and the picture is vastly improved. I selected "DVI PC", but also on the list was just "PC". Would PC be better?

 

[surfbo740]

No problem, and I actually got those instructions from a samsung rep. posting the correct setup method for people who reviewed the monitor and were disappointed on newegg. As for which is better, I honestly couldn't tell you. As long as its running at 1920x1080 like it should out of the box without any wonky settings tinkering I'd be satisfied. So whatever looks best to you my friend, just glad I could help. This has personally frustrated me for years before happening upon the correct solution.