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rMBP - Text is blurry on external display

Same issue

I have the same issue with a 1920 Samsung Syncmaster.

It clearly isn't the RGB, the monitor, the font rendering but rather an issue with resolution - my macbook pro retina 15" is trying to apply the same resolution to the external monitor, rather than the monitors native res. I can't change this because the mac can't seem to detect that I have an external plugged in through the HDMI so changing the res also changes it on the laptop, also there are very limited res options for some reason.

My bro has the same issue with his 13" through that unecessary proprietary apple output to his TV.

Through our windows machines the picture looks excellent on both displays..

If I close my MBP lid then a small amount of the blur goes but resolution is still wrong (which is a bit worrying considering if it could handle two displays there should be no difference i would think!)

Q: If I buy a million dollar 27" apple IPS can anyone confirm it handles the resolution properly?
 
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ferahl said:
I have the same issue with a 1920 Samsung Syncmaster.

It clearly isn't the RGB, the monitor, the font rendering but rather an issue with resolution - my macbook pro retina 15" is trying to apply the same resolution to the external monitor, rather than the monitors native res. I can't change this because the mac can't seem to detect that I have an external plugged in through the HDMI so changing the res also changes it on the laptop, also there are very limited res options for some reason.

My bro has the same issue with his 13" through that unecessary proprietary apple output to his TV.

Through our windows machines the picture looks excellent on both displays..

If I close my MBP lid then a small amount of the blur goes but resolution is still wrong (which is a bit worrying considering if it could handle two displays there should be no difference i would think!)

Q: If I buy a million dollar 27" apple IPS can anyone confirm it handles the resolution properly?
Click to expand...

A month late perhaps, but the Mac HDMI interface provides the resolution reported by the monitor or in the monitor data base. HDMI is limited to 1080p at the highest, however (dunno about PCs, but I suspect the same) which is OK for video and photos but not great as a computer monitor. If you want full resolution you need to use Display Port or DVI.

By the way, I connected a new LG 27EA83-D IPS up and wow what a picture... goose bumps. The colors just pop out at you.

I'm not able to get the font smoothing right, however. I tried -1 -2 and -3 and -3 seems the best setting. I discovered that using the Mac OS zoom feature I can magnify text enough to make text much more readable. You can tailor zoom parameters in the accessibility system preference panel.
 
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A Long and Winding Road....

First saw fuzzy text issue on late 2012 rMBP with new 24" HP ZR2440w at natural resolution 1920x1200....first using mDP->DP, then Apple's HDMI->DVI adapter, lastly a Kanex mDP->DVI. No differences with any interface....still splotchy text. The monitor settings were at full Sharpness, so backed off from 5 to 4, and that did improve it. But as noted elsewhere here, OS X does not appear to support font smoothing on third-party monitors. All the above, by the way, with exactly the same results, was tried on a new late 2012 Mac mini. The final improvement was made with the Terminal font smoothing command noted in above posts (I set it all the way to 3). Thank you to ye who keep the Unix flame burning! These were my first Macs, after years of Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and I was quickly becoming sorely disappointed spending so much money on products that couldn't seem to do even the smallest key tweaks possible in other OS's. This has alleviated my doubts somewhat, and at the same time opened up the possibilities of getting down to the metal with what Unix knowledge I still possess...thanks again!
 
heycoach said:
I had exactly the same problem as many people here, and in my case it was an easy fix. OS X thinks my monitor is a TV, and is using the YCbCr colour space rather than RGB. I had to override an EDID setting to force the RGB colour space, and it is now working correctly.

Here's how to do it:
http://ireckon.net/2013/03/force-rg...ix-the-picture-quality-of-an-external-monitor

(I go on a bit of a rant about Apple forums in the post, I was pretty frustrated with some responses. Scroll to the bottom to see the fix, though.)
Click to expand...

This fixed my issue. Thanks!
 
I'm summarizing the answer because lots of people are reading this thread and missing the answers. I just got a MacBook Pro Retina and had the same problem with a horrible display on a Dell U2410. My Dell works perfectly on my PC and my old MacBook Pro.

This is what the problem looks like (from post #29)
ivan98 said:
OK. Finally the digicam has some free time. See http://goo.gl/XLdMf
Click to expand...

Specifically, the anti-aliasing is all screwed up. It isn't just a font problem. If you look at pictures or other graphics, you'll see they similarly look horrible. If what you are seeing is not exactly as shown in these pictures, then the problem most people are talking about here is not the problem you are experiencing. (I.e. there are other things that affect quality of an external monitor - I'm summarizing the explicit issue shown in the pictures above).


What is happening?

Mac OS thinks the external display is a TV, causing it to use YPbPr color format. You can confirm this by looking in System Information:

Go to Apple Icon -> About this Mac -> More Info -> System Report
Click on Graphics/Displays and the nVidia GForce display chipset (650M or 750M for MacBook Pro Retina - though this issue exists with non-retina Macs as well I believe). The nVidia chipset is used to drive external displays. Look at the entry for your external monitor (e.g. Dell U2410). If it says "Television: Yes" then Mac OS is using your external display as a TV, not a normal LCD display.

You can also see this by looking at the Display Settings on your monitor (how to do that varies from LCD to LCD and not all monitors may show this information). On a Dell U2410, to go Menu -> Color Settings -> Input Color Format. It should be RGB, but when the problem occurs, it shows YPbPr.


How to fix the problem.

You need to convince Mac OS to view your external monitor not as a TV, but as a normal monitor. When Mac OS thinks my Dell is a TV, it uses the YPbPr color map and looks horrible. By making MacOS treat the monitor as a normal computer monitor, it will use the RGB color map and if you get that result, the problem should be solved.

Method 1: Don't use HDMI-HDMI. HDMI out on my rMBP to HDMI in on my display caused the problem. But, when I put an HDMI-DVI converter on my cable so that I'm going HDMI out on the Mac to DVI in on the monitor, problem solved.

I imagine if you went DisplayPort or Thunderbolt on the Mac to DVI on the display, it would similarly fix the problem. But if you go DisplayPort or Thunderbold to HDMI, the Mac will probably sense the external display as a TV and cause the problem.

Method 2: Follow the advice at irecon.net here using script to trick Mac OS into using RGB color.

Method 3: Follow the advice here, and in post #73, using a terminal command to force the defaults for the external display. This is an old solution to an old problem, but it fixes the issue being discussed here as well.


Other methods may work, but the key is getting out of TV mode.


I hope this helps reduce some of the confusion and thanks to everyone that helped me figure this out. I take no credit for finding the solution.

Regards,
Mike
 
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Hi all,

rMBP late 2013 here.

I have a korean IPS panel (27", 2560x1440) and i also get the blurry text on the external monitor for example in Chrome or iTerm.
Note though that when im using the same apps in VMWare fusion linux guest the text is perfectly displayed.

Anybody else has noticed this? It is so strange that Chrome in VMWare's guest displays perfect text...

Ive tried both the AppleFontSmoothing and the Overrides solution, with no luck.

R.
 
Lohmeyer said:
I'm summarizing the answer because lots of people are reading this thread and missing the answers. I just got a MacBook Pro Retina and had the same problem with a horrible display on a Dell U2410. My Dell works perfectly on my PC and my old MacBook Pro.

This is what the problem looks like (from post #29)


Specifically, the anti-aliasing is all screwed up. It isn't just a font problem. If you look at pictures or other graphics, you'll see they similarly look horrible. If what you are seeing is not exactly as shown in these pictures, then the problem most people are talking about here is not the problem you are experiencing. (I.e. there are other things that affect quality of an external monitor - I'm summarizing the explicit issue shown in the pictures above).


What is happening?

Mac OS thinks the external display is a TV, causing it to use YPbPr color format. You can confirm this by looking in System Information:

Go to Apple Icon -> About this Mac -> More Info -> System Report
Click on Graphics/Displays and the nVidia GForce display chipset (650M or 750M for MacBook Pro Retina - though this issue exists with non-retina Macs as well I believe). The nVidia chipset is used to drive external displays. Look at the entry for your external monitor (e.g. Dell U2410). If it says "Television: Yes" then Mac OS is using your external display as a TV, not a normal LCD display.

You can also see this by looking at the Display Settings on your monitor (how to do that varies from LCD to LCD and not all monitors may show this information). On a Dell U2410, to go Menu -> Color Settings -> Input Color Format. It should be RGB, but when the problem occurs, it shows YPbPr.


How to fix the problem.

You need to convince Mac OS to view your external monitor not as a TV, but as a normal monitor. When Mac OS thinks my Dell is a TV, it uses the YPbPr color map and looks horrible. By making MacOS treat the monitor as a normal computer monitor, it will use the RGB color map and if you get that result, the problem should be solved.

Method 1: Don't use HDMI-HDMI. HDMI out on my rMBP to HDMI in on my display caused the problem. But, when I put an HDMI-DVI converter on my cable so that I'm going HDMI out on the Mac to DVI in on the monitor, problem solved.

I imagine if you went DisplayPort or Thunderbolt on the Mac to DVI on the display, it would similarly fix the problem. But if you go DisplayPort or Thunderbold to HDMI, the Mac will probably sense the external display as a TV and cause the problem.

Method 2: Follow the advice at irecon.net here using script to trick Mac OS into using RGB color.

Method 3: Follow the advice here, and in post #73, using a terminal command to force the defaults for the external display. This is an old solution to an old problem, but it fixes the issue being discussed here as well.


Other methods may work, but the key is getting out of TV mode.


I hope this helps reduce some of the confusion and thanks to everyone that helped me figure this out. I take no credit for finding the solution.

Regards,
Mike
Click to expand...

Yep, good post. Can confirm switching from a HDMI>HDMI to a DVI>HDMI cable fixed it. No longer says Television in the System Info and it's definitely sharper.
 
Same issue here (rMBP late 2013 13", monitor DELL U2713HM).
Tried all the fixes suggested in the thread, without any success.
My monitor does not appear as a television (I don't even have the television line in system report, under display/graphics). Input is RGB, not YPbPr, it is running at max resolution. Connection is made via mDP - DP.
And of course, all looks awesome if I run a VM with Win7 on the monitor. Same with Win8, it looks great on the monitor, when hooked to another computer.
 
chaseychasem said:
For what it's worth, I've had fuzziness problems with a 24" 1900x1200 HP ZR2440w connected to a mid-2012 MBP via native MDP-to-DP, so this isn't exclusive to the rMBP. As the question of single- vs. dual-link isn't relevant in this case, I can only think of two possible causes: (1) poor OS X driver support for third-party displays; or (2) a dastardly synergy between third-party AG coating (I've read that HP and Dell use similar processes and/or suppliers) with OS X font rendering, which for me as a former PC user still requires adjustment even on my internal 15" HR AG display. The latter fact makes me lean toward possible cause #2, at least in cases of mild-to-moderate fuzziness, which is what mine was, but still distracting enough to make someone who spends hours a day writing return the HP monitor.

Post-return I'm waiting for the rumored TBD refresh later this month or next. I swore I'd never go glossy, but right now the sharper text sounds really appealing. I'd rather save AG mode for flexibility on the road and skip the squintfest at home.
Click to expand...

Look at the Apple Community For a patch from Andreas Schwartz. It fixes the blurry text and washed out color problem.
 
melburstein said:
Look at the Apple Community For a patch from Andreas Schwartz. It fixes the blurry text and washed out color problem.
Click to expand...

If he use the right cable this particular fix will not be necessary. Many of us are not skilled enough to attempt that fix. I have two Dell U2713H monitors, the thunderbolt to Dell mini display-port connectors work perfectly.
 
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Monitor settings

This may be a bit obvious, but useful to some. My Samsung Syncmaster 2450 has a setting buried in the setup menus "Setup&Rest"/"PC/AV mode". This sets whether the display identifies itself to your computer as a TV or as a computer display.

Changing this setting made my HDMI out auto detect properly (2013 15' rMBP).
 
I had the following setup and experienced blurry text

Macbook pro 2009 -> mini-display port to HDMI -> 22" full HD tv

By turning down the sharpness settings on the tv side my problem was solved.

Hope this helps people.
 
cosminbolohan said:
Same issue here (rMBP late 2013 13", monitor DELL U2713HM).
Tried all the fixes suggested in the thread, without any success.
My monitor does not appear as a television (I don't even have the television line in system report, under display/graphics). Input is RGB, not YPbPr, it is running at max resolution. Connection is made via mDP - DP.
And of course, all looks awesome if I run a VM with Win7 on the monitor. Same with Win8, it looks great on the monitor, when hooked to another computer.
Click to expand...

Did you ever find a solution to this problem? I'm considering buying the same Dell and I have the same Mac as you, so I'm a bit concerned about blurry text...

Has this problem been fixed?
 
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Mid-2014 15" rMBP hooked to Dell U2415 using the mini-displayport to displayport cable that came with the monitor.

Used Andrew's modified script. Restarted laptop and the monitor.

No dice. Text is still blurry.

It does show in the window's title bar that RGB mode is being forced though: http://cl.ly/image/1k0t101K232V

Display setting screenshot: http://cl.ly/image/3M3o0b2u0m2s

Connection Type did change from TV to DisplayPort: http://cl.ly/image/0i403k3g442w

:(
 
srikat said:
Mid-2014 15" rMBP hooked to Dell U2415 using the mini-displayport to displayport cable that came with the monitor.

Used Andrew's modified script. Restarted laptop and the monitor.

No dice. Text is still blurry.

It does show in the window's title bar that RGB mode is being forced though: http://cl.ly/image/1k0t101K232V

Display setting screenshot: http://cl.ly/image/3M3o0b2u0m2s

Connection Type did change from TV to DisplayPort: http://cl.ly/image/0i403k3g442w

:(
Click to expand...

hi @All,
I've got the same problems (blurry fonts, washed out colors) with my retina MBP (Mid 2015) + Dell U2410f HDMI-HDMI under OS 10.10.4. I just with Apple for an hour. It's a known issue. And they haven't got any adivce. They told me to have a look at dell.com to get the latest drivers. On the page I just get the message, that my OS is not supported:
dell_alert.jpg


I just tried all advices (see post #73) and got no improvement.
@srikat - your last post appearances, that we're on the same point of the problem. How did you go along withit?

Thanks
Peterchen
 
peterchen said:
hi @All,
I've got the same problems (blurry fonts, washed out colors) with my retina MBP (Mid 2015) + Dell U2410f HDMI-HDMI under OS 10.10.4. I just with Apple for an hour. It's a known issue. And they haven't got any adivce. They told me to have a look at dell.com to get the latest drivers. On the page I just get the message, that my OS is not supported:
View attachment 571650

I just tried all advices (see post #73) and got no improvement.
@srikat - your last post appearances, that we're on the same point of the problem. How did you go along withit?

Thanks
Peterchen
Click to expand...

Did you try this: http://www.ireckon.net/2013/03/forc...ix-the-picture-quality-of-an-external-monitor

It worked for my U2410.
 
srikat said:
I returned the Dell and purchased Asus PB278Q.
Click to expand...

Did you put any fix in place or monitor-specific settings to smooth fonts on the PB278Q? I bought this monitor and have the same issues with text as described by everyone else (rMBP 15" connected via miniDisplayPort to DisplayPort cable)
 
I have the same issue but I think we're just comparing Retina with non-Retina.
Specifically, I noticed the font issue with "Sketch" (similar to Photoshop app). I just posted this https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7836416 .

compare:

Acer R241Y
screen+2017-01-22+at+01.46.56.png

retina:
screen+2017-01-22+at+01.47.17.png


Sys Info:
screen+2017-01-22+at+02.03.30.png


Cable used : DVI to MiniDisplayPort.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)
El Capitan 10.11.6 (15G1217)
 
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