Weirdness with 4K Monitor and M4 Pro Mac Mini

[haralds]

I'm beginning to think that this is just a general issue with Samsung ultra wides.

I keep seeing it on my Dell. Switched to its USB-C connection fro now, but that takes up TB5 port I'd rather use for other things.
BTW, I see the same thing with my Vizio TV hooked to a Switch OLED. Great during a boss fight!
Clearly it's loss of sync.

 

[sergioandr.es]

I'm beginning to think that this is just a general issue with Samsung ultra wides. I've had three now and they've all done it. One was particularly bad that I got rid of. It wouldn't do it for ages and then suddenly it would do it constantly. There was no rhyme or reason to it. I tried display port, HDMI, different cables - everything. The one I have now does it on occasion but it's nowhere near as bad as the previous ones. So I've just put it down to Samsung monitors aren't great.

Bad news, the problem returned a couple weeks after it went away, I changed nothing. My display is an IPS BenQ 32" PD3200U.

Only thing that could have changed is that I plugged in a second M4 Mini (base model) to the second HDMI port of the monitor for a little while but the problem still persists after unplugging every other cable from the monitor except power and the HDMI for the main M4 Pro Mini I use.

I'm hesitant to buy a new cable since changing the cable to the old cheap one I'm using fixed the issue for a couple weeks but it came back, I don't want to spend the money on a new fancy cable for the problem to come back or not even be fixed.

I feel the issue is with the Minis and certain displays.

 

[m4_hdmi_problem]

This is an extremely annoying issue that Apple seems to be willfully ignorant about. I had this issue with an M4 mac mini I purchased. Tried different cables (2.1, 8k, etc etc), various settings (GPU dithering, color profiles, etc etc), but nothing worked. Tested with an M4 macbook pro, same cables, and there aren't any issues! I exchanged the M4 Mac Mini hoping that I got a dud, but unfortunately the exact same intermittent connectivity issues persisted. The only solution is to use the USB-C ports instead of the HDMI port. There is clearly a hardware issue that Apple doesn't care about and it's extremely frustrating that this port exists, but functionally does not work. I bought an HDMI to USB-C adapter with 120hz capability to have the same functionality and haven't had the problem since.

 

[Siriosys]

So I have a Samsung Odyssey high resolution, high refresh rate monitor which works beautifully with my new M4 Pro Mac Mini - but there's one weird reoccurring problem that I just can't figure out. Every now and then, the monitor will just go black for, like, 3 or 4 seconds, and then the picture comes back. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen every single day, multiple times a day. It's not a huge problem, but it *is* annoying, especially when I'm watching videos or movies. I have no idea what could be causing this. I'm wondering if maybe it's the HDMI cable that's at fault, or if it's the monitor itself...? *shrug*

Should I purchase another HDMI cable, or could there be something else that's causing the problem?

I had exactly this problem - I'm using a Samsung 4K display (actually it's a 43inch TV as I'm quite blind).

I had tried different cables etc etc before changing the input port on the display, obviously with no success at that point.

I discovered that by changing the input from HDMI/ARC to just a straight HDMI (no ARC) that the problem has now completely stopped.

 

[blinker]

I have the same problem with an LG HDR 4K 32" monitor and my new Mini M4. It had been annoying me with my previous computer, a Macbook Pro, and I wondered if it would still happen with the Mini. Yes, it does, so it's certainly an issue with the monitor, not the computer.

I'm thinking about upgrading to a better HDMI cable, so I'll report if that changes things.

 

[gigatoaster]

Why don’t you guys try a proper test protocol? Different HDMI cables, different monitors and/or TVs…to isolate the issue?

 

[blinker]

I'm thinking about upgrading to a better HDMI cable, so I'll report if that changes things.

Much to my delight (and surprise), I got a better cable and with over a week of use I haven't seen the problem even once.
This is the one I bought (from Amazon).

Monster Surefire 8K HDMI Cable — Xbox Series X & PlayStation 5 HDMI Cable w/ 24K Gold Contacts, 48 Gbps Speed, 60/120 Hz Refresh Rate, Dynamic HDR & eARC for Superior Visuals & Audio (2 FT, 2 Pack)​

 

[Subarctic5216]

I also have been having this issue with my M4 Mini Pro.
Random and only lasts a second.
Using a Cable Matters USB C to DisplayPort to Gigabyte M32U. Plugged into one of the back Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Cable Matters USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable - 6ft, Support 8K@60Hz / 4K@240Hz, Thunderbolt 4 to DisplayPort Cable, Display Port to USB C, Black - Not for Portable USBC Monitor

Experience Vivid 4K Video over DisplayPort The Cable Matters USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable supports the newest release computers and smartphones with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 up to 4K 60Hz UHD display monitors with DisplayPort. Experience the vibrant video and authentic audio supported by monitor...

www.amazon.com

BetterDisplay running for smooth text rendering.
Originally had it set to 144Hz / 2560x1440. As per another post here suggesting lowering the refresh rate. Changed it to 120Hz / 2560x1440 and have not had any more 'black outs' weirdness. Can't see any difference in the display quality at 120Hz.
So far this has worked!

Nice clear sharp picture. I like this monitor with a KVM for quick switching to an Xbox X.

 

[weckart]

I have the same problem with my Mini. The cable is decent quality and new. I doubt swapping it out will change things but we shall see.