Widescreen LCD and ATI Radeon

[arogge]

I'm looking at installing a new digital LCD panel on a PowerMac that has an ATI Radeon 9000 graphics card. The LCD is a Samsung 172W, and it wants a resolution of 1280 x 768 for a native 16:9 ratio. The ATI card, however, does not appear to support this resolution. Which resolution should I use? The closest available resolutions appear to be:

1152 x 864
1152 x 870
1280 x 960
1280 x 1024

I contacted ATI, but all I got for a response was an FAQ entry that didn't answer my question. ATI seems to be using automated support services that simply scan e-mails for keywords and send back an FAQ entry.

 

[MrMacMan]

Call them, ask if there is a way to get the right aspect ratio.

 

[mnkeybsness]

in the displays pref pane, check to see if the checkbox that says "Show modes recommended by display" is checked or not. if it isn't, then check it and you should be fine. if it is checked, uncheck it, select the resolution that you were told to use. if it doesn't work, your resolution will automatically reset to what was just working for you...repair permissions and such also....if all else fails, then call.

 

[arogge]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Call them, ask if there is a way to get the right aspect ratio.

I could not find a toll-free number to call, so I sent Samsung a support request. I tried several times to get through to them, but all I got in the end was:

"I am sorry but since your hardware doesn't meant the specification there is nothing we can do."

I also asked them how this picture was made:
http://www.samsungusa.com/SamsungUSA/PRODUCT/20021217/172w-silver_lg.jpg

That's OS X on the screen, and it looks fine. They did not attempt to answer. I now have a phone number to call for further technical support, so I suppose I'll try that next.

 

[arogge]

I finally found someone at Samsung who could explain what to do. Apparently, the monitor has a hardware-based configuration tool that can "zoom" the picture so that it runs at the standard resolutions.

 

[arogge]

The Samsung 172W panel can indeed be driven by the ATI Radeon 9000 card at the desired 1280 x 768 resolution. I don't know why both ATI and Samsung refused to acknowledge this capability. The 172W panel is much nicer than the current 17-inch LCD model from Apple, and the installation is as easy as connecting the DVI cable and turning on the monitor. The Mac sees the panel right away and automatically optimizes the image. It's also less expensive than the Apple LCD and it has mounting cabability, as well as hardware-based image controls and both analog-VGA and DVI input connections that can be toggled; the wall mount is included in the box. I found no dead or stuck pixels on the panel, and the overall quality is excellent.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/Monitor/LCDMonitor/Monitor_LCDMonitor_172W.htm
Made in Korea.

Perhaps Apple will use this design technology in its next LCD panel revisions.