Can you turn off the quto Dim on the iMac screens?

[coolurjets]

After like 5 min of non-use, my 20" iMac (not the new metal one) screens dims to about half brightness. I understand this is to ave power but it get really annoying when your trying to watch something on the internet.

So is there anyway to turn off this dimming? I've had a look all around the preference panel and can't seem to find an option, maby I just missed it.

Cheers

 

[mrgreen4242]

After like 5 min of non-use, my 20" iMac (not the new metal one) screens dims to about half brightness. I understand this is to ave power but it get really annoying when your trying to watch something on the internet.

So is there anyway to turn off this dimming? I've had a look all around the preference panel and can't seem to find an option, maby I just missed it.

Cheers

There's a power saving menu in the preference panel, and you can adjust the display options in there.

 

[dpaanlka]

System Preferences

 

[coolurjets]

There's a power saving menu in the preference panel, and you can adjust the display options in there.

Ive checked there, but the only options are for

Putting the computer to sleep when inactive for...
Put the display to sleep when inactive for...
Wake for ethernet admin
Power button to sleep computer
Automatically Reduce brightness before sleep
Restart automatically after power failure

And none of the seem to affect the screen from dimming aftera short while.

 

[rainydays]

No offense. But it amazes me that some people take their time to write a question on a forum instead of spending a few seconds looking in the System Preferences.

 

[dpaanlka]

"Automatically Reduce brightness before sleep" should be what you want. If it doesn't work, there might be a preference file corrupt somewhere or something. Try repairing permissions and restarting.

 

[irishgrizzly]

I think you have to set "Put the display to sleep when inactive for" to "never".

Although this is annoying to have to do each time you want to watch a film. I'm sure Apples DVD player does this for you. But I use VLC and stuff on YouTube and have to constantly flick the mouse to stop it dimming.

So IMHO it's a valid question.

 

[irishgrizzly]

"Automatically Reduce brightness before sleep" should be what you want. If it doesn't work, there might be a preference file corrupt somewhere or something. Try repairing permissions and restarting.

That's what I'm needing then – how come I've never seen this!?

 

[dpaanlka]

That's what I'm needing then – how come I've never seen this!?

Seen what?

 

[coolurjets]

I think you have to set "Put the display to sleep when inactive for" to "never".

Although this is annoying to have to do each time you want to watch a film. I'm sure Apples DVD player does this for you. But I use VLC and stuff on YouTube and have to constantly flick the mouse to stop it dimming.

So IMHO it's a valid question.

Thats done the trick although now it never dims, and a warning came up saying it would serverly shorten the life of my monitor. Ah well... Can't have it all I guess

 

[caMi]

Actually there is NO WAY to permanently stop your screen from dimming..

This is a known issue by Apple.

Read more here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304092

 

[coolurjets]

Actually there is NO WAY to permanently stop your screen from dimming..

This is a known issue by Apple.

Read more here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304092

Fair enough then, heres hoping for a fix sooner or later

 

[caMi]

Fair enough then, heres hoping for a fix sooner or later

Keep hoping... I don't think apple wants to fix the problem.

 

[raysmd]

Is there a hot key to just blank the screen at will (i.e., turn off LCD)

 

[Leon Kowalski]

This is a known issue by Apple.

Read more here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304092

You might be able to fix that with a login script. The auto-dimming distraction can also be turned off from the terminal.app command line:

sudo pmset -a halfdim 0

It would be a snap to automate -- if not for the superuser-only restriction. I haven't had any motivation to fiddle with it, because I almost always have the brightness turned down to minimum -- where "halfdim" has absolutely no effect.

LK

 

[nickf]

Actually there is NO WAY to permanently stop your screen from dimming..

This is a known issue by Apple.

Read more here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304092

I use a freeware program called 'Jiggler' (it jiggles the mouse pointer after a user-defined period to stop the screen dimming). Works like a charm.

http://www.sticksoftware.com/software/Jiggler.html

 

[anemone]

another option

This is what I use while watching something or while on a Skype call:

Caffeine: http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/24120

Basically it puts a little "zzz" icon in the top right menu bar area. You click on it (which puts an X through the "zzz") and your screen will not dim or go to sleep. Click on the zzz's again to turn it off.