Dealing with Poor Text Rendering on Mac Mini M4 (2560x1440)

[flygbuss]

The issue lies with MacOS detecting most displays in YPbPr mode rather than RGB when connected with HDMI. With USB-C to display port, the display connects in RGB which has much better text rendering. On Dell Monitors, you can inspect this from the Menu -> Color

If you’d like to get RGB via HDMI, here’s an awesome guide

Force RGB Color on M1 Mac

Force RGB Color on M1 Mac. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

gist.github.com

Yes, I was looking for that info. Thank you.

Edit: I remembered reading about it in the past. Apparently macOS sometimes thinks especially via HDMI the connected Monitor is a TV. This also happens if you actually connect a TV to your Mac.

 

[blufrog]

This evening, once again, I tested HDMI versus DisplayPort using a 4K/8K USB/DP converter, and the difference was striking. The screen size is identical, but fonts through HDMI look pixelated—almost like they’ve been scaled down and then up again, with some sharpening added. It seems to be an issue with how HDMI handles font and thin lines rendering.

Interestingly, when I took screen captures, they looked identical. My HDMI cable is 1 meter long and 4K-compatible, so that shouldn’t be the problem. I also snapped some photos with my phone, and the difference can be seen. I’ll upload those later.

If anyone can test an M4 setup with HDMI versus USB/TB on a 1440p monitor, I’m pretty sure you’ll see the same difference. Let me know if you try it!

I did, but people seem to be ignoring my post about it.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/5k2k-at-120hz-with-mac-mini-m4.2441289/page-11?post=33572445#post-33572445

I went to an Apple store, and found the difference was in the display, not the signal.

I'm pleased you were able to try taking screenshots and comparing. I was unable to try this due to time constraints, but it is good to know that your conclusion is the same as mine: the on-device rendering is identical; it's the display that matters.

Apple display is far superior to the LG HDR 4K display we tested with HDMI.

Only when the display was set to STANDARD with HDR enabled in the display setting did the monitor look anything close to the Apple display at native. There was still a difference in how the Apple ID profile picture was handled as it still looked "less smooth" than the Apple display, but with what you stated about screenshots looking identical, this out-rules a difference in rendering.

 

[zterm]

I did, but people seem to be ignoring my post about it.

It was late when I read your post, sorry for not replying.

Since then, I’ve confirmed what Sarpanch mentioned above. Mac Minis default to YPbPr instead of RGB when connected to certain monitors via HDMI. And when switched to RGB, the colors appear completely wrong.

This issue seems well-documented, particularly with certain brands like Dell, though it stems from Apple’s HDMI implementation. While there is a known workaround, the HDMI connection unfortunately reverts to YPbPr every time the computer restarts.

 

[yalej]

Running a 4K display at 2560x1440 @120Hz over Thunderbolt, and I am very happy with the text clarity. No additional apps necessary. It's not Retina look, but close enough. Also, running this display at 240 Hz (its native max refresh) cause the display to sort of split in half with one half being slightly darker than the other half. No clue why. Macs today really need 4K display minimum to get proper text clarity, which is quite unfortunate; this is not an issue on the PC side.

 

[Saberon2014]

Which monitor?

 

[!!!]

Running a 4K display at 2560x1440 @120Hz over Thunderbolt

What's the display? Currently been using a 1080p display at 165Hz, on Mojave. Hoping there's a cheap 4K 120Hz display I can find so I can finally upgrade my OS.

 

[yalej]

What's the display? Currently been using a 1080p display at 165Hz, on Mojave. Hoping there's a cheap 4K 120Hz display I can find so I can finally upgrade my OS.

It's definitely not a cheap display: MSI MPG-321URX. Not typically paired with a Mac, but I bought it for gaming on PC. It works just fine, there's just no MSI monitor software for Macs. I think if you just want 120 Hz @ 4K there are a bunch of cheaper displays out there (this is a 240 Hz QD-OLED).

 

[zterm]

I've just discovered that when my monitor is connected via a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort cable, connecting an external USB-C drive to the Mac Mini causes the display to switch from RGB to YPbPr, resulting in pixelated or sharpened text. Selecting RGB on the monitor doesn't fix the issue and instead distorts the colors. So far, the only solution is to restart the system with the drive connected.

 

[TheRealAlex]

4K 10-bit 144hz HiDPI looks crazy good via HDMI 2.1 on my 55” Samsung S95C.

 

[matbard]

I hooked my new M4 Pro Mac Mini on an Alienware AW3225QF using HDMI 2.1 with an 8K pro cable.

The display looks fantastic. I set everything up with BetterDisplay Pro and I locked the 240hz, RGB, 12-bit setting with HiDPI and HDR10. I'm running it in a "looks like 1080p" but I will go an higher settings because it seems a little big for my eyes...

Just a question: is there a way to permanently enable Dolby Vision support? or it's only available per-content?

Cheers,