M1 Mac External Display - Fuzzy Fonts & Colors - YPBPR vs RGB

[5883662]

Guys, a reminder that this has been previously discussed and resolved for some time:

Big Sur - Force RGB mode for displays

Some users might be aware that there has been a great fix using a Ruby script to create a new EDID for your display. This is to fix an issue with some displays and Mac OS whereby it sees the display as a TV screen and is not using RGB mode for it, resulting in a very bad display quality (washed...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[5883662]

If you are using an M1 machine with an external display it is best to connect with a USB-C to DisplayPort cable.

 

[getheo]

For LG screens, how can I determine if the mac uses RGB or YcBcR? Where is this information?

 

[0906742]

For LG screens, how can I determine if the mac uses RGB or YcBcR? Where is this information?

It only really shows in the MacOS plist files. See more info about that in this thread for how to force RGB mode to make sure (search under my nick in this thread for more info).

 

[JtheLemur]

Guys, a reminder that this has been previously discussed and resolved for some time:

Big Sur - Force RGB mode for displays

Some users might be aware that there has been a great fix using a Ruby script to create a new EDID for your display. This is to fix an issue with some displays and Mac OS whereby it sees the display as a TV screen and is not using RGB mode for it, resulting in a very bad display quality (washed...

forums.macrumors.com

… Except it seems like it hasn't. The reason I followed the awesome advice in this thread rather than using the script you cite, is because of mentions that "I have no option to select more than 60 HZ on my external display."

Advice here works great with high refresh monitors (120hz and silky smooth).

 

[5883662]

… Except it seems like it hasn't. The reason I followed the awesome advice in this thread rather than using the script you cite, is because of mentions that "I have no option to select more than 60 HZ on my external display."

Advice here works great with high refresh monitors (120hz and silky smooth).

Not everyone has 120Hz and it is unknown why that one user has issues. Advice here does not work great for everyone, as seen above.

 

[5883662]

It only really shows in the MacOS plist files. See more info about that in this thread for how to force RGB mode to make sure (search under my nick in this thread for more info).

I swear I saw it somewhere else, maybe in System Report but I can't find it now!

 

[0906742]

I swear I saw it somewhere else, maybe in System Report but I can't find it now!

I think it was older MacOS versions where it showed that in System Report. In newer M1 supporting OS'es I have never seen it listed there anymore.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

I just returned an M1 Max Studio for a few reasons, but one of them was text that wasn't very sharp on my LG 27GL850 compared to how the monitor looks on my PC. I couldn't even get a display port cable to work on the Mac because the flicker was so bad it was blinking. HDMI worked fine, but the fonts were still a bit blurry.

It seems M1 Macs are very finicky with monitors, whereas on the PC, you can hook up any crap monitor and it will work fine.

I only wanted a Mac to play around with MacOS since I have been tech bored lately. I might order an M1 iMac. Has everything in one unit and there shouldn't be any issues with the built in display.

 

[0906742]

I just returned an M1 Max Studio for a few reasons, but one of them was text that wasn't very sharp on my LG 27GL850 compared to how the monitor looks on my PC. I couldn't even get a display port cable to work on the Mac because the flicker was so bad it was blinking. HDMI worked fine, but the fonts were still a bit blurry.

The LG monitor you used is only 2560x1440 panel, so it surely is a world of pain to use because HiDPI modes are not supported (=text will look terrible). You need 4K or above native resolution panel to get decent fonts with Mac's these days.

It seems M1 Macs are very finicky with monitors, whereas on the PC, you can hook up any crap monitor and it will work fine.

Windows handle monitors running at their native resolution so much better than Mac. With Mac as long as you have at least 4K monitor and you are not trying to run it at 3840x2160 resolution you will be fine.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

The LG monitor you used is only 2560x1440 panel, so it surely is a world of pain to use because HiDPI modes are not supported (=text will look terrible). You need 4K or above native resolution panel to get decent fonts with Mac's these days.


Windows handle monitors running at their native resolution so much better than Mac. With Mac as long as you have at least 4K monitor and you are not trying to run it at 3840x2160 resolution you will be fine.

Ya but not everyone wants/needs/can afford a 4K monitor. Apple really should accommodate all monitors. It shouldn't be any effort on their part to code it correctly for a variety of monitors and resolutions. This just shows they are being lazy.

 

[0906742]

Ya but not everyone wants/needs/can afford a 4K monitor.

Yeah, I realize that but I suggested it for you since you said you were already considering iMac M1 instead.

Apple really should accommodate all monitors. It shouldn't be any effort on their part to code it correctly for a variety of monitors and resolutions. This just shows they are being lazy.

From what I have understood, Apple actually used to support non HiDPI monitors fine a while ago but they intentionally removed that, so probably reason for that is not about laziness.

 

[zoga]

Hi there. I've just placed an order for this setup: m1 mac mini + ASUS ProArt PA279CV external monitor. Should I be worried about the "YPBPR vs RGB" thing?

 

[QuietOC]

Hi there. I've just placed and order for this setup: m1 mac mini + ASUS ProArt PA279CV external monitor. Should I be worried about the "YPBPR vs RGB" thing?

Not if you are connecting it via USB-C or DisplayPort.

 

[zoga]

Not if you are connecting it via USB-C or DisplayPort.

Thanks! However, I came across that even USB-C can cause some problems with this display. Here's a link from Asus support page:

If you are using PA279CV and encounter problems when connecting via Type-C cable

I can see that appropriate cables are enclosed in the box so I guess I just have to buy an USB-C -> DP adapter.

In addition, from what I can see on YT and in user manual, Asus' OSD does not provide any information whether monitor output is YPBPR or RGB.

 

[0906742]

Not if you are connecting it via USB-C or DisplayPort.

It is worth to check still, since using USB-C or DP alone does not guarantee RGB mode. But all is depending on combination and some might work in RGB mode without any tricks.

 

[DarkSchneider]

Hello,

I think while the 2 devices, computer and display, “talk” the same language, should not be as much important about RGB o YPbPr. Think that HDR content is transmitted using YUV, and we can get the full color range.

What I have done, at least on Dell monitor which have the options (Dell U2414H by HDMI) is:
- Set the display color preset to sRGB, so full supported color gamut.
- Set the display gamma in Mac mode.
- Use the Dell U2414H color profile in macOS (selected by default). If your display has no own profile, could use the sRGB instead.
- Adjust brightness and contrast, mine set to bright 52 contr 75.

Not really sure if using the Mac gamma mode is correct, maybe someone with calibration equipment could tell us if it is correct or we have to use PC gamma mode. Or maybe even having own color profile is prepared to set the display settings to Mac mode, because if I choose the sRGB color profile, it looks brighter.
But in any case I see a full and rich color gamut, not darkened at all, and the fonts can be read nicely.

 

[Igor9669]

Great news! Solution exists! Here is it: Force RGB mode on M1. Many thanks to Vladimir!

 

[and.dan19]

Hi

Had the plist hack working with Big Sur - not working with Monterey though. It seems to switch from RGB to YPbPr shortly after boot. I've checked /Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost. Anyone have a suggestion please?

<key>LinkDescription</key>
<dict>
<key>BitDepth</key>
<integer>8</integer>
<key>EOTF</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>PixelEncoding</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>Range</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>

Use this tool: https://github.com/dangh/force-rgb.fish

 

[and.dan19]

Great news! Solution exists! Here is it: Force RGB mode on M1. Many thanks to Vladimir!

Use this tool: https://github.com/dangh/force-rgb.fish

Good luck.

 

[mzxgame]

Use this tool: https://github.com/dangh/force-rgb.fish

This looks very useful.

The plist hack does also work (after a few attempts) and I'm happy to report it has survived the update to Ventura.

 

[AlexBooHu]

Editing the plists worked with my M1 MacBook and Dell Monitor for months, until the update to Ventura came along.

Now the plist in /Library/Preferences gets reset every time i unplug and replug the USB-C cable. This completely deletes the edited section and the monitor is at yPBPR again.

 

[mzxgame]

I'm now finding that KVM switching or sleep/ wake is resetting the preference for one or both monitors. This is fixed with a reboot. Ventura 13.0.1. I've filed a bug report to Apple.

 

[GeeYouEye]

I was able to get my Dell U2720Q to work in RGB by changing the USB mode from Data priority to Resolution priority, and then turning on and off HDR as per this guide. No file editing required!

 

[Gudi]

It seems M1 Macs are very finicky with monitors, whereas on the PC, you can hook up any crap monitor and it will work fine.

Come to Windows, the OS optimized for crappy low-res monitors!