<Mac Mini 2011> Unlucky guy with Samsung display problems- What to do??

[kolstade]

So, I am one of the unlucky guys who bought Mac Mini and a new display that are incompatible. What should I do?

They work kind of together but the picture is blurry, especially icons and text. However, high resolution movies and games work well.

It seems like people buy the mini dvi to vga as the only solution?

Someone's talking about SwitchResX Control as well, but it is to damn advance for novice screen user. any dummies guide? recommended settings? will this possibly work, seriously?

Any other solutions?

My setup is:
Mac Mini 2011 - 2.5 i5 stock version
Samsung T27A531 (spec's http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-SAMSUNG-T27A531-LED-FULL-HD-TV-MONITOR-/120752303991 )
Cable:Belkin HDMI cable

Note:
This is a HDTV/Computer monitor and I believe maybe the Mac believes it is a normal TV and therefore won't put it in right pixel format or something???
Also, possible resolutions are:
-1080p
-1080i
-720p
-480p
1600x900
etc... if this is useful.

Please help me solve this annoying problem!

 

[munkery]

That is a 27" monitor, right?

The solution is to sit further back from the display.

Display picture clarity is a combination of resolution, display size, and viewing distance.

The max resolution of the display is too low given the size of the display and the distance that you sit from the display.

For example, Apple 27" displays have a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. This is to prevent the issue that you are having.

 

[dcoulson]

So, I am one of the unlucky guys who bought Mac Mini and a new display that are incompatible. What should I do?

They work kind of together but the picture is blurry, especially icons and text. However, high resolution movies and games work well.

Set the resolution to 1080p. Turn the 'sharpness' setting on the display (The Samsung, it's not a setting on the Mac) down to 0 and it should fix it. There may also be a 'HDMI/DVI' port which automatically sets this option, but it is hit and miss depending on the display.

 

[kolstade]

Right, 27" Hmm.. really?? that kind of make sense, but how can you explain that the screen is smooth when you hook it up to a Windows computer?

That is a 27" monitor, right?

The solution is to sit further back from the display.

Display picture clarity is a combination of resolution, display size, and viewing distance.

The max resolution of the display is too low given the size of the display and the distance that you sit from the display.

For example, Apple 27" displays have a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. This is to prevent the issue that you are having.

 

[munkery]

Windows has a better implementation of resolution independence.

This allows users to scale the UI across a broader range of display sizes.

This only solves resolution issues related to the UI of the OS; it doesn't fix other resolution issues.

 

[kolstade]

Set the resolution to 1080p. Turn the 'sharpness' setting on the display (The Samsung, it's not a setting on the Mac) down to 0 and it should fix it. There may also be a 'HDMI/DVI' port which automatically sets this option, but it is hit and miss depending on the display.

Amazing.. thank you sooo much now it works perfectly!

 

[bmw3wags]

I had the same problem and her is how you fix it. Kinda weird and simple at the same time.
1.) go to menu
2.) go down to source list
3.) go to hdmi press the tools button
4.) go to Edit Name
5.) select HDMI
6.) change to pc

This get rid of the blurriness. I have a Samsung PH2300HD and it also tv monitor and this fixes it.

 

[Vampire18]

First of all, you should ensure your are using native resolution....as SAMSUNG T27A531, you should choose 1080p
If it's still blurry, then..

Go to "applications"->"utilities"->"terminal"

copy and paste

defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 2

Enter

Restart mini

Boom, everything's gonna be fine

 

[dcoulson]

Amazing.. thank you sooo much now it works perfectly!

You're welcome - Had a similar issue with my Samsung TV with my MBP, although I don't use it like that very often.

Someone else mentioned changing the name from HDMI to PC, which I have tried, but did not change the settings. Manually changing the 'Sharpness' seems to do it every time.