Mac Mini Display Problems 16:9

[tkobvious]

I have a 1.5 GHz Mac Mini Intel Solo along with a 32" Toshiba 1080i LCD television that I've used as my monitor for a year now and have never figured out a proper way to display 16:9. I ended up settling with an HDMI cable which displays nicely in 1280x720 but it will not fill up the entire screen (works out to about a 30" monitor as opposed to a 32") If I try to hook up the VGA cable, the only selection my Display options give me in System Preferences are 4:3. It then fills up the entire screen but it's of course stretched (terrible). My television also clearly states a WARNING about hooking up a computer with HDMI but I've had no problems. All in all, I'm just curious if anyone else has been through this and if they've found a way to fill the entire screen of a television monitor properly in 16x9 format. I'm sure I've left out facts that would help in answering so if you point them out I'll respond quickly. I'm thinking the HDMI connection at 1280x720 is as good as I'm going to get. Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[iDave]

Not the answer you're hoping for, but I connect my mini to a 720p set with a DVI to HDMI cable and it fills the screen nearly perfectly. There's a ratio scaling adjustment LG calls Cinema Zoom which takes it up a quarter inch to fill the screen just right, from edge to edge. I use the mini as my DVD player, and watch TV shows online from sources such as ABC.com, and it works great.

The only reason I responded is to suggest that HDMI is the way to go with the Mac mini. I've never had any luck at all connecting it to my TV using a VGA cable and have the same problems you describe.

 

[MVApple]

Is a resolution of 720p on a 32" screen workable for web browsing? It seems like text would be way too big to read comfortably.

 

[tkobvious]

Thanks for the input. I've noticed that VGA is washed out looking as well as 4:3 but the dvi to hdmi connection is very vivid and rich. I was just hoping to fill up those extra couple of inches of screen but my Toshiba's Cinema Zoom function explodes the screen a hair too much and cuts off almost a quarter inch everywhere. The thing I've noticed with hooking up to my tv is that even though it's 1080i HD, when you're sitting close to it, the quality is nowhere near an actual Monitor. (Text is slightly fuzzy, etc)
Thanks!

 

[iDave]

The thing I've noticed with hooking up to my tv is that even though it's 1080i HD, when you're sitting close to it, the quality is nowhere near an actual Monitor. (Text is slightly fuzzy, etc)
Thanks!

Consider that the average 17" computer monitor is 1024 pixels high. A 32" monitor isn't going to be nearly as sharp at 1080. But it should be adequate for web browsing if you sit back four or five feet.

 

[tkobvious]

Good point.