Mac mini specific - monitor question

[speedythecat]

As you probably know from my earlier posts, first mac and first monitor purchased separately from the computer for me with this mac mini and 23" acer H233H.

Well mac wise, I feel like I am gradually learning how to do a little more every time I use it. Monitor wise it has been a bit frustrating I guess. Well, not frustrating but I don't feel like I have a handle on it yet.

Okay this monitor is a 23" 1080p 16x9. I have mentioned my eye problems to you guys before. This display is rather easy on the eyes being LCD backlit and having a matte finish which is why I picked it out over going with the imac to start with.

Well it seems I am having to sit waaay closer to the monitor than what I thought and having to stoop over a lot at that. That is going into the mac mini's "settings", then "display" then setting the resolution to 1080p which was the default. Knowing that I don't understand this stuff I still tried to tinker, so I set it to 1600x900 and it was much easier to use safari, just not as "pretty" for the lack of a better term.

So having read that, here's my question.. How do people normally work the display settings with a 1080p HDMI widescreen monitor such as this? Do they put it on something like 1600x900 to use something like safari, and then switch it to 1080p to view their photos or watch a movie, or play a game? I mean it is very easy to set it back and fourth through the mac's setting, display pane but I have no clue about this stuff as you can see.

Am I on the right track? Is there a yet better resolution to try for my particular monitor? Or am I totally erong and I just need to change the font size or something? I tried the holding control and scrollling forward on my magic mouse to zoom, but then it looks even worse and also cuts off the top where I need the controls to navigate the internet. The instructions that came with this Acer were absolutely useless.

Sorry for being a noob.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Rapscallion]

You can increase the size or magnify what is on the screen in accessibility; it’s in the utility folder if I remember all this correctly. I had to fiddle with the screen magnification when I hooked my mini up to a 37 inch tv so I could read stuff from the couch.
Once you turn this function on there is a keyboard short cut that makes it really simple to zoom in and out when needed.

I found this link after thinking about it for a minute.

http://www.apple.com/accessibility/macosx/vision.html

 

[speedythecat]

So I can do that, or change the resolution back and forth? Or never flip that back and forth? One thing I did do was add the monitor resolution choices to the top of the toolbar and have been playing with it for awhile now and 1600x900 does seem to be quite a bit easier to read when using safari and then I can always change it quickly to 1080p if I want higher resolution for photos or movies or whatever. But, I see what you are linking about the zoom too.

I was just wondering what most people do.. I just discovered and tweaked my "widgets". I would rather off my self than go back to a PC and that is before I even uncover the other countless things I will soon discover.

Money well spent is an understatement. I've even become fond of this monitor which was the only questionable purchase originally..

Thanks,
Eric

 

[ADent]

Changing the resolution is the way it used to be done with CRTs - but with LCDs anything not native can look fuzzy/odd. My MIL (mother in law) runs her monitor that way - it drives me crazy. If you are happy go this way.

Firefox has a zoom in/out setting - this generally changes the font size. I think Safari does too.

You can get a bigger monitor and resell this one. 1080P TVs come in sizes as big as you need - a 32" or 40" would be much bigger text/everything.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi speedythecat,
I'll show you what you can do with-in the Firefox (this isn't available for Safari, just checked).
Download & install extension 'QuickPageZoom' for firefox, you'll have a +/- icon on your browser & can use it anytime. 1st shot is normal display, 2nd is enlarged.
(i don't know how this will display, since I've 28" monitor - click on the picts so they display in proper rez.):