Where are the monitor resolutions hiding?

[Izzy Swift]

I could be wrong on this but...

I don't think you bought the right display for use with a Mac.

I -think- "the one you should have bought" is a version of the display that has both HDMI -and- displayport inputs.

I'm going to -guess- that the video on the Mini may be incapable of "defining" the proper resolution for that display, because the Mini is "seeing" an HDMI attachment scheme, and is "offering to you" ONLY those resolutions that it normally associates with HDMI.

And.. that "widescreen" is not one of them.

I'm going to reckon that the Mini WOULD be able to "see" the display properly IF it had a displayport connection (which can "convey" resolutions other than standard HDMI).

It -might- be possible to "force" the display into "RGB mode" over HDMI. Not sure.
If this can be done, it -might- be possible to use something like SwitchRez to force the correct resolution.

But again -- I think you need a widescreen display that has displayport to "get what you need" out of the Mini.

I could be completely wrong about this.

I'm beginning to think you're right. This only has two HDMI ports and a headphone jack. I have to go back to look at what's available, see if there is such a monitor with the displayport input(s). I hope so. This is a kicking monitor if I can use it and I probably will keep it even if I can't widen it right now. I like the split screen and I can use it the way it is. Just not as well. But I think I need the displayport for this Mac to use it. PCs don't seem to have this problem. Thanks.

 

[casperes1996]

I'm beginning to think you're right. This only has two HDMI ports and a headphone jack. I have to go back to look at what's available, see if there is such a monitor with the displayport input(s). I hope so. This is a kicking monitor if I can use it and I probably will keep it even if I can't widen it right now. I like the split screen and I can use it the way it is. Just not as well. But I think I need the displayport for this Mac to use it. PCs don't seem to have this problem. Thanks.

Did you ever try disabling SIP and using SwitchRes for a custom resolution?

 

[campyguy]

Campyguy --- would it be against MacRumors policy for you to recommend such a cable? The Insignia cable I got says “Supports up to 1080P and Ultra HD 4K and 2 K resolutions and it is doing just that: 1080P. I've scoured the web looking for a site that says “supports resolutions up to 2560 x 1080”. If, as you say, the proper cable should widen out this screen, I'd like to get one and get this thing up and running. So far I have 10 hours on this problem all told, what with emails, research and trial and errors. Belkin has a slew of cables but I don't know which to get unless more money is better. Thanks.

It isn't against MR's rules, I have no affiliation with any of those companies. A couple or few mods have "liked" some of my posts in this matter over the past several months, and several members have employed my advice and replied their issues are solved, and I've cited my sources several times…

As to the cables, you've missed one point that would have been addressed in some of my earlier posts about this matter, including in this thread. Again, look up the "power return over Pin 20" issue I alluded to earlier, relative to EDID transmission between display/computer. The second matter here is that "1080P" "4k" and "2k" allude to only one of the specs covered in DP. Read the DisplayPort Wiki page. Look a bit closer at the specs for those cables, specifically throughput - which I've covered in my earlier posts in detail; Accell and StarTech supply cables that also specify 2160p in their DP 1.2 compliant cables, and many of those "1080P" "4k" and "2k" cables are 1440p and 1600p - less throughput than 2160p. For 2160p you'll read something like "up to 5.4 Gbps per lane throughput - 21.6 Gbps total, with 1080p, 1440p, 1600p showing noticeably more ghosting.

About Belkin, I've not used any of their cables. The Eizo cables came with the VERY expensive displays, and I buy Accell cables for my other displays - about 150 of them for my employees for their HP/Dell/BenQ displays. Even my 2012 Mini Server gets 1440p @ 60Hz on one of my Dell P2715Q displays with an Accell cable. My PCs and Mac had freezing, wake from sleep, kernel panics with the stock cables - except for my machines with Eizo cables, which are on the DP Product Portal and a PITA to get in the US without a display purchase. I have zero issues now, IMO you spent too much money on a non-compliant cable and I doubt anyone at Best Buy knows more about this matter than I do now. Your choice…

Futzing around with SRX and SIP, you are wasting your time. I've been through that. Cheers.

 

[drewsof07]

The Mac Mini's HDMI signal is limited to 1920x1200. You certainly need to be using a DP-capable display for this work. No amount of software fiddling can overcome a hardware limitation.

 

[Izzy Swift]

Did you ever try disabling SIP and using SwitchRes for a custom resolution?

I'm gonna do it but I had to get back to work. I'm in the middle of a complicated job and though I'd hoped to use the new screen, I have to put it off for now. But I'm determined to use all the wisdom in this thread and I'll report back. I did go to BestBuy to try a better cable. They didn't have any but the monitor is now $120 cheaper. Grrr! Even so, it is still the most impressive monitor in the lineup there and only two others had a Mini DisplayPort. Again, thanks all.

 

[casperes1996]

I'm gonna do it but I had to get back to work. I'm in the middle of a complicated job and though I'd hoped to use the new screen, I have to put it off for now. But I'm determined to use all the wisdom in this thread and I'll report back. I did go to BestBuy to try a better cable. They didn't have any but the monitor is now $120 cheaper. Grrr! Even so, it is still the most impressive monitor in the lineup there and only two others had a Mini DisplayPort. Again, thanks all.

When I wrote that suggestion, there was something I haven't thought of, so you might as well not bother at this point. There's no way you'll get it working, because as someone else pointed out:

The Mac Mini's HDMI signal is limited to 1920x1200. You certainly need to be using a DP-capable display for this work. No amount of software fiddling can overcome a hardware limitation.

There are different versions of HDMI. 1.0, 1.2, and 2.0 are probably the most prolific, and the Mac mini doesn't support an HDMI version capable of supporting your display's resolution. Need one with DP. Though actually, there may be a way of getting it to work by converting the DP signal to HDMI.

 

[Izzy Swift]

When I wrote that suggestion, there was something I haven't thought of, so you might as well not bother at this point. There's no way you'll get it working, because as someone else pointed out:



There are different versions of HDMI. 1.0, 1.2, and 2.0 are probably the most prolific, and the Mac mini doesn't support an HDMI version capable of supporting your display's resolution. Need one with DP. Though actually, there may be a way of getting it to work by converting the DP signal to HDMI.

Actually the guy at BestBuy showed me on a new iMac on display that the resolutions for this monitor are there built-in with Sierra on it and I just assume that newer Macs will give me a better solution than trying to fit this older Mini to it, which can go on doing my bookkeeping, etc. So rather than fiddle around, perhaps the real answer is to get a Mac that will do the job. Either way, I'm working on it. The answer is there somewhere. I haven't kept up with all this, obviously. When you get into the business on a Mac 512, you want to know all the innards and how to make things work. Twenty years later, technology has passed me by and “... now I drive the car without knowing how to change the spark plugs.” Sad but true.

 

[casperes1996]

Actually the guy at BestBuy showed me on a new iMac on display that the resolutions for this monitor are there built-in with Sierra on it and I just assume that newer Macs will give me a better solution than trying to fit this older Mini to it, which can go on doing my bookkeeping, etc. So rather than fiddle around, perhaps the real answer is to get a Mac that will do the job. Either way, I'm working on it. The answer is there somewhere. I haven't kept up with all this, obviously. When you get into the business on a Mac 512, you want to know all the innards and how to make things work. Twenty years later, technology has passed me by and “... now I drive the car without knowing how to change the spark plugs.” Sad but true.

Well, the DP connection can handle the resolution on the Mini. Getting a new Mac could be expensive, and since the only headless Macs are the Mini that you have, or the Pro, it doesn't seem like any are what you're seeking. With an iMac, it feels like the screen gets a little redundant anyway.

 

[Izzy Swift]

Well, the DP connection can handle the resolution on the Mini. Getting a new Mac could be expensive, and since the only headless Macs are the Mini that you have, or the Pro, it doesn't seem like any are what you're seeking. With an iMac, it feels like the screen gets a little redundant anyway.

Well I earn my living with these things and my work machine is a 17 inch MacBook Pro. No question I get another 17 if they still made it but no. I work on the MBP's screen with another monitor to the side for tools. I'm happy with the MBP but it is getting pretty old. I'm not going to buy the iMac - that gets a lot redundant. But I'm going to see if there's anything that can drive this thing in the Mac line, of course. I don't know if Mini's have gained any strength in recent years as mine is also getting grey around the edges. I'm not giving up - I'll try the suggestions everyone has put out here. It's just disappointing that I didn't research it out better when I bought the LG. Who knew it wasn't plug and play, like they said. The split screen is so useful to me it screams to be put to use.

 

[casperes1996]

Well I earn my living with these things and my work machine is a 17 inch MacBook Pro. No question I get another 17 if they still made it but no. I work on the MBP's screen with another monitor to the side for tools. I'm happy with the MBP but it is getting pretty old. I'm not going to buy the iMac - that gets a lot redundant. But I'm going to see if there's anything that can drive this thing in the Mac line, of course. I don't know if Mini's have gained any strength in recent years as mine is also getting grey around the edges. I'm not giving up - I'll try the suggestions everyone has put out here. It's just disappointing that I didn't research it out better when I bought the LG. Who knew it wasn't plug and play, like they said. The split screen is so useful to me it screams to be put to use.

Well, I'm sure it would be plug-n-play if the HDMI port on the mini was capable of more than 1920x1200. Or rather, the GPU, since that's what's driving the HDMI port. The 2014 Mini is the latest, and in terms of CPU can be slower than earlier models, as per having fewer cores.
It's pretty old at this point (2013), but if it's a work machine that makes money, The Mac Pro is the desktop to beat. Of course it depends on what kind of work needs to be done.
The iMacs are really great hardware wise, and can go up to some really awesome configurations. I personally have the 5k iMac with an i7 4790K (fastest Haswell i7 before moving to the HEDT series) and an R9 M295X which is roughly equivalent to an R9 285. all around the hardware is brillant. But of course, a dead computer means a useless screen, since even using the screen as an external display isn't possible with the current 5k.
The new MBPs are quite a bit more powerful than the old 17" model, and if it's the 2011 with Radeon, you could be seeing problems soon, as the GPUs are prone to dying (happened to me. Apple's replacement program got me a new logic board, but still lost a fair chunk of money on the downtime).

At this point I would struggle recommending Macs to people, because the only one that hasn't gone quite a long time without a refresh is the MBP.

As far as I can tell (haven't done too much research at this point) something like this:
http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/pr...layport-12-to-hdmi-20-uhd-active-adapter.html
should do the trick in terms of getting support for the display on the Mini

 

[Fishrrman]

Posted above:
"The Mac Mini's HDMI signal is limited to 1920x1200"

I believe that this provides "the answer to the OP's question".
Or more correctly, that he IS NOT going to get that particular display to work properly connected via HDMI to a Mac Mini.

OP:
Your options [almost certainly] are:
- Get a new display that has a displayport connection and use that method
- Get a different Mac (not even sure that will make a difference)
- Use the resolutions you have (unsatisfactory)
…and not much else.

 

[Izzy Swift]

Posted above:
"The Mac Mini's HDMI signal is limited to 1920x1200"

I believe that this provides "the answer to the OP's question".
Or more correctly, that he IS NOT going to get that particular display to work properly connected via HDMI to a Mac Mini.

OP:
Your options [almost certainly] are:
- Get a new display that has a displayport connection and use that method
- Get a different Mac (not even sure that will make a difference)
- Use the resolutions you have (unsatisfactory)
…and not much else.

Well that's where it's at for now. Actually even if not at full resolution, it's not too bad. So this OP is going to the corner and lick his wounds. Be back to fight another day.

 

[Izzy Swift]

Update on this thread. I've finished the job that I was into and am pretty happy with the monitor as it works with the Mini. My biggest problem was the 17" MBP giving up in the middle of te job so I have a backup in place. Even if I have 3 inches of black on each side of the monitor, I can live with it. But my next computer will be able to drive the monitor for the full width. So even though LC support was negligible, I'd still recommend the monitor if split screen is useful and especially if your computer can drive it. Thanks everyone for the assists and advice. It was very educational and you all were a big help.