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Blizzake · Oct 28, 2007, 02:24 AM

i have a mini dvi to hdmi connection going to my lcd tv.

my suggested resolution from samsung, is 13xx by something, i forget off the top of my head.

i did have my buddy xp desktop hooked up to it via vga and it gave me the setting i needed, and the image was perfect.

needless to say its terrible via hdmi and i can not adjust to the resolution i need.

MY QUESTION....

isn't there a program that overrides the display settings so i can pick what ever settings i want?

i could of swore i found this before and downloaded it, but its MIA or i am nuts. I am also running leopard if that makes a difference, and i also can not disable the laptop display.

thanks

Cold Warrior · Oct 28, 2007, 11:04 AM

to disable the laptop display, you'll need to connect the external TV, put your Macbook to sleep (closed lid), then wake your Mac using an external USB device like clicking a mouse or hitting a key on a keyboard. When the macbook wakes up, it'll keep its display off and use the TV as the one and only.

mduell · Oct 28, 2007, 12:57 PM

switchresx

ibook_steve · Oct 28, 2007, 02:21 PM

HDMI (a pure digital connection) worse than VGA (an analog connection)? Do you mean it was terrible simply because you couldn't get the resolution you wanted?

Steve

Blizzake · Oct 28, 2007, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

HDMI (a pure digital connection) worse than VGA (an analog connection)? Do you mean it was terrible simply because you couldn't get the resolution you wanted?

Steve

yes, with a pc and vga connection, the picture was beautiful

Rab Mush · Oct 29, 2007, 04:43 PM

Sorry for hijacking the thread a little bit but I don't think this question needs a new one. Does anybody have any suggestions for a cable to output my Macbook's signal to a Vizio VW32L LCD HDTV?

( Vizio Inc. - Products - VW32L - 32" LCD HDTV)

Cold Warrior · Oct 29, 2007, 05:51 PM

you have to use Apple's cable, as far as I know.

mduell · Oct 29, 2007, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by Rab Mush

Sorry for hijacking the thread a little bit but I don't think this question needs a new one. Does anybody have any suggestions for a cable to output my Macbook's signal to a Vizio VW32L LCD HDTV?

( Vizio Inc. - Products - VW32L - 32" LCD HDTV)

The miniDVI-DVI adapter from Apple and a DVI-HDMI cable from Newegg.

Rab Mush · Nov 1, 2007, 11:45 PM

Thanks for the help

One more question... Any idea how it's gonna look? Will it look crisp and pretty or fuzzy?

Blizzake · Nov 2, 2007, 02:24 AM

mine looks terrible going thru hdmi. even with switchresx I dont think i am getting the correct resolution and i have yet to hear a response from them.

Wiskedjak · Nov 2, 2007, 08:35 AM

1366x768 is a very difficult resolution to achieve. I've only seen a few video cards that output 1366x768 (if the card doesn't support it, something like switchresx isn't going to help). This is an area where video card and driver development in the Windows world far outstrips that in the Mac world. ATI and Nvidia both have Windows drivers now that output to HD resolutions (720p, 1080p, etc). But, I've yet to see anything similar in the Mac world yet, except on the AppleTV (which may explain why other Macs can't do it).

mduell · Nov 2, 2007, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

1366x768 is a very difficult resolution to achieve. I've only seen a few video cards that output 1366x768 (if the card doesn't support it, something like switchresx isn't going to help). This is an area where video card and driver development in the Windows world far outstrips that in the Mac world. ATI and Nvidia both have Windows drivers now that output to HD resolutions (720p, 1080p, etc). But, I've yet to see anything similar in the Mac world yet, except on the AppleTV (which may explain why other Macs can't do it).

Pretty much any card from the last decade can output 1366x768 (or any other arbitrary resolution under 1600x1200) under any OS. In OS X they just don't expose the resolution choices to you so you have to use hacks like switchresx.

analogika · Nov 2, 2007, 07:00 PM

What the hell resolution is 1366 x 768?

richwig83 · Nov 2, 2007, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

What the hell resolution is 1366 x 768?

The resolution of 720p HDTVs!!!

mduell · Nov 2, 2007, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

What the hell resolution is 1366 x 768?

It's WXGA. 1024x768 stretched out to 1366x768 for 16:9 instead of 4:3.

Wiskedjak · Nov 2, 2007, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by richwig83

The resolution of 720p HDTVs!!!

Except, the resolution for 720p is 1280x720

Wiskedjak · Nov 2, 2007, 10:59 PM

Here's an excellent article on the matter:
Ask HD Beat: What's the deal with 1366 x 768? - Engadget HD

analogika · Nov 3, 2007, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

It's WXGA. 1024x768 stretched out to 1366x768 for 16:9 instead of 4:3.

Ah, that does make some kind of sense - for a computer monitor.

For a TV -

mduell · Nov 3, 2007, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

Ah, that does make some kind of sense - for a computer monitor.

For a TV -

There are only a handful of companies that make LCD panels, and they were all doing computer LCDs before LCD TVs (at least in any significant volume).

Why are you unhappy about getting more pixels than the 720p spec requires?

analogika · Nov 3, 2007, 05:33 PM

scaling?

mduell · Nov 3, 2007, 07:43 PM

Are you seeing some scaling artifacts/visual glitches with 720p content?

Today's upscalers are good enough that I don't notice it.

analogika · Nov 3, 2007, 08:10 PM

It may be obvious from this thread that I do not own a 1366x768 screen, so I'm probably not one to answer that.

The question of course is that if upscalers are so good at interpolating, what's the point of HD at all?

mduell · Nov 3, 2007, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

The question of course is that if upscalers are so good at interpolating, what's the point of HD at all?

My comment was saying that a 1280x720 signal upscaled to and displayed at 1366x768 looks just as good as a 1280x720 signal displayed at 1280x720. I'm not saying a 1280x720 signal upscaled to 1366x768 looks as good as a 1366x768 signal or that a 720x480 signal upscaled to anything looks as good as a 1280x720 signal.

analogika · Nov 4, 2007, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

My comment was saying that a 1280x720 signal upscaled to and displayed at 1366x768 looks just as good as a 1280x720 signal displayed at 1280x720.

I find this very difficult to believe, but I'm not a video guy.

badidea · Nov 6, 2007, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Blizzake

mine looks terrible going thru hdmi. even with switchresx I dont think i am getting the correct resolution and i have yet to hear a response from them.

HDMI is the perfect connection...
!!!BUT!!!!
...you have to make sure that you use the right INPUT on your Samsung TV - as far as I remember, only the HDMI2 input supports pixel mapping (all other HDMI inputs only support 720p)!!

Have fun with a perfect and crisp picture now!

Blizzake · Nov 7, 2007, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by badidea

HDMI is the perfect connection...
!!!BUT!!!!
...you have to make sure that you use the right INPUT on your Samsung TV - as far as I remember, only the HDMI2 input supports pixel mapping (all other HDMI inputs only support 720p)!!

Have fun with a perfect and crisp picture now!

ill have to mess with it again, and also try to get the correct resolution that i need to display on the tv.

badidea · Nov 7, 2007, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by Blizzake

ill have to mess with it again, and also try to get the correct resolution that i need to display on the tv.

From your answer I assume that you in fact didn't know about the different HDMI inputs?

If you choose the right input on the TV the Monitor Prefpane should automatically offer you the correct resolution!

I have a Samsung LE40R81W and I think that all Samsungs work that way (some Sonys for example don't offer pixel mapping on any of the HDMI inputs)!