MBA - Video display & resolution concerns

Hello!
My parents currently own an aging, first-generation white MacBook. I want to help them migrate to a newer laptop, possibly a MacBook Air aka MBA), within the next several months.
I used to own a 15-inch MacBook Pro (2007 vintage, IIRC) but it died on me in March. I was forced to buy a refurbished late-2012 iMac because money was too tight to procure a new laptop. I may also be looking at an MBA within a year, possibly an 11-incher.
I have a few questions about the video display resolution of late-model MBAs:
According to Apple's "tech specs" page for the MBA, the 11-inch is capable of multiple video resolutions:
1366 by 768 (native), 1344 by 756, and 1280 by 720 pixels at 16:9 aspect ratio; 1152 by 720 and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio
I am a little concerned that a laptop display of that size would be a bit hard to read at the standard resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. Has anyone dialed the MBA's resolution back to lesser levels, like 1,280 x 720? Does anyone leave it at these lower resolutions? Also: how hard is it to use word processors or iPhoto on an MBA, particularly the 11-incher?

My parents...possibly an 11-incher.
Not to say your folks are old at all,... however Im likely much younger than them and having owned an 11" and now a 13",.... I cant go back to the 11" (though I loved it fine and sill can use it just fine)
Very likely their eyeballs would be more happy with a 13"  
base model price on a 13" vs. an 11" isnt that much

Similar Messages

  • LCD Monitor for Video Editing: Resolution Concern

    I am trying to select an LCD monitor for my newly built computer. I have zeroed in on the DELL SP2309W, 23" Full HD Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor with Webcam. The optical resolution is Higher than Full HD at 2048 x 1152.
    It is my understanding that Higher than HD Resolution is good for multi-tasking (but DVD movies get stretched and therefore the quality of your videos goes down.), but is it good for video editing with Premiere Elements 7 or 8? Should I be looking at monitors with 1920 x 1080 resolution?

    If you run in anything other than the LCD's native resolution your graphics card will be resampling the image. This inevitably distorts the image as pixels must be discarded to create the display. Typically this softens the image.
    Cheers,
    Neale
    Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

  • Satellite Pro A300-28R - Windows starts up with wrong display resolution

    OK so I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro A300-28R with Windows 7 64 bit and an ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 HD graphics card.
    I recently connected my laptop to a TV via the S-video connection. This worked fine. The problem is that ever since then every time I start my laptop Windows starts with the S-video display resolution of 600x800.
    I have tried changing the settings in both Control Panel and using the ATI CCC, having both selected and applied these settings but each time Windows starts now it boots with the above display resolution.
    Following this I have also uninstalled and reinstalled both my display driver and the Toshiba Value Added package but the same problem persists. I have searched with Google about this problem and haven't been able to find anything useful.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Hi thanks for your responses! Originally I used the method of closing the laptop screen while connected to the s-video and then opening the screen and logging into Windows. This then automatically detects the display and changes to that output. To get out of this you can do either do the reverse or pres Fn+ F5 to undo. This has worked perfectly for me before with VGA connections. Its only since connecting to s-video that now no matter what, every time the laptop starts up even when it is not connected to any external display, it loads with the resolution 800x600. This is not the first time I have used s-video, but it is the first time I have had this result after doing it.
    Interestingly if I change to the appropriate resolution and do a restart. The system restarts and loads to the logon screen and then into Windows in the resolution I specified before the restart but then after fully loading Windows it then changes to 800x600. It is as if the laptop is detecting that there is something connected to the s-video when there is not. I have read a fix for this whereby you can go into the system registry and turn off the feature for automatically detecting displays but I use external displays frequently and this is not a satisfactory solution. This worked perfectly before.

  • Display Resolution and iPhoto (MBA, Mavericks, iPhoto 9.5.1, etc.)

    I get an error message saying the resolution is not optimal for iPhoto when I select the bottom option (1024 x 640), but the other two options are so small as to be a strain on the eyes.  The bottom control bar is not accessible at that resolution, unless I hit the full screen arrows at the top right.
    The "Best for Display" resolution setting is even worse than scaling.  Fairly puzzled what to do.
    Thanks,
    Steve

    Thanks for the response, but it seems unlikely, since my last computer, a 2006 Powerbook G4, had great iPhoto resolution when the display was set at 1024 x 768.
    Any other ideas?
    Steve

  • Internal vs. External Display Resolution

    Hi,
    I just purchased a KVM switch by IO Gear Model GCS1782. Hooked up my Mac Book Pro 15 inch 2.16 Ghz with DVI Dual Link and Mac Mini Power PC with DVI single link.
    The KVM is working perfectly. The Mac Mini Display resolution is 1680x1050 as normal. The MBP Color LCD is 1440x900 as normal.
    Question: Why does the display on the internal display of the MBP look crisper than the Cinema Display? The CD looks like a lo res VGA monitor.

    Okay everybody...something funny happened this morning.
    Last night I put my MBP to sleep by using "Insomnia" and woke it up this morning and to my surprise, the resolution is matched. No more fuzziness. I have the display icon on the title bar which shows the only one display, only the ACD at 1680x1050. Yesterday it showed two displays because I was mirroring.
    Yesterday morning I hooked up a new KVM (I/O Gear Model GCS1782) and discovered video display problems (not from the KVM). From 10:30 AM to 2:45 PM I called IO Gear support, Apple Sale Support (x2), Apple Technical Support (x2), and continuously scoured these forum reading and posting.
    Yesterday:
    1. Could not close lid of MBP because ACD would go black. (Solution: Insomnia)
    2. Could not get MBP LCD display be crisp on the external ACD (Solution: Insomnia)
    3. Mirrored the MBP causing the ACD to use a lower resolution (Solution: Insomnia)
    Today, all is well.
    I think it had to do with the MBP sleep mode or ????. I am not positive on what exactly happened to get the max resolution. I am just a wee bit concerned that it will happen again because I have to disconnect the MBP tomorrow and reconnect without the confidence I can get it to work. One thing for sure, I won't mirror any longer.
    Lessons Learned:
    1. No one person is proficient with using external displays on MBP. The pieces of information that I needed were either scattered and fragmented or just not available.
    2. The people at Apple is nice, helpful, and well meaning. But this particular situation revealed a lack of technical cohesion in its communication.
    I want to thank all the good people who help me along this journey.

  • External display resolution

    I have Dell up2414q monitor which is capable of displaying up to 3840 x 2160. But when I connect my 11-inch Macbook Air (the latest 2014 model), which is capable of 2560 x 1600, shows only 1920 x 1080. This is the highest resolution listed in display setting.
    I'm using Display Port cable and enabled Display Port 1.2 setting on the monitor. I went to Apple Store and asked, but they had no idea what was wrong. My OS is 10.9.3.

    Hi there gen2014,
    You may find the information in the article below helpful.
    OS X Mavericks: Adjust your display resolution
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14388
    You can connect a second display and adjust its resolution. Once it’s connected, click Scaled, then select a resolution. Press the Option key while you click Scaled to see additional resolutions for the second display.
    If you continue to experience issues, take a look at the troubleshooting steps in the article below.
    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
    -Griff W. 

  • S-video output resolution

    I have a a mini-DVI to component/s-video adapter on my Macbook. I connect to a projector using the s-video cable. I did not expect this to be as clear a picture as direct VGA connection but it is much worse than I expected. The projector picture is noticably lower resolution than the SD digital TV tuner or DVD player that uses the same s-video cable.
    I have set the display resolution to the maximum available (1024x768) but it does not seem to be using this resolution. The other choices under display preference are no better.
    It looks like I will need to use the VGA adapter and cable for decent quality but that is going to be a nuisance with cables.

    Due to the way an S-video signal is generated, the maximum resolution is about 640 x 480 pixels. You can output higer resolution to the S-video connector, but that resolution can not be meaningfully processed by a television set; the higher frequency components will be averaged together into a fuzzy low resolution display. The low resolution is a result of he way the S-video signal is composed and the timing constraints of NTSC or PAL video systems.
    To get decent quality, you really need to use a component source such as a VGA cable that can send data at substantially higher data rates. S-video has a video bandwidth of about 4.5 MHz, while VGA bandwidth is 80 MHz or higher and is not constrained by NTSC or PAL timing.
    Most CRT televisions usually don't make very suitable computer displays (unless the are designed with a VGA component input). The high voltage supplys of TVs aren't are closely regulated as computer monitors and the result is blooming, color bleed and positional jitter. Recall that TVs re typically intended to be viewed at a distance of a meter or more, while computer displays are often viewed at less than a meter. The relatively poor quality of an average TV isn't noticable at typical viewing distances, but looks terrible for computer output. Of course, high definition television has changed the rules, and high def TVs often double as pretty good computer monitors when fed with a VGA (or DVI or HDMI) signal.
    I teach a communications systems course, and one of the things we study is television. As an exercise, we considered a 50 inch diagonal measure 16:9 aspect ratio screen. At 3.5 meters (about 10 feet), the apparent picture quality of a 720p and 1080i picture is the same to a person with average visual acuity - so unless you like to sit close to your TV, you can save cost by buying a 1376x768 pixel screen instead of a 1920x1080 screen. I have a feeling in the next year or two all screens sold will probably be 1920x1080 (or more) anyway, so above point may become moot.
    Bill

  • Cannot  set display resolution after upgrading to Mavericks

    I have early Mac Mini  connected to KVM stitch.  Over the weekend I upgraded to Mavericks and it "dowgraded" display resolution from 1920x1200 to 1600x1200 and everythign looks streached.  1920x1200  no longer shows on the list in display properties (1920x1440 shows but it does not look good on my screen). I googled Option key trick and hitting "Scaled" while hold Option key does show some additional resolutions, but not the one I used to have. 
    Connecting Mac directly to the monitor allowed me to set proper resolution and after removing monitor and pluging mac back into KVM things "held" untill Mac goes to sleep or until reboots.
    I am aware that my KVM switch does not communicate EDID but things did work just fine before upgrade to Mavericks.

    Hello curtdav,
    It sounds like you are getting a graphical anomoly when unplugging an external monitor. I recommend these troubleshooting steps from the article named:
    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
    Reset the system
    You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.
    Reset the resolution
    Start by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:
    Start up in Safe Mode.
    From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
    Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
    Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
    Restart your computer.
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Take care,
    Sterling

  • Display resolution is different left and right sides

    Hi, my HP G42 laptop now has a different display resolution on the left and right sides. The left half seems to have less resolution than the right side, the right side looks like it's in HD, the left side looks washed out. I'm not sure if it is a hardware issue or a setting/software issue. The first time it appeared was after a windows 7 update was completed and installed, I'm not sure if that was just a coincidence. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It works but is very annoying to look at.
    Thank you,
    Ray

    Hi Ray_M,
    Welcome to the HP Forums! I see that you are having a problem with two different resolutions on each half of your screen. The easiest way to determine where the problem lies is to connect it to an external monitor. If the image is normal then we know it is an issue with the display screen but if the issue occurs on the external monitor then we know it is a problem with the drivers or the video card itself.
    What is the product number for your g42? There are a number of different models in that series.
    Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
    Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
    Thank you,
    BHK6
    I work on behalf of HP

  • How to disable video display but allow audio?

    Hi,
    I have been trying to disable the video display on Adobe Flash player, but I want the audio / sound to play without any video supporting it (playing) such as youtube and any other video supported by Adobe Flash. Is this even possible? It will be very much appreciated if I can do this.
    Thank you!

    I'm not a hundred percent sure this will work for you since I've never used svideo out on my mac before, but if it works similar to dvi out, then do the following:
    1. Set you tv up as extended desktop rather than mirror. This will allow you to set different resolutions on the internal and external monitors.
    2. When you want to use the TV for front row, drag the Menu bar from the internal monitor to the external monitor in the monitors system pref. This will make your tv the controlling monitor and front row will play on it.
    3. When you finish with front row, drag the menu bar back to the internal monitor.
    Again, this works when I have my dvi cable connected to my tv, I'm not sure if a svideo output is treated the same way, though I would think it should be.
    Glor

  • IMac 24" Vista Boot Camp Video Display Problems

    Just recently, as of Christmas 2007, I have had a new alumninum 24" iMac. Great machine! One annoying problem (really annoying) is under Boot Camp's Vista OS. I have a valid Vista Home Edition installed and operating quite fine.
    Here is the issue:
    After running in the Vista partition for more than an hour unattended (screensaver is set to blank or any other), the display is all distorted and wavy.
    I have seen people mentioning video issues, and I have reinstalled Leopard BootCamp drivers, manually installed drivers as advised by others on this forum, yet nothing works. I keep getting the same ol' problem.
    To explain in more detail: The screen is very pixelated and color gradients (i.e. standard Windows Vista wallpaper looks like an ugly histogram graph). When it's usually very smooth gradients of color, it's very sharp and distinct "smearing" appearance. Text and icons look terrible too!
    As any tech support person would say: "Just reboot!"
    Sure, rebooting clears the issue and it looks great again. Just give it an hour or two and the same ugly discoloration is back.
    Anyone out there having issues with this in Vista? Of course Apple really promoted their new iMacs to run Windows under bootcamp (but they won't support it). Poor marketing if you asked me (it is their hardware).
    Under the Leopard partition, I have not seen any issues with this display resolution. Leads me to believe it is for sure a windows driver issue. I have fiddled with just about all of the ATI Radeon HD drivers but cannot come up with a solution.
    Any help, or updates on the drivers that may solve this would be greatly appreciated.
    I'll try Apple again. Wish me luck.
    Machine Details:
    24" iMac (newer Alumninum - December 2007)
    2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    OSX 10.5 Leopard w/ Boot Camp Windows Vista Home Edition (32 bit)

    So, after three days with new drivers, I may have found an ATI driver package that might be working.
    Here is what I downloaded and installed:
    8-3vista32_dd59752.exe
    Found here: http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=vista32/common-vista32
    I installed the package and by default set the ATI graphics card driver as an "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT" - so far so good!
    I will keep you updated if this ends up not working, but so far no smearing screens and gradient issues within Vista (32-bit) Home Edition on my iMac.
    Just thought I would share - again, Apple was unable to help. On my own.
    Let me know if others have success with this.

  • How to set video display parameters for the guest OS?

    I don't see display adapter options in the hardware list for a VM.  How does the guest OS know what are the display resolutions available?
    I have installed Ubuntu 14 on two different PCs, one in Windows 8 Hyper-V and another in VirtualBox.  In VirtualBox, it started off with only one resolution: 640x480.  After I increased the video RAM from the default 12MB to 32MB, I get to choose
    from 800x600 as well as 1024x768.
    In my Hyper-V, my Ubuntu has only 1152x864. I need 1024x768. How do I do it?
    Thanks.

    Hi,
    The Ubuntu 14 not supported by Win8 Hyper-V, personal experience is same with Andrew_Grant, you can try to install the last Integrations Services.
    The related KB:
    Ubuntu virtual machines on Hyper-V
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn531029.aspx
    Hope this helps.
    We
    are trying to better understand customer views on social support experience, so your participation in this
    interview project would be greatly appreciated if you have time.
    Thanks for helping make community forums a great place.

  • What is the maximum display resolution that the 2012 mac mini supports?

    Looking at buying the new Mac Mini, the specifications say that it has the Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics card but no further details on the specs supported. I am interested in what the maximum display resolution supported is.
    Anyone know?

    Should be the same as the 2011 Mini since you can use Dual-Link DVI...
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Thunderbolt digital video output
    Native Mini DisplayPort output
    DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
    Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_mini
    Since the HD 3000 supported...
    Video Card:
    HD Graphics 3000
    VRAM Type:
    Integrated
    Details:
    This model has an Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics processor that shares memory with the system.
    Standard VRAM:
    288 MB
    Maximum VRAM:
    288 MB
    Display Support:
    Dual Displays
    Resolution Support:
    1920x1200*
    2nd Display Support:
    Dual/Mirroring*
    2nd Max. Resolution:
    2560x1600*
    Details:
    *This model simultaneously supports 1920x1200 on an HDMI or a DVI display (using the included HDMI-to-DVI adapter) and2560x1600 on a Thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort display or even a VGA display (with an optional Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, which is compatible with the Thunderbolt port).
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-2.3-mid-20 11-specs.html

  • Page display resolution setting

    Many or all CS5 apps would benefit from the same kind of Page Display preferences that Acrobat Pro provides. It allows you to set page display resolution at the pixels per inch setting that will display content at true actual size (100pct viewing). By that I mean an 8.5x11 page on screen is the same size as an 8.5x11 page in your hand. It may be that Acrobat's default "Use system setting" figure (81ppi on my display) is all that's needed to get reasonably close, but InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc., don't have this ability. And Acrobat can be setting to any ppi that gets the job done. Print designers, especially, need true actual size to have a better feel for the scale of the physical piece and design elements on it, notably including type.

    That's a fair answer to a load of nonsense ...
    1. The original poster was not concerned about pixels, and in fact showed by his very feature request that he was acutely aware of the difference between pixels and real, actual, physical dimensions. The OP did not ask for, nor does he want, measurement in pixels -- in fact, he wants the exact opposite.
    2. There is no measurement unit called "pixel". A "pixel" is not a defined distance, and there are no online conversion tools to convert between picas or inches and pixels. If there are, they are a load of nonsense as well.
    3. Good news is that CS5 has, yeah!, "pixels" as measurement units. But ... since the pixel is not a really existing unit of measure, it's of no use at all and you might as well pretend (in your mind) what CS5 pretends on the screen: one pixel equals one point.

  • Losing Display Resolution on Sleep or Reboot

    We have 176 Mac Mini's with ViewSonic VA1703WB 17" WideScreen displays. The Mini's run OS X 10.4.10 and Boot Camp Windows XP. The Mini's are used in a computer lab where they spend most of their time in "sleep" mode until we activate them for an exam. Even though we built our image with the Display (VA1703WB-Series) detected and the proper resolution (1440x900), the Mini's will not retain those settings. Eventually when a Mini wakes up, the display resolution will be reset to 800x600 or some other incorrect setting, and the display detected will be just "Display" instead of "VA1703WB-Series". The only way we've been able to get the display detected again is to disconnect it, power off/on and reconnect the display. What is happening and what can we do to fix it?

    That's not typical behavior. Is there any way you can try a different monitor, or better still different monitors (plural) to see if the mini behaves in a more expected manner when connected to a different display? This could help to tell you if there is something about the mini's configuration, like some kind of software installed on all of them, that is interfering with normal operation, or if the problem lies with the display.
    Here is one guess I have about what might be happening. When the mini sleeps, the Viewsonic is likely going into a low energy state of its own. There is a ROM inside modern computer displays that holds driver data called EDID that the Mac relies on to identify the display and administer compatible timings. The DDC spec calls for the host system (mini) to be able to power the ROM from a +5VDC pin on the video connector rather than the power supply coming from the display. I suspect this might not be properly implemented in the Viewsonic so that what happens is as follows:
    - Mini comes out of sleep state.
    - Mini checks for EDID data to see if a new display has been attached.
    - Since ROM isn't powered (display in low energy state) and the mini can't itself power it, mini cannot properly identify the Viewsonic.
    - Mini outputs generic, default timing.
    If you can demonstrate that the mini's work correctly with other displays attached, then you have a good case against Viewsonic to replace or repair their monitors which are not compliant with the DDC standard. Of course this is all speculation, but it's a hint where to look.

Maybe you are looking for