1400x1050 resolution on Macbook Pro?

[SteveJY]

Hi,

My workplace uses a projector with a native resolution of 1400x1050. If I connect my 2014 Macbook Pro, the highest 4x3 resolution it offers is 800x600.

Is there any way, other than using Windows 7 on Bootcamp, of forcing it to run the projector at its full resolution?

Thanks

 

[bobtomay]

You could try using:

SwitchResX

or

DisplayConfigX - edit - nevermind - this one is still PPC code only and won't work on anything beyond Snow Leopard.

You should read the 'Read me' and faq and become somewhat familiar with possible issues before using these type of tools - particularly so that you know and understand how to get yourself out of a mess.

I have not used either one of them in about 6 years or so.

 

[SteveJY]

You could try using:

SwitchResX

I've had a look at that, but the maximum 4x3 resolution it seems to offer is 1024x768, which still doesn't offer the full quality I want.

It does allow the creation of custom resolutions, but wants to know various details about the display that I'm unsure about, e.g. sync settings. I need to give a presentation soon and won't have another chance to test the Macbook with the projector to make sure that the settings work beforehand.

It looks like the easiest solution is to export the Keynote presentation I've been working on to Powerpoint and do the presentation in Windows. I'll probably borrow a colleague's Dell laptop in case there are any unexpected issues with Windows 7 in Bootcamp. At least I know that'll do the job without so much messing around.

It's surprising and disappointing that Mac OS X has such poor support for hardware that I find to be pretty common in the business world.

 

[bobtomay]

If the projector in question is sending the correct EDID info when it is connected, then the app should see and offer that resolution. The initial offerings are going to be based on the EDID info being passed from the displays that are connected. When I was using the app, creating custom resolutions was not required that often. Would suggest you download the trial and give it a shot while you are connected to the projector.

It's possible some others may have an idea. I am not aware of anything else like this that is going to work for you.

Oh, and you don't have to fill out all that other stuff it asks necessarily. I use to just pick a resolution and leave a lot of that other stuff blank.
The tech specs &/or owner's manual should provide a fair amount of that info - you may have to do some googling to find what you're looking for.
(I did use DisplayConfigX back then more than SwitchResX.)

 

[chscag]

My workplace uses a projector with a native resolution of 1400x1050. If I connect my 2014 Macbook Pro, the highest 4x3 resolution it offers is 800x600.

That's an unusual native resolution for a projector. Most projectors that I have worked with both in OS X and Windows have native resolutions of 800 x 600 or for the better models 1024 x 768. I guess I'm not up to date on the latest projectors.

Anyway, have you gone through the projector settings to see if you can change the resolution to something lower that you can use with your MacBook Pro? Otherwise the suggestion by bobtomay to try SwitchResX might be your best bet other than using Windows and transposing your Keynote to Powerpoint.

 

[SteveJY]

That's an unusual native resolution for a projector. Most projectors that I have worked with both in OS X and Windows have native resolutions of 800 x 600 or for the better models 1024 x 768. I guess I'm not up to date on the latest projectors.

In my experience 1400x1050 SXGA+ is currently a pretty common resolution for business/photographic projectors. The one in my workplace, a Canon SX80, is easily 4 or 5 years old, and the older projector it replaced used the same resolution.

It's certainly been a good few years since I've seen one stuck at 800x600, yet that's the maximum resolution Mac OS X offered (other than widescreen options).

Anyway, have you gone through the projector settings to see if you can change the resolution to something lower that you can use with your MacBook Pro?

I can use it at a lower resolution like 800x600, but the quality is poor compared with its native resolution. The image is quite fuzzy, and there's a lot of detail lost in images.

I'm not going to have a chance to play with the projector before I actually need to use it, so I think I'll have to use Powerpoint and Windows this time. It's a good thing I have access to those options rather than relying exclusively on Mac OS X.

I'll give SwitchResX a try when I have some spare time to mess around and make sure that its custom resolution works correctly and reliably. I've seen people report crashes and weird glitches when using SwitchResX, so I definitely want to test it properly before risking it when I need things to work smoothly.

Even if that ultimately does the job, I just find it strange that a new Macbook Pro would need a rather crude looking $20 3rd party utility (one that some people complain about when it comes to stability and reliability) to use a 5 year old projector that works fine with an even older Dell Latitude. Switching to a Mac has definitely been a mixed bag, with some neat things and clever design, but also quirks and limitations that cause headaches I really didn't expect.

 

[chas_m]

Your assumptions are mistaken.

I hook my 2012 MBP to projectors nearly every day, and even when the native resolution is lower than what you mention they can usually offer resolutions going beyond the 1400x1050 you require. At the very least, any decent projector from the last six year or so can do 1920x1080p (Full HD), even if its not the machine's native resolution. I have an Epson projector right beside me that has no trouble with that.

You may need to restart the computer once connected to the projector for the projector and the machine to communicate better about what's supportable. All I know is that your MacBook Pro supports an incredibly wide range of resolutions, up to and including 4K, so whatever the problem is, it's not the MBP or OS X, and so far you haven't offered a shred of any reasoning that would make you think that it was. Nor is the issue Keynote, unless the template you're using is limited to a max size of 800x600.

PS. It may interest you to know that Office and PowerPoint were originally Mac-only programs, as there wasn't yet such a thing as Windows when they were introduced, and that Microsoft continues to make Office (including PowerPoint) for the Mac to this very day. Just FYI.

 

[bobtomay]

Your assumptions are mistaken.

Sorry... What assumptions?

I've not seen the op make any assumptions here.

He has clearly stated in the first post, that when he connects his MBP to a specific projector he needs to use, the highest 4:3 resolution his MBP is offering to output is 800x600.

I hook my 2012 MBP to projectors nearly every day, ...snip... At the very least, any decent projector from the last six year or so can do 1920x1080p (Full HD), even if its not the machine's native resolution. I have an Epson projector right beside me that has no trouble with that.

That's not helpful whatsoever considering the projector he needs to use is 1400x1050 native and in their own documentation, Canon only notes resolutions as high as 1280x720 and 1280x768.

You may need to restart the computer once connected to the projector for the projector and the machine to communicate better about what's supportable.... Nor is the issue Keynote, unless the template you're using is limited to a max size of 800x600.

That may be helpful...

PS. It may interest you to know that Office and PowerPoint were originally Mac-only programs, as there wasn't yet such a thing as Windows when they were introduced, and that Microsoft continues to make Office (including PowerPoint) for the Mac to this very day. Just FYI.

Steve, you'll have to forgive our local Apple apologist that always has to point out how Apple is better or was the first at something.

edit:
Or maybe it's just time for me to fully retire from forum life.

 

[SteveJY]

At the very least, any decent projector from the last six year or so can do 1920x1080p (Full HD), even if its not the machine's native resolution.

Using non-native resolutions always degrades image quality. It might not matter so much for video, but it does make a significant difference to still images such as photographs and detailed diagrams. I'm certainly not going to put on a lower quality presentation just so that I can do it in Mac OS X rather than Windows.

I’ve also created the presentation in a 4x3 format, including cropping images to fit, so converting to widescreen would be extra work.

You may need to restart the computer once connected to the projector for the projector and the machine to communicate better about what's supportable.

They certainly seemed to be communicating - it detected the projector, mirrored the display, and offered a selection of resolutions for it to use - so it seems strange that restarting the Macbook would make a difference. It's not something I've ever had to do with other laptops.

I can certainly try restarting the next time I connect them up, but I’m a bit skeptical about that solving this problem when other people (on here and in another forum) have suggested SwitchResX as the only solution.

All I know is that your MacBook Pro supports an incredibly wide range of resolutions, up to and including 4K, so whatever the problem is, it's not the MBP or OS X, and so far you haven't offered a shred of any reasoning that would make you think that it was.

The Macbook Pro may support that resolution, but that's not much use if I can't get Mac OS X to display it. The fact that Windows laptops successfully connect to the projector does suggest that it's Mac OS that's the problem. If Mac OS X didn't have some issues with display settings then utilities like SwitchResX wouldn't have to exist to fix them.

Have you ever used a Mac with a 1400x1050 display and managed to get it working at that native resolution?

Nor is the issue Keynote, unless the template you're using is limited to a max size of 800x600.

I didn't suggest that it was a problem with Keynote, but I'll need to covert to a presentation format that I can use on Windows if I can't get the resolution I require in Mac OS X.

 

[chas_m]

I'm writing this on an external monitor with a native resolution of 1680x1050, and it supports a range of lower resolutions that I (obviously) have no interest in using routinely.

I opened a new Keynote document and set it to 1400x1050 (SXGA+ is not, incidentally, 4:3 ratio, just FYI). Placed a photo to take up the entire area of the slide, then hit play. Looks fabulous (though of course my monitor being 16:9 means there are "black bars" on the side). There is definitely no loss of resolution in the photo. This would suggest that my MBP, at least (2012 model) has no difficulty outputting 1400x1050.

As I understand you, the native resolution of the projector you want to use is SXGA+?

 

[SteveJY]

I'm writing this on an external monitor with a native resolution of 1680x1050, and it supports a range of lower resolutions that I (obviously) have no interest in using routinely.

Are you saying that your MBP does offer 1400x1050 as a resolution option on that monitor?

I opened a new Keynote document and set it to 1400x1050 (SXGA+ is not, incidentally, 4:3 ratio, just FYI).

SXGA+ is 1400x1050 4:3 ratio. You might be thinking of WSXGA+, which is 1680x1050 16:10. I know the alphabet soup of resolution names can get confusing, but they're all listed here on Wikipedia.

Placed a photo to take up the entire area of the slide, then hit play. Looks fabulous (though of course my monitor being 16:9 means there are "black bars" on the side). There is definitely no loss of resolution in the photo. This would suggest that my MBP, at least (2012 model) has no difficulty outputting 1400x1050.

Sorry, but it doesn't suggest that at all.

Your external monitor will still be displaying 1680x1050; it won't actually change resolution to match the presentation that's playing. Because the vertical resolution is the same, it won't even have to scale up the image, eliminating any quality loss.

If I run my 1400x1050 4:3 presentation on my Macbook's own retina display, or on my external 27" 16:9 monitor, it does exactly the same thing. The actual resolution of those displays isn't changing; they're still running at their native 2880x1800 and 2560x1440 resolutions. Keynote is simply scaling the presentation to fit, and drawing in black bars at the unused edges. Even when there's image scaling, this degrades quality far less than actually running the display itself at a non-native resolution.

None of this has anything to do with actually getting the projector to display its native resolution when connected to the MBP.

As I understand you, the native resolution of the projector you want to use is SXGA+?

Yes, 1400x1050 SXGA+. With anything other than its native resolution there's a significant drop in the projection quality.

 

[MacInWin]

How are you connecting the projector to the MBP? According to Canon, the only cable shipped with it is DVI-VGA and a component video cable. Does your MBP have a DVI or component out connection, or is there something else in between?

 

[SteveJY]

How are you connecting the projector to the MBP? According to Canon, the only cable shipped with it is DVI-VGA and a component video cable. Does your MBP have a DVI or component out connection, or is there something else in between?

I used a HDMI cable, although I could take the thunderbolt to DVI adapter I use with my external monitor and try that instead.