Monitor Distortion

May 19, 2005 4:26 PM

The edges of my monitor are distorted. I can't seem to find the right adjustment to the settings. Can anyone help me fix this annoying problem?

Ages ago I tried to make a small adjustment (I can't remember exactly what it was now) and ended up completely messing up the settings. I managed to adjust them so it looks reasonably normal, but it's not perfect and the edges are still curved and distorted.

I've tried just about every combination of adjusting the H-Center/H-Size, V-Center/V-Size, Zoom, Pincushion, Trapezoid, Pin-Balance and Parallelogram, but nothing seems to get it back to how it was.

The distortion is very obvious on certain sites, less so on others, but is pretty annoying as it's an otherwise perfectly fine monitor.

posted by eatcherry to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Which edges are curved? If it's the left and right edges, you want to adjust the pincushion and only the pincushion. If you've been monkeying with all the other buttons, you'll want to set them back to where you found them.
posted by majick at 4:49 PM on May 19, 2005

Yes, it's everything and if I could get them back to where I found them, I wouldn't need to ask. ;)

(Not a snark, though it reads like it a little.)
posted by eatcherry at 4:56 PM on May 19, 2005

If you have some speakers close to the monitor, the magnetic field might be causing some distortion?
posted by gaby at 5:07 PM on May 19, 2005

I feel a little silly suggesting this, but have you tried unplugging the monitor to reset it?
posted by stavrogin at 5:30 PM on May 19, 2005

Have you tried changing your screen's refresh rate? Maybe that would help.
posted by Blue Buddha at 5:50 PM on May 19, 2005

Before you go monkeying around any more with the adjustments, look for a reset option. It sounds like you have an on-screen menu - if so, this should be an option and easy to find. If you just have buttons and leds, it may not be as obvious - and it may not be there at all. What it should do is reset everything to either factory defaults or to the last group of settings that were stored. First try pressing and holding it - don't just press and release; this might set the current values as the new default. If that doesn't work, try a single press. Also look in the back, near the power and video cables.

If all else fails, put all the settings at halfway between their minimum and maximum, and adjust from there. Try one setting, both ways - if it makes it worse, put it back before trying another. You'll probably have to change more than one at least a little to get it looking good.

You might also try the manufacturer's website for help.

On preview: you mentioned varying degrees of "off" on different sites: I assume that's websites, do different color backgrounds make it look different? Are some colors more or less blurry than others? If so, it may not be a size or orientation issue - do you have an adjustment for "moire"?
posted by attercoppe at 7:05 PM on May 19, 2005

Yes, I have tried unplugging, moving speakers, etc.

I do have an onscreen menu and I've tried all of those settings - none seem to reset it. The biggest thing I notice is on websites with dark backgrounds, then it really curves into an oval kind of shape. I do have an adjustment for moire.
posted by eatcherry at 8:57 PM on May 19, 2005