Acer LCD, mac mini aspect ratio

June 18, 2005 3:13 PM

I bought a mac mini and an Acer 17" LCD for my mom recently, and it finally looks great since I switched from the VGA to the digital cable. However, the aspect ratio seems a little off - everything is a bit squished together.

It's in 1024 x 768 mode right now as anything less looks slightly pixelated, and the circle icons are a bit ovalish, the squares a bit rectangular - everything smooshed together horizontally, taller than it should be. I've tried the different video modes available and all seem a bit off, and tested even by drawing a perfect square in illustrator - everything is just a bit off. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

posted by luriete to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Odds are it is a 1280x1024 screen, and you should be running it at that resolution for best picture quality.

1280/1024 = 1.25
1024/768 = 1.33

So the aspect ratio is a little off, which should account for the squishing. In analogue mode you can trim it a little, which is why you didn't notice it before.
posted by Chuckles at 3:22 PM on June 18, 2005

Yes, that's the problem. The Acer 17" is a 1280x1024 LCD. Change the Mac's output resolution and you'll be in great shape. It won't be so blurry, either :-)
posted by Nelson at 3:32 PM on June 18, 2005

Well, her eyes aren't so hot. At that resolution, the text is so small that she can hardly read it (and even I have trouble with some of it). Is there a way to force it to use the correct aspect ratio at a lower resolution, or is the only choice to either have it display correctly and at a size too small to see, or have it display incorrectly at a size large enough to make out?
posted by luriete at 5:21 PM on June 18, 2005

I don't have any advice about the aspect ratio, but instead of forcing the LCD to display a lower resolution (which always gives terrible results), you could use Tinker Tool to increase the size of the system fonts so your mom can read them easier. I've done this on my 12" iBook (which has the highest dpi of any mac display, and therefore the smallest text).
posted by Popular Ethics at 5:43 PM on June 18, 2005

What the other reader said about resolution vs. sharpness; unlike many CRTs, LCDs don't react well to being set to other resolutions. For best results, set it to the resolution it's supposed to be, and increase your system font size.
posted by SpecialK at 7:32 PM on June 18, 2005