Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with monitor

I need help using Voiceover to access my dead-screen MacBook Pro

timwindsor — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:47:47 -0800

Anybody out there proficient with Apple OS X Voiceover, the interface for sight-impaired users? My MacBook Pro screen is completely dead but the computer is alive. I want to use Voiceover to navigate to the Sharing Preferences and turn on screen sharing so I can access the screenless computer across the network. This is not an exercise to retrieve the data - I've got that already through regular backups and mounting the computer in target mode as well.

I've read about a few terminal commands that might help clear up my dead screen (assuming there's a software cause - this happened two weeks ago as well, but it came back after several restarts. This time, not). Also, I want to deauthorize the computer in iTunes.

I've tried connecting an external monitor - but apparently it's the entire video subsystem that's acting up, as no external monitor displays anything as well.

I know this is an obscure one, but, I'm lost having never used Voiceover before. I'm looking for step-by-step or at least a decent online tutorial to using Voiceover to click buttons etc.

I have a big monitor, help me fill it

nitsuj — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:02:37 -0800

What are some good applications that take advantage of a big monitor? I recently acquired a nice, big 24" Dell widescreen monitor to hook into my Macbook Pro (running OSX5.4) and rediscovered the joys of Google Earth. What are some other fun applications I should I try out now that I have the larger real estate?

Games are OK, I guess, but I'm looking more for interesting applications that are especially awesome when viewing on a ginormous screen. Thanks!

audiovox D1730

raphael19 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:14:59 -0800

how do i use audiovox D1730 as a pc monitor? this device have 3.5mm audio and video plugs at the back along with an in/out switch. the problem is that i don't know any 3.5 video jacks, except the ones used with ipods/video-cameras, etc. (the 3.5mm jack with 3 rca output). do i use that cable, or any other cable which i am not aware of? (i will take the video input from the vga port of the pc with the audiovox's back switch at out position, so as to have a very light lcd monitor)

display/resolution problem with monitor/macbook

cg2 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:17:50 -0800

display/resolution problem with monitor/macbook I have a View Sonic (VA2226w) 22 inch monitor plugged into my apple laptop. I found the correct resolution with no fuss when I first set up my desk, but then my laptop froze and I had to force quit. When i restarted it, the resolution was all wrong. I went through every resolution option under the display section for both the Color LCD and the monitor's make #, but none of them are right. I re-started again and the monitor messaged me to try 1680 x 1050 which is the right resolution, but it is now not using the full screen (there is a 1.5 inch boarder on the top, a 2.5 inch boarder on the right, a 1.25 inch boarder on the bottom, and a 2.25 inch boarder on the left). How do I keep this resolution but utilize all of my 22 inch monitor?

dual monitors - yay!

rare_g — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:27:40 -0800

Dual monitor video cards for small frame desktops... I have a Dell XPS210 and would like to have dual monitors but I will need to upgrade the video card. Currently I have a ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro which I thought supported dual monitors but only has one output (plus s-video). Since I have the slim desktop, my video card upgrades are limited. Does anyone have any experience with this and can offer some advice?

Here are some cards I am looking at but I don't know what will work (size fit, compatibility, overheating, etc):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150257
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=PCI+Express+x16+HDCP+Ready+Low+Profile&x=0&y=0

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

How to hookup 2 external monitors to a laptop with one VGA port?

greenknightwatch — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:31:38 -0800

What's the best way to setup 2 external monitors on a laptop with just one VGA port ? I have two Acer AL2216W 22" LCD monitors (1680x1050) that I want to use to provide a dual screen display running off a Inspiron 6400 laptop.

The Inspiron 6400 has one VGA port and no DVI port. I have seen several USB to DVI or USB to VGA adapters which allow you to add an extra video output. Some of these units have external video cards in the cable. Some cables do not have an external video card.

Has anyone else tried this kind of setup with similar laptops, monitors? What equipment did you use to provide a second monitor output on your laptop?

Getting started on my own

Bunglegirl — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:12:53 -0800

How do I best set up space to work as a solo graphic designer (furniture, computer equipment, etc.)? I am in a position where I might be able to work as a freelance graphic designer (or my own, single person company) instead of looking for a full time position at a studio. If I go this route I definitely want to upgrade my work environment (new table & chair, mouse, computer & monitor). I am mainly a print designer, mostly working in InDesign & Illustrator with the occasional retouching in Photoshop. I don't often need to work on photos with 100+ layers and am not interested much in motion work. Think Corporate Identity work, logos, books etc.

My experience includes 6 years at a tiny design studio with everything (including Herman Miller chairs) already set up. We used G4 towers, regular mouses and Apple displays. I've been freelancing on and off for a few years, making do with the equipment I have. I'll be renting a new apartment with, hopefully, an extra room to use as a work space.

Computer:
I am currently on a Mac G4 tower, but am in the market for a new machine (and all the $oftware) this summer. I loved my 12" iBook and would like to have a laptop again. I was planning on getting a new MacBook or MacBook Pro, a good, large monitor and mouse. My tower is okay but I don't think it could run CS3. I feel that a laptop would be enough to run the programs and files I would need. I prefer not to buy a tower and laptop for financial reasons, although the portability is mostly for personal use. It may be handy to take my computer to a client every once in a while.

Mouse:
My current mouse is a small old Fellowes mouse that was free. Although my hands are really small, even for a woman, it's uncomfortable to use and my wrist and outside hand have been getting more sore/numb/clicking.

Do I really need a wireless mouse? What about tablets? They look cool but I think it would definitely take some getting used to. I might benefit from a mouse that keeps my hand in a more natural position (thumb up) might help my current wrist problems. I've never really liked those mouses with the huge ball. I recently used a new Mac mouse for the first time but it seems I've become accustomed to my trackwheel and extra buttons (without hitting a key to use them).

Keyboard:
I have a new extended Mac (wired) keyboard so I'm not worried about that.

Monitor:
My current monitor is way too small for all my pallets and is slowing me down. I think it's around 17" so I imagine I need at least a 22" monitor. I usually leave color correction up to printers so I wouldn't think color would be terribly important, but I probably couldn't get the cheapest model out there. I've looked around at reviews of LaCie monitors, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or if it's better than Mac displays. I always felt that Mac displays were overpriced, but I'm not sure.

Backup:
I plan on getting some sort of external hard drive. Everyone has bad luck with every brand so I'll probably just go with Western Digital or something. I was thinking 500Mb, if I need more space I could buy another 500Mb drive.

Printer:
I definitely need at the very least a black and white laser printer. A color printer would be nice, but I'd like one that doesn't make me replace color cartridges to print black. One of those printer/scanner/faxes would be nice, but I remember spending so much time dealing with printer issues at my studio that anything cheap seems too good to be true. I have a fax machine I could use separately already, if I need it. I do scan things sometimes, but not often. I probably wouldn't scan anything for print myself, I can't afford something of that high quality.

Furniture
Table: I'm currently using an old desk and chair which don't fit together well. The chair is too high for the desk and the table too shallow for my monitor. I have an old library table that I'd like to fix up, but it has the legs cut down. I was planning on replacing the legs so it was about waist height when I stand. I loved the tables in high school art class and would like something similar that's sturdy and has lots of space so I can work around all sides of it, spread projects out and use it for other projects (painting, sewing, bookbinding or whatever) too. I was planning on putting wheels on the table with 2-4 locking wheels. I usually see tables have only 2 locking wheels but I want to make sure it stays put when I need it to.

Chair: I like being "high up" and am excited about working in a stool with foot rest. But I also have a bad back and posture problems. I need a good stool. If I could afford a stool Aero chair I would. The used chairs I've seen are still $300+ and I'm going to be putting down a lot of cash at once.

What else? I suppose I need some file cabinets. I have book shelves. Am I missing anything?

I'm currently small but as I take on more projects my paper system of recording hours, invoices etc. is starting to seem silly. I will probably use some sort of program to do this and have looked at a few. I'm putting this in computers/internet instead of work because it's so computer heavy. Any insight would be appreciated.

Why won't my computer talk to my monitor?

jeffmshaw — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:33:45 -0800

My monitor stopped talking to my PC. Strangely, the monitor shows the Windows startup screen before going dark. It does this every time I boot up. I built my PC in Japan, and it's served me well for a year. For the entirety of that time, it's been attached to a new Dell monitor.

One night last week, I was playing music with iTunes when the screen went dark. The music continued to play. I rebooted the computer, but after the Windows start screen came up, it went dark again -- never saw my desktop.

So I took the box to work and connected it to other monitors. Oddly, the other monitors work fine with the machine. I haven't tested my monitor with other boxes yet. (I do have the CD that came with the monitor still).

Does this sound like a driver issue? A video card issue? What's my next step? Admin please hope me!

Recording critters at the zoo, need a good recorder

krisjohn — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:57:13 -0800

I need recommendations for a digital video recorder designed for multiple video inputs, including sound, (four cameras point at an animal enclosure at a zoo) that's designed to allow for easy access to the videos recorded. Networkable would be really great, or standard removable storage (USB/SATA). I'd prefer it if the device recorded directly in a standard video format so no conversion from a proprietary format is needed.

How jarring is a glossy/matte combo with dual monitors?

10ch — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:21:16 -0800

For those of you with glossy laptop screens, do you use glossy external monitors, too? I'm about to buy a MacBook (only comes in glossy) and an external monitor (which come in matte or glossy). Is it jarring to go back and forth between glossy and matte when sharing screen real estate? Thanks.

Can you help me Google-Fu a pic of a gamer with a desktop strapped to his back?

perpetualstroll — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:45:03 -0800

Where can I find a picture of a guy with a desktop strapped to his back and a monitor around his front? A long time ago, I remember seeing a picture on the internet of someone with a desktop strapped to their back and a monitor set up in front of them so they could walk around and play computer games (or something to that effect). However, my Google-Fu is failing me. Anyone want to take a whack at this one?

Text Display on HDTVs

ThomThomThomThom — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:17:03 -0800

LCD vs Plasma displays for displaying text? What's the difference? So, my boss is thinking about getting two large (>30") monitors with digital inputs to display daily schedules behind the front desk of the Arts Center where I work. He insists that some LCD monitors display text strangely because the pixels are too large (I'm pretty clueless so far as this sort of thing goes.) Anyway, he was looking at Apple 30" displays and was dissatisfied with the size, but he seems pretty sure that a large LCD is what he's going for. I know that there are offices at the university that I attend that use Plasma screens to do much the same thing (though several of these have been burned out since they never turned them off and kept the same image on them for about a week.) I've looked around on google, but I can't find much of anything directly relating to the clarity of text on large-size HDTV screens (there isn't a difference between a display marketed as a monitor vs HDTV. right?) so I was hoping that someone here could spare me a few words?

Who's to blame for my blue world?

Naberius — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:49:11 -0800

What is the most likely source of this PC screen problem? I'm having an occasional computer issue. From time to time my screen suddenly takes on a pale blue tint. By which I mean the screen image remains intact, but looks precisely as if viewed through a blue gel filter. White goes to a faint blue, and other colors are adjusted accordingly. Yellows look a bit greenish, etc.

If this helps, it's not something that gradually fades in and takes a moment to notice or anything. When it happens it happens instantly, without any sound or other indication that something's wrong. And when it eventually fixes itself, it does that instantly too.

I figure the problem's got to be either with my video card or with my monitor. And I'm inclined to distrust the monitor simply because it's about seven years old, while the computer is less than a year old.
The monitor's a CRT, by the way. (Ask your parents.)

But I thought I should see if anyone more familiar with these issues has an opinion before blaming a monitor that's served me quite well up to now. Do old CRTs sometimes just forget their white balance or something?

"Maximize" doesn't work as advertised!

DMan — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:47:48 -0800

On my external monitor (dual-monitor setup with a laptop), "maximized" windows do not take up the entire screen. How can I fix this? So I have an Alienware laptop running Windows XP with a Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics card. The laptop's screen is 15" and has a display resolution of 1280 x 800. I also have a 22 inch external monitor hooked up with a resolution of 1680 x 1050. The display mode is set to "dual view", which is basically a normal dual-screen setup.

Strange thing is, when I open a window on the 22" screen and maximize it, the window only fills a certain portion of the monitor screen--I suspect it's only using 1280 x 800 pixels instead of the full 1680 x 1050. I really like having some things fullscreen and it's very annoying to constantly be resizing things to fill the space.

Things have not always been this way; maximizing windows on the external monitor used to work fine. I have no idea what would have changed in the meantime.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and if I've left anything out, feel free to ask and I'll provide as much detail as possible.

How can I fix my Compaq Presario v5000 screen?

banished — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:26:10 -0800

Compaq Presario v5000 screen is broken. How can I fix it? Warranty is up, so I'm on my own. The picture is fine when hooked up to an external monitor, which leads me to believe it's not a software problem. When you shake the LCD a bit the whole screen will display, but then the bottom half of the screen will freeze and stay static while the top half changes as you are opening an app or whatever.

I thought it might be a loose connection, but after some disassembly and kind of playing with the connections I can't find it. I'm ok with replacing parts. Do I need a whole new LCD or can I just replace something like the screen inverter part? (What does the screen inverter do by the way? I saw the parts on ebay) New LCD screens for this laptop are around $150 =( so with good laptops available for around $400, I don't know if I can justify it.

Mail, stay! Stay! Bad dog!

explosion — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:02:38 -0800

How do I limit an application to one screen of a dual-screen setup in Mac OS X (Leopard)? A coworker recently switched from a desktop to a laptop at work, and I'm in charge of helping her work the kinks out and otherwise keep the migration as painless as possible.

She is using a Powerbook G4 connected to an Apple Display, and for all intents and purposes, she only uses the monitor at work. Normally, mirroring displays would solve the problem, but the laptop is a wide-screen computer, so mirrored displays leads to a letterbox effect on the computer.

The issue: Apple Mail seems to want to open new windows on the second (laptop) window, and we cannot figure out how to fix this behavior. Even if we drag the windows over, the next one opened will be back on the secondary monitor. As long as the external display is plugged into the laptop, the dock and menu bar are on the external display, so I am assuming OS X thinks of it as the primary display.

So I guess the crux of it is, how do I force applications to open new windows only in one display or the other?

HRM With Interval Timer?

forallmankind — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:42:45 -0800

Shopping for a heart rate monitor which includes an interval timer - this is the cheapest Timex ($78), this is cheapest Suunto ($115) and this is the cheapest Polar ($140). Does anyone have experience of any of these, or have other recommendations to offer? The Timex has only 4 reviews on Amazon and 2 of them are bad (how much can you trust an Amazon review?) - average = 3*s. The Suunto has mixed reviews and averages 3.5*s. And the Polar has better reviews - averages 4*s. Also in it's favor, the Polar has the soft Wearlink strap. But there again, it's nearly twice the price of the Timex.

Any advice/ suggestions/ recommendations? This is for cycle training at home (unfortunately hrm cycle computers with interval timers are crazy expensive).

Can I emulate a higher resolution on my monitor?

spacefire — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:21:42 -0800

Can I get my second monitor to emulate a higher resolution? I have an ATI Radeon video card using two monitors. The second monitor only goes up to 800X600 (an old LCD). However, Microsoft Flight Simulator X only allows the resolution of a display to be set to as low as 1024X768. I'd like the second monitor to think it is at that resolution and display a portion of the 1024X768 on its available area of 800X600. i don't care if the rest is not visible. Any ideas? Thanks!

How do I get my Mac to auto-detect my monitor again?

odinsdream — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:36:25 -0800

My Mac no longer auto-detects monitor and resolution after trying out SwitchResX. How can I get this working again without reinstalling OSX? I have a Mac Mini with 10.4.11 hooked to an HTDV (resolution 1366x768) with a VGA cable.

The first time I hooked it up the Mac automatically detected the correct monitor (the model name and number showed up in the Display preference pane) and it set the resolution correctly to the native.

I wanted to try and get it working on one of the HDMI ports, and part of that process led me to install SwitchResX. I gave up on this and went back to the VGA port and uninstalled SwitchResX, then restarted the computer.

Now the Mac no longer detects the display correctly. Instead it's shown as a "VGA Display" and the native resolution is not one of the options any more.

I tried reinstalling SwitchResX since it shows product and vendor information too. However, this now shows up as "unknown" as well.

I've tried to repair disk permissions without any luck.

Can I reinstall something from the OSX disc, perhaps with Pacifist, to get this working again? Are there preference files I can delete so they will be recreated?

Thanks very much!

help with fixing my computer...

nyu2 — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:41:11 -0800

My monitor's power supply blew out recently, but unfortunately it is built into my PC. The PC still powers on, but the monitor remains black. Is there a way to use my computer despite not being able to turn on the monitor? (plugging in an external monitor did not seem to work) I made the terrible decision of purchasing this gateway computer where the PC is connected to the monitor. The power supply to the monitor blew out recently and I can still turn on the computer, but the monitor remains black. I've tried hooking up an external monitor to the gateway, but that didn't work. I have an external hard drive, but I can't put any files onto it because the monitor won't turn on. Is there a way to still use the computer now that the monitor is broken or at the very least back up my current files?

I've also tried replacing the power supply for $170, thinking that I had fixed the problem only for the same thing to happen two weeks later...apparently this is a very common problem with this model, and gateway support has been absolutely dismal. If at all possible I'd like to avoid throwing anymore money into this piece of junk computer.

How do I get the colors of my video correct on this cheap lcd display?

mule — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:19:19 -0800

I have LCD displays I need to display video on, but they displays were made on the cheap and the colors display strangely. The screens have no brightness/contrast adjustment options. How do I determine the contrast ratio/gamma of these screens so that I can make adjustments to my video files? The LCD screens only accept CF card input (JPG, MPG etc) so calibration software is not an option. I can save JPGs or flat R, G, B and greys onto a CF if needed.

An example of my problem is yellows look almost red and colored (red 14px) type on a white bg is illegible.

I have Spyder2Express at me disposal and could possibly purchase a more useful gadget if it's not too expensive.

Once I have determined in which ways the LCDs are off my plan is to make the adjustments to the movie files in Apple Compressor, but I am open to other alternatives.

Yes, I HAVE TO use these LCD panels.

Help me Portrait my Landscape monitors?

penciltopper — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:52:49 -0800

I want to make my Landscape monitors into Portrait monitors. Help me find a stand, and maybe software? So, hardware: 17" Planar LCD (PL1700) x2
The stands are built-in and only do landscape.
But there are 4 screws in the back for use with a mount (100mmx100mm).

Software, I dunno. Do I need UltraMon or something to make them go Portrait?

I work with document layouts enough that it makes more sense for me to have these be Portrait instead of Landscape. (Being able to switch back and forth would be a plus, tho.) And I just got these, so I don't think they'll spring for two more new monitors that are made to swivel btw. Portrait/Landscape.

I keep them far enough apart (long story) that a dual-monitor arm might not fit right or give me the angles I need. And I don't think my office cube will be able to accomodate two adjustable mounted arms, like an architect's lamp, bolted to the desk. So I'm looking for two independent STANDS to mount them to, not arms.

Looks like I want VESA 100x100 mounts, but all I'm seeing when I search for that are arms, single or dual. I want a base/stand, not an arm. Anyone?

Makeshift production monitor from a computer LCD?

UnnotciedTypo — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:12:52 -0800

Can I use my computer monitor as an HD production monitor? I'm putting together a camera package with a Sony PMW-EX1 camera and a 35mm lens adapter. My budget, however, cannot support a decent professional production monitor (yet). My interim solution (which will be used for focusing, not color/exposure evaluation) is to use my LCD computer monitor instead. Obviously not an ideal solution, but could this possibly work?

It's an older model with only VGA inputs, and I'm using a DVI-to-VGA adapter on it now, as I'm using a newer video card.
The camera (which has yet to arrive) has analog component outputs. The most detailed information I've found states the following:

The EX1 uses the same micro-D-shell connector used by most Sony HDV cameras for analog component outputs, and another micro connector carries stereo analog audio and composite video. Y/C is not provided.

The camera also has an HD-SDI output. My background is in film, so I don't have a good enough handle on video signals to figure this out. Can I convert an HD analog component signal to DVI somehow (which would then be adapted to VGA)? My fear is that this will take an expensive converter box that costs just as much as a real production monitor. Does anyone know if this is true?
Thanks so much, in advance.

Where can I find high-quality LCD monitors in LA?

DoomGerbil — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:53:30 -0800

CRT-Quality LCD monitors: do they exist? Where can I see them in person? My fiancee is looking to replace her aging CRT monitor with an LCD, due to the CRT's habit of flickering and shutting itself off. The problem is that with every LCD she's used , she's hated the color quality and accuracy.

Are there LCD monitors out there that approach the color accuracy of quality CRTs? If so, is there a place in the greater Los Angeles area where we could go see them in person to judge? Since color reproduction and quality is the number one issue here, all of the standard electronics stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's) are out, since all of them that we've been to have been using analog VGA over massive multiplex splitters to display their monitors (result: every monitor looks really really bad).

Please monitor don't blow up...

SpacemanStix — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:01:37 -0800

If I hook a monitor up to two devices (using a different video port for each device), will it be able to tell which one is using it (assuming just one device is on), if I keep both plugged in? And is there any potential harm to the monitor, if it's plugged into two active devices at once? I'm planning to use my LCD monitor for both my computer and a console gaming system. One would utilize the DVI port, and the other the VGA port. I'd like to keep them both hooked up without having to change the connections when I want to use one or the other. Is it reasonable to expect that I'll be able to do this without problems? I'll have all of the required cables to make use of the ports.

I'm assuming that the monitor will be able to tell which device is giving it input, but I'm not super tech savvy. I'm sure this is a question that makes tech people chuckle, but I'd hate to wreck this monitor, for the same reason.

Also, if there is a better that I'm not thinking of here, I'd be happy to hear it.