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Guide: HiDPI for Mac Mini powered HDTVs (requires 10.7.3)

ElectronGuru

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I don't get to play with computers as much these days, so I can't not share this week's discovery. This applies only to folks running a Mac Mini through an HDTV via HDMI. Traditional desktop Macs and laptops won't see an advantage without new hardware. And Windows users may already have such capability, so this does not apply there either.

Background: Apple's latest i devices have something called Retina displays. This is just marketing for panels with 4x the resolution, but the effect is stunning. They are apparently working on a Mac version, because they've built into a 10.7.3 a new monitor mode called HiDPI. In the future, this will compress apparent pixels, making everything sharper. In the present, this enlarges content at the expense of work space.

Problem: So why does this matter now? Here's a view of a 1080p desktop, showing a few browser windows:

2e6aexv.png



Its fine if you're 2 feet from the screen and can see all the detail. But in an TV viewing setup, most everything (other than video) is impossibly small. You can make some things larger or constantly zoom in and out, but its slow and looks bad. So you end up using an entire computer setup just for video.

Solution: Open the Display preferences on 10.7.3, however, and you've got new options:
zbjaf.png


Anything in the list with HiDPI will set the apparent resolution to the numbers shown and sharpen everything within reach of the system to, 4x the sharpness. So what does that look like?:

xc6vqf.png



Its hard to see the clarity of this sample with only 800 pixels, so here's a cropped sample:

2142wbl.png



Text, apple icons/cursors, everything in reach of the OS that is not bitmapped is rendered to the full resolution of the screen. And at an apparent size that is comfortable for reading at 20 feet away. With an app like Safari set to full screen, its like having a 4ft wide iPod, everything just pops.

Limitations: software not aware of this new mode will render at the smaller DPI, so VLC (for example) will show HD content at the apparent resolution (960x540 in my case). But there is a work around. A program called SwitchResX allows you to assign resolutions per application. So you can setup HiDPI globally (All applications), then 1080p or 1080i for those apps like VLC that need it.
 
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hiDPI is indeed pretty cool, for now. True raster independent rendering will be nice some day. I'm visually handicapped and really need it to get the most out of dual 30" dispays. It's good to see its been exposed in the recent update. Great post, thanks! My mini is in the entertainment console too. ;)
 
Does SwitchResX allow to create a custom HiDPI resolution? I have a 1080p native res. HDTV hooked with 2011 Mac Mini, and the only HiDPI resolution it offers is 960x540(HiDPI) - 1/2 of the TV's native resolution. I would like to set it to 1280x720(HiDPI).

Thanks in advance!
 

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