MacBook Air M1 displayed text on monitor soft/blurry.

[leftthestage]

I am connecting a MacBook Air M1 laptop to HP Series 5 23.8 inch monitor using USB-C to HDMI adaptor and the HDMI cable that came with the monitor.  Despite trying all variations of resolutions on both the laptop and the monitor the displayed text on the external monitor is soft/blurry.  This is both Extended display mode and 'Mirror displays' setting. Text on laptop screen is super sharp, the text on external monitor soft/blurry slightly pixellated, impossible to work with.  I have been able to try out several different MacBook Air laptops and several HP Series 5 23.8 inch monitors (I bought 4 at the same time for the charity I work for) and result is the same.  Even though it is a 1920x1080 monitor, the text is not sharp and appears lower resolution.

Has anyone experienced this?  I see some postings on Apple forums from a few years back talking about this, but I'm amazed it's not more widely discussed/known about.  thanks

[Raj_05]

Hi @leftthestage,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

The issue you're experiencing with blurry or soft text when connecting your MacBook Air M1 to the HP Series 5 23.8-inch FHD monitor is somewhat common due to macOS's rendering on non-Retina displays. Here are a few potential solutions and considerations to improve the text clarity.

Adjust Display Settings in macOS

macOS is optimized for Retina displays, and when used with non-Retina (1080p) monitors, it may not render text as sharply. You can try to adjust these settings:

• Scaled Resolution: Go to System Settings > Displays and select the HP monitor. Under the resolution options, choose Scaled and test different scaling options. Sometimes, choosing a resolution close to 1080p but scaled down slightly improves clarity.
• Enable Font Smoothing: In System Settings > Accessibility > Display, turn on "Increase contrast" and see if it improves sharpness. You can also try enabling font smoothing by running the following Terminal command:

defaults write -g CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool NO

• Then log out and back in for it to take effect.

Use USB-C to DisplayPort (instead of HDMI)

Sometimes, the USB-C to HDMI adapters can degrade the quality of the image, especially on text rendering. The HDMI protocol can cause blurriness in certain cases on macOS. Using a USB-C to DisplayPort cable can often result in sharper text and overall display quality compared to HDMI. If possible, try using this type of connection for better compatibility and clarity.

Calibration

• Display Calibration: In System Settings > Displays, click on the Color tab for the HP monitor and try adjusting or calibrating the display manually to improve sharpness and clarity.

Verify HDMI Cable Quality

While the HDMI cable that came with the monitor should generally work fine, it could still be a factor. If possible, try a higher-quality or certified 4K HDMI cable to ensure there are no signal quality issues.

Firmware Update (if available)

Check if there's a firmware update for the monitor from HP. Some monitor manufacturers release firmware updates that can improve compatibility with different systems.

Test with Different Monitor Models

Since you've already tested with several HP Series 5 monitors and found the same issue, it may be worth testing the MacBook with a different brand or higher-resolution monitor (such as a QHD or 4K monitor) to confirm that the issue is specific to 1080p displays.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[leftthestage]

Hello Alden4,

Thank you for your suggestions.  I have tried most of them but without any significant improvements. I don't have any other monitors (UHD etc) to test with

Unfortunately because the monitor only takes HDMI input I cannot test the display port adaptor suggestion.

I need to ask colleagues who have the same MacBook Air/monitor set up (they are in a different office in a different city in the UK) to try some of the suggestions.  Also to try different USB-C - to HDMI adaptors, but that seems a bit hit and miss.

I think my next step is to get back in touch with HP and see what the options might be for returning or exchanging the monitors.  We really can't work very well with the image quality as it is.  Ideally it would be good to trial using a monitor that had USB-C input if HP do that. Are you able to advise on which department I should try to contact initially?

Thanks

Mike Jones

Film and Video Umbrella (Arts Charity), London

[Raj_05]

Hi @leftthestage,

Thank you for your response, 

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action.

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Alden4

HP Support