Found a fix for the MB169B+ Color Issues

[jaewun]

Hi there,

Received an MB169B+ this week and had issues with the color being all messed up and clipping to white when it was subtly grey.

After some research I found the color profiles here

https://displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?p=80603#post80603

It still wasn't perfect. I figured decreasing the contrast of the screen would improve the situation. After googling for that I found that I could decrease the contrast on a Windows computer using BrightScreen and the Windows driver that simulates DDC/DI - and that this would persist through the screens internal hardware.

So I plugged the screen into a Windows machine and ... wow, the colors are fine. None of the washed out high gamma/contrast color problems exist on the Windows driver. I booted up BightScreen and hit save on the default 50% contrast, which from what I've read, saves the 50% contrast profile to the screens internal hardware.

After doing this, all of a sudden the screen looks great in macOS - even better than the color profiles linked above. While not as bright as my Macbook Pro, the colors are at least pretty accurate.

My theory, is that the screen does not have a contrast value set by default, which the Mac driver doesn't bother setting correctly, but the Windows driver handles fine, and then by using BightScreen you are able to set that default value which macOS then obeys. Plugging into the Windows machine then back to the Mac is not enough - the contrast level does not persist unless you save it using BrightScreen.

Hopefully this fixes the color issue for you!

[stfm]

Thanks! It's a hell of a shortcoming of this screen in MacOS.

Is BrightScreen included in the driver? Or a part of Windows? I don't know much about Windows 10... How do I do all the steps, if I can borrow a PC for a moment? I don't want it taking a full night.

Hi there,

Received an MB169B+ this week and had issues with the color being all messed up and clipping to white when it was subtly grey.

After some research I found the color profiles here

https://displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?p=80603#post80603

It still wasn't perfect. I figured decreasing the contrast of the screen would improve the situation. After googling for that I found that I could decrease the contrast on a Windows computer using BrightScreen and the Windows driver that simulates DDC/DI - and that this would persist through the screens internal hardware.

So I plugged the screen into a Windows machine and ... wow, the colors are fine. None of the washed out high gamma/contrast color problems exist on the Windows driver. I booted up BightScreen and hit save on the default 50% contrast, which from what I've read, saves the 50% contrast profile to the screens internal hardware.

After doing this, all of a sudden the screen looks great in macOS - even better than the color profiles linked above. While not as bright as my Macbook Pro, the colors are at least pretty accurate.

My theory, is that the screen does not have a contrast value set by default, which the Mac driver doesn't bother setting correctly, but the Windows driver handles fine, and then by using BightScreen you are able to set that default value which macOS then obeys. Plugging into the Windows machine then back to the Mac is not enough - the contrast level does not persist unless you save it using BrightScreen.

Hopefully this fixes the color issue for you!

[jaewun]

Plug into Windows machine - instantly you should notice a difference in color. Windows will automatically install DisplayLink drivers - however they might not be the latest, so just in case, I'd recommend downloading the latest...


Download and Install the latest drivers for DisplayLink

http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/windows


Download and Install ScreenBright

Info: https://support.displaylink.com/knowledgebase/articles/1096210-usb-monitor-brightness-and-contrast-control-via-sc

Downloadable from: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Other-Desktop-Enhancements/ScreenBright.shtml


Run ScreenBright

The brightness adjustment didn't work for me but the contrast toggle should change your screens contrast immediately. I originally tried to set the lowest contrast thinking that it would be blown out again by macOS, to reach some kind of midpoint, however this wasn't the case, it persisted. So I tried setting it to 50% and now the contrast levels are correct in macOS.

TL;DR: Set contrast to 50%, and click save.


I borrowed a co-workers laptop during lunch break, it didn't take longer than 20-30 minutes (and I was flying blind!)

[stfm]

Thank you very much!

Does anyone know if the Displaylink driver will work in a VM?

[gildebrand]

[LIST=1]
Plug into Windows machine - instantly you should notice a difference in color. Windows will automatically install DisplayLink drivers - however they might not be the latest, so just in case, I'd recommend downloading the latest...


Perfectly! Thank you vary match! It helped me.

[unsyn]

Thank you very much!

Does anyone know if the Displaylink driver will work in a VM?

Yes, I just fixed mine successfully using Virtualbox and a the Windows 10 download from Microsoft. After installing from the Windows iso using the virtual DVD drive, just install the driver and screenbright. Also, you need to add a filter for the mb169+ USB device under this VMs settings, so that MacOS doesn't hold on to it. Then plug in the screen after Windows has started.

Happy it finally got figured out :) Thanks to everyone for their time.

[scpan]

Created an account here just to say thanks for this solution. The colors are still not amazing but at least I can see pastel colors on a white background now. For coding this is a lifesaver since some IDEs use a variety of colors for syntax highlighting and invariably they use some pastels.