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Old 05-17-2021, 05:08 PM   #1
zcutlip
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Default Lack of available resolutions on Big Sur M1 Macs

There've been quite a few posts on the lack of 2K (and now with Big Sur 11.3.1, 4K) resolutions on M1 Macs. Some of the answers are along the lines of "we can't support resolutions your display doesn't support," so I wanted to share some evidence that there's more to the problem than that.

I have two identical 27" LG 4K displays. One is connected directly
via HDMI to my Thunderbolt dock. The other is connected through a DisplayLink adapter from Plugable. I'll share exact model numbers below. I connected three different MacBooks to the dock, and took screenshots of their available display resolutions. I'm including screenshots that show that the problem isn't with the display capabilities, since both are identical, and also that the lack of display resolutions is especially a problem on the M1 Macs.

In each screenshot is the Displays preference pane showing a list of available resolutions. The display that is directly connected has a full set of available resolutions. The display connected through DisplayLink has only a few available resolutions.
The first is on my M1 MacBook Pro. It has very few resolutions on the DisplayLink adapter, including no 2K or 4K options.

The second screenshot shows my Intel MacBook Pro (May 2020 model). On the DisplayLink adapter we have several more available resolutions including 2K and 4K, though still not the full set of resolutions available on the direct connection.

The third screenshot shows my Intel MacBook Air (March 2020). The set of available resolutions matches that of the Intel MacBook Pro; 2K & 4K available on both displays, but the DisplayLink side is still missing a few.

Note that on the M1 DisplayLink adapter there are only three resolutions to choose from, topping out at 1920x1080. This DisplayLink adapter isn't really serving a useful purpose for me without the additional display resolutions. I may end up disconnecting it and uninstall the DisplayLink software, and figure out another solution.

I hope these screenshots help call attention to the nature of the problem and help get it fixed.

2x LG Displays: LG 27UD68P-B
Plugable DisplayLink adapter: USBC-6950UE
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Old 05-18-2021, 12:24 PM   #2
Sambroggs
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Unhappy Exactly the same here without M1

I am using an old macbook without M1, but I have exactly the same problem: Resolutions and Color Profiles are not supported. A huge pain, as I can only use my display in UHD mode, which slows the laptop down a lot..
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Old 05-22-2021, 12:28 PM   #3
ctrlshiftba
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I have two different Macs, an M1 Mac Mini and a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro and 1920 is that max I can achieve on either device. I can't get 1920 scaled mode to work and it looks horrible on a 27 inch 4k. I have a dell d3100 docking station, it says it supports 4k and I have it plugged into the display port output of the display link.
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Old 05-22-2021, 10:20 PM   #4
tommiy
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Like yourself I've noticed there is a distinct lack of resolution modes available on the M1 compared to intel MACs via displaylink. For comparison, I have a LG 27inch (27UK850) connected via USB from an elgato thunderbolt dock. Both Intel mac and M1 are running Display Manager 1.3. On the Intel Mac I plug in and I have many HiDPI options to chooe from but typically I used 2560x1440. If I unplug the Intel and plug in the M1 I only get 4 resolution and non-past 1920x1080. I'll do an exact comparison and post today. Using scaled on the M1 I still can not get 2560x1440. If I use RDM I can but the fonts are all washed out and blurry. No way you could spend 8hrs a day in front of it.

I'm considering returning the M1 as without it doing dual displays there is no real way of getting a clear 2 display solution because the display link option seems to only work if you want really large 1920x1080 screens which sadly is not what I am looking for.
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Old 05-22-2021, 11:32 PM   #5
tommiy
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Here is my findings from my 2 Macs. In fact I'm thinking of returning the M1. The external hardware here is identical with an elgato thunderbolt3 dock and a dell 6000 connected to it.

2017 Mac Pro HiDPI resolutions of the LG 27UK850 on Catalina 10.15.7
3840x2160
2560x1440
2048x1152
1920x1080
1600x900
1280x720

I unplug the 2017 MBP and plug in M1 running 11.2.3 and I get
3840x2160
1920x1080
1600x900
1280x720

The M1 is 4 days old and i simply can not work at 3840x2160 everything is just to small. The 2 other resolutions above 1920 are missing on the M1. I've also not upgraded to later BigSur releases because I saw Displaylink messages stating that potentially the 3840 would also disappear. I suspect the issues here are probably at Apples end and either the OS or hardware. I'm not sure that Displaylink will be able to overcome these problems. Hence I'll probably send the M1 back just prior to the return period expiring. Seems my Intel Mac is superior for every day work irrespective of how fast a M1 may be......if you need multiple monitors it seems that the M1 is not the device for you.
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Old 05-23-2021, 03:59 AM   #6
tommiy
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On the surface it appears that displaylink only offers the resolution from the monitor edid and specifically the CEA data block. For my case the display resolutions offered match the edid data.
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Old 06-04-2021, 05:13 PM   #7
zcutlip
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After updating to macOS 11.4 and DisplayLink Manager 1.4, It does offer 4K now (3840x2160).

However, the best HiDPI scaled resolution it offers on my M1 MacBook Pro is 1920x1080. So this isn't much of an improvement for me.
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Old 06-04-2021, 07:44 PM   #8
christianhopkins
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Default M1 Macbook Air

Hi All,

I've been monitoring the various threads while suffering the same symptoms. I have the Mac device listed above (have had it for 3 weeks) connecting to a Kensington DL device. I immediately updated my OS to Big Sur 11.3 before connecting any devices. But I've had the issues everyone describes from the outset (I believe the issue is with the Mac OS and changes associated with it).

If I connect my monitor to the DisplayLink device (via DisplayPort) the resolution drops to 1920 x 1080.

If I connect my monitor straight to the Macbook (DisplayPort to USB-C, the native resolution is 3440 x 1440.

Right now I have Big Sur 11.4 and DL 1.4.0

I've also used HDMI rather than DP, with zero change.

I'm sure it will get sorted eventually, but thought I'd throw my config up for support to review.
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Old 06-23-2021, 09:04 AM   #9
oztrip
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This is a duplicate of the older post. DisplayLink has very limited resolution selection and most of them are very low resolutions which does not work well on the modern monitors.

For some of us this is a key feature.

Older post link: Missing Resolutions
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Old 06-23-2021, 09:12 AM   #10
oztrip
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On another hand Max OS Monterey Bata is here. Someone with M1 could test it as I guess there is loads of dual monitor support features. Multi monitor limitation to me is a deliberate issue from Apple as Mac Mini M1 can handle dual screens nativity. I wouldn’t be surprised Apple quietly added support for it.

Last edited by oztrip; 06-23-2021 at 09:17 AM.
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