No HiDPI after upgrading macOS

[ar7casper]

I've updated (or was forced to) my OS to 26.2 (25C56) a couple of days ago.
Seems like the HiDPI doesn't work.
The fonts are off, and the colors also seem off. Washed off, pale, ugly.

I got 2 external monitors, both are off.
Tried several things, like re installing, re-configuring, etc. Nothing works.
One more thing I've noticed, I had 2 favorites in my Display Mode, both showed up as 'unavailable' after the update.

I reckon it's an issue with versions mismatch.
If you need any help, logs, or anything, lemme know.
I'm a dev, know my way around, just tell me what could help you debug.

[waydabber]

HiDPI should work fine on Tahoe 26.2. From what did you upgrade + can you please describe your setup? Which app version are you using?

[ar7casper]

@waydabber I'm on latest betterdisplay version.
All colors look really bad, very hard to read text, the images on the photo editing program, everything is off.
You might be right about the HiDPI, due to the poor contrast and such, it's very difficult to understand if the fonts are off, or there's anything else that's different.

You asked to describe my setup, what do you mean by that?
Mac, better display, 2 external montiors.
Since the updrade to 26.2, I can't look at the monitors. it's very hard to read.

BTW, not sure why closed and converted to a discussion, it's an issue.
The software doesn't do what it should.

** Update: **
I nuked better display.
unnstalled, removed any ref to any files, cache, prefs, etc.
then re-installed, seems like 'ts better now

[funforums]

For the colors - you should keep in mind that your screen may be running in YCrCb instead of RGB. Check the Colour Mode - that should solve the washed out colours at least. For the sharpness in HiDPI, see discussion below...

[waydabber]

Hi @ar7casper - I just moved this to discussions for better visibility as others may have a similar issue. Also, the issue was not actionable in a way that it points to an app bug (the Issues category is reserved for feature requests and bugs in this repo), but a configuration issue.

I'd need the Mac model (generic "Mac" is not enough), and the macOS version you did have before upgrading. Also, some screenshots of current settings or photos of the issue might help.

As a general answer, if you have image issues, you can try the following:

• Reset display system settings using the app: https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Safe-mode,-app-reset,-app-removal#reset-display-system-settings-from-the-app.
• Changing color mode in the Color Mode menu (If you see YCbCr and 4:2:2 or 4:2:0, you'll have clarity issues - try RGB).
• Use "Image Adjustments" to change screen colors.
• If you don't have HiDPI after the upgrade, re-run setup for flexible scaling. https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Fully-scalable-HiDPI-desktop
• Make sure the display is configured correctly by checking its OSD (contrast, sharpness, color settings etc).

Hope this helps.

[funforums]

Hi, Tahoe 26.3 here. I have also apparently lost the ability to use hidpi on my screen. It used to be possible to use hidpi at 3840x1600x120Hz in RGB 8bit for me (lower frequency and bitrate than it generally can reach, whichi is 144Hz) - but now this is gone too and BetterDisplay Pro forces me to go all the way down to 75 Hz for Hidpi, which is unacceptable and just looks terrible... Tried to reset all screens and reboot - still no chance. Flexible scaling approaches the native resolution with hidpi, but it is also not great looking...
I find the documentation also terribly incorrect when it specifies that "it makes no sense to run hidpi at native resolution" as it looks absolutely different from Lodpi - a problem which only MacOS seems to have, and more importantly, something that is instead possible at lower frequencies, and used to be possible at higher frequencies too.

[waydabber]

Ok so you have the native resolution at HiDPI but not with the right refresh rate @funforums? If so, you can try holding SHIFT when opening the Refresh Rate menu and see if you have the option to do a low level switch the desired refresh rate.

[funforums]

Hi, gladly. Find the requested files attached:
connectionlist.txt
modelist.txt

[waydabber]

Ok, So I see that only these two options are available in the standard modelist:

155 - 3840x1600 HiDPI 75Hz 10bpc Current 
156 - 3840x1600 HiDPI 60Hz 10bpc 

So if you are running 3840x1600 at 144Hz, then you are using the unexposed refresh rate option (the ones with the wave in the icon in the Refresh Rate menu). These are normally not available in macOS.

[funforums]

Ah yes - I confirm this. I think I understand now a bit better what is going on.

When I disable Configuration Protection (starting from scratch, let's say) and select the preset 3840x1600x144Hz configuration, the refresh rates show the knob icon. I set RGB 8 bit, then I activate HiDPI, and it forces me to a lower resolution. In this way, if I want HiDPI, I need to set 75 Hz and so when I activate HiDPI, it does not lower my resolution (but now the screen runs at 75 Hz). In this configuration, only now I see the wave options (unexposed) and can pick 144 Hz.

The unexposed frequencies only show up when I have all other pieces in place - resolution, 8 bit, HiDPI, and frequency at 75 Hz. When in this setup, now i can pick 144Hz unexposed.

If I set the resolution and frequency (144 Hz) first, and then I try to enable HiDPI, it will just force a lower resolution rather than switch to an unexposed option which keeps all my selections, and will not inform/show me that there is a way to keep all my selections. If from the lower resolution I increase the resolution again, then I am back to the previous step and there is no way I can get it done without setting all pieces in place at 75 Hz as described before.

I guess it is a result of having to set all of these one at a time in some order - there is only one order which allows you to achieve what I need, and you need to be in a setup where everything including HiDPI is set, for BetterDisplay to inform/show you that there is an unexposed refresh rate that you can set together with all your current settings, which allows you to keep HiDPI.

Does that make sense? I hope my attempt at explaining this wasn't too messy.
Cheers

[waydabber]

Yes, first you need to set the desired resolution at 60Hz (or 75Hz) and switch the connection to 144Hz. This will work and retains the higher framebuffer resolution. Normally macOS would not allow this.

[funforums]

I guess in the past I was able to use this exact sequence in some lucky way - i remember i struggled to get it to work and I was happy I could enable configuration protection to just keep it like that. I had blamed the 144Hz being unstable and settled for 120Hz. Today I failed to reproduce the same steps.

I am thinking if there is a way to somehow make it clear to the user; without this discussion, I think I would have never figured this order out. In the meantime, thanks for your help and for the great tool itself - now I am able to run HiDPI at native and 144Hz albeit with a somewhat cumbersome sequence, which I won't need to repeat because it is saved to Configuration Protection again :-)

Cheers