MAX2 HDMI not useable: wrong display resolution

Could you provide a monitor profile for Windows? Because as other users have noted, Windows doesn’t manage to set or offer the native resolution. Thanks

Hi Andy, as I mentioned before, the screen’s aspect ratio of our Max 2 is 4:3, but usually the aspect ratio of PC is 16:9, so when use second monitor function, we need to set the resolution presented on the Max 2 for a better display performance. Currently, our Max 2 can not automatically adapt the computer resolution,but you only have to set the resolution when using the second monitor for the first time, next time it will autimatically adapt the computer resolution.

Thanks, just to clarify, I have not been able to set it to its native resolution in Windows 10 64 bit pro.
2200x1650 or 1650x2200.

Both 1024x768, 1400x1050 and 2104x1560 works for me (but not 2200x1650). Although if one sets the scale factor (I used 200% for 2104x1560) one get about the same information density, so no real benefit of higher setting.

The problem is that the scaled resolution is is not as crisp as it could be, hence a waste of good hardware.

if one sets the scale factor (I used 200% for 2104x1560) one get about the same information density, so no real benefit of higher setting

Not correct in general terms, maybe just contextual to one setting of Microsoft Windows (which in fact I have seen occasionally terribly messy when it comes to scaling) - which means you have another problem, this relevant to MS Windows.

If you set (when possible) a resolution of 2200x1650, like the native one the EPD display, and set up your visual features accordingly - e.g. 200% dpi fonts, you get a perfectly crisp rendering.

If you instead set a resolution of even 2104x1560, which is ~90% of the actual area, the screen is enlarged and everything becomes (slightly) blurry. The difference is immense, “a softened picture instead of a sharp illustration” - very evident when you compare the rendering of native android applications vs the rendering of the Monitor application.

Andy is correct.

The problem is that the scaled resolution is is not as crisp as it could be, hence a waste of good hardware

I somehow overlooked this thread, only read it today. You are absolutely correct.
I also requested being able to use 2200x1650 resolution
(HDMI Monitor - 1:1 resolution, 2200x1650 for Max2)
and, by the way, the ability to use it as portrait
(HDMI Monitor - portrait)

You are right, if we get a more crisp picture we may not need to put as large scale.
I afraid that the e-paper will not be crisp enough to use 1 pixel wide lines in fonts (as on LCD), and you need to set a big font or scale.
I meant the “same information density” in the sense of “same small amount of code lines” in the example of code editing. But more sharp picture would be great even in that case!

Currently, our Max 2 can not automatically adapt the computer resolution

Hi Afra, the problem is not that the desktop OS retrieves the resolution correctly (I think it does receive what the Max2 sends, which is 2104x1560), the problem is that we cannot set the “correct” resolution: 2200x1650. Not on MS-Windows, apparently, and not on Ubuntu. The maximum we are getting is 2104x1560.

If we do not set the resolution to the native one, the rendering gets slightly blurry (which somehow reduces the benefit of EPD, which is most useful when it is sharp) - this is why it’s a problem. (If I understand correctly, Windows may then benefit from “changing the theme” instead of “setting a scale factor”, to overcome its own blurriness - but I do not really know in depth how recent Windows versions work.)

I afraid that the e-paper will not be crisp enough to use 1 pixel wide lines in fonts (as on LCD), and you need to set a big font or scale

You may want to use a “theme” that shows enlarged windows features (e.g. scrollbars), high contrast and big fonts (MS-Windows did have a DPI setting). This is not zooming! Zooming will blur the result.
E-ink displays are immensely crisp. Just check your native Android application. Your desktop viewed through the Monitor should look like that.

I meant the “same information density” in the sense of “same small amount of code lines” in the example of code editing. But more sharp picture would be great even in that case!

Well yes, you can read the same page on dry paper and on wet paper, and they contain the same information, but you want to read the dry sheet ; )

Can one of the programmers/systems engineers responsible for the Max 2 software write a monitor profile for Windows and/or tweak the software on the Onyx Max 2 so that the Onyx Max 2 works at full resolution over HDMI? These discussions appear to go around and around without any systems engineers or programmers actually reading these posts.

tweak the software on the Onyx Max 2 so that the Onyx Max 2 works at full resolution over HDMI

I suspect the point to correct is in the Onyx firmware, not in any Android application. It should be in the EDID, as per the post from Inudaisho.
I think it is the EDID communicating something like “max res.: 2104x1560”, and your desktop following, instructing your graphics card to stick to that (I think).

@mdp you are correct that it is in the ‘firmware’, but all of that firmware is managed by the Max 2 programmers, they control everything on the system.

all of that firmware is managed by the Max 2 programmers, they control everything on the system

That’s what I meant: I am pretty sure only Onyx can fix that.
(Additional software, the applications - we could have probably taken action ourselves.)

Microsoft says that it’s possible to fix the blurriness issue by overriding the EDID. See here: Microsoft: Fix HDMI resolution by overriding EDID
Did anyone try this solution succesfully?

Linux has a similar feature, the Max 2 PRO freezes when setting the correct resolution. It seems you would also want to overhaul the graphics interpolation if you go this route, as greys do not show as an even color in any resolution. Perhaps we need a different refresh rate in this case.

I bought this device as an external monitor ages ago and it looks like a total failure in that regard.

Would love to hear more ideas on fixing this, perhaps trough some Android app or by ripping out the display and controlling it through another drive? I did not research Open Source drivers for e-ink displays.

Bumping this. Is there any other progress on this topic? Has BOOX released any updates? I could not override the EDID and have the reader work correctly and support does not seem to be sufficiently technical to understand the problem.

Have open source drivers been released by accident?

@madnificent This is not an exact reply to your comment, but @mzan had a good workaround at the top of this thread - to use a VNC client. I just tried the Google Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android on my Max2Pro after installing the Chrome Remote Desktop host app on my MacBook and the result is very crisp, better than anything I’ve tried so far.

Thank you for the motivating words. They have led me to effectively use the display.

I have been playing around with VNC as a workaround and the display is nice and crisp in that case. Setup as an extra display is quite a pain and the connection is not as stable as a regular HDMI connection would be.

I have executed the VNC approach in the past with other eink readers and I’m using it now on the Max2 Pro. It is quite a hassle to set up and it is not as stable as should be. The VNC approach proves this display should be on par with the Dasung Paperlike. The current state does not allow me to let others experience the virtue of an eink display nor do I look forward to bringing it outdoors for some joyous work outdoors.

I consider it a workaround to some extent, but not a real solution. I’m not looking forward to switching computers.

This seems to have been fixed in the version before 6.0.1 and got broken in 6.0.1 again. Hence it is possible. Does anyone have a way to flash back the previous version? It was great for the few times I used it.

I don’t mind using adb for flashing an older version if that’s possible and I don’t mind losing all data on the device.