Monitor-Mode on PC and Mac

MAX2 SERIES
#1

Hi there! I bought the Onyx Boox Max 2 to use it as a monitor for writing text on my PC and MacBook Pro; my eyes can’t handle LCDs anymore … If the image quality if the Boox would be like it is in the handheld mode, perfect, but unfortunately the image quality in monitor-mode is pretty bad. Weird structures of grey over the whole screen and not clear at all. A smaller resolution makes it a bit better to read, but the image stays the same. I have been searching the internet for a solution, but found nothing. Is there a ‘monitor profile’ for Mac and PC or a tool to get the same kind of contrast in monitor-mode like in handheld-mode? I am not sure if I am willing to 800€ for this, if I can’t get a good image in monitor mode. …

Best!
Mike

#2

This is a known problem The resolution that the Max2 reports to the PC over HDMI does not match the actual resolution of the screen.

We’ve been complaining about this for months, but they have not included a fix for this in any patch yet. If you can override the detected resolution with the actual resolution, I believe that it works.

#3

I did try as well to connect Max2 with an iMac via an HDMI Adapter, but it doesn’t work properly because Onyx did not optimised the e-reader with macOS X. Namely one could see the desktop image, but not the programmes running on it (e.g. Word Office, Safari, Google Chrome etc.). Moreover, in order to see and manage the content on Max2 from a Mac computer, one has to install the application Android File Transfer. Needless to say this is an unhappy solution…

Connecting MAx2 with a Windows machine is functioning, but, as you said the quality of the image is low (because they sacrifice it via A2 rendering for a better flow). Though take into consideration that the monitor function of the e-reader follows to functions: a) to facilitate reading long texts for long hours, and b) to help those having to write for long intervals daily texts/mails on their PCs. This technology cannot render movies or complicated graphics for the time being.

In conclusion, the monitor-Mode on Mac has been indeed neglected by Onyx, and they should take care of this aspect. As for your expectations regarding the rendering quality, they might be too high.

#4

Even though it is not the same, as an alternative you could try to write directly on the Max2 using a writing tool. Then you can use gdrive, dropbox or other means to transfer files to the Mac.
For writing, you can consider Kingsoft Office or, it it fits for you, one of the many markdown editors available for android.

The biggest advantage is that you can work without the Mac and copy the files to the Mac when done.

my 2 cents.

#5

Thanks for your reply! This is not a bad idea actually. I wish I would have heard this idea earlier, because I have given the Max 2 back to Amazon yesterday, since it seems to be not the right device for me.

Is it possible to import Word-Dokuments into the Boox to work on them with a Bluetooth keyboard and then copy them back into the PC?

I bought it to use it as a monitor when writing longer text, but that is not really a working function of the device, even though it gets sold like it. The Max 2 is JUST a very big and expensive ebook reader, not a monitor. expected. :wink:

Best!
Mike

#6

I have never tried, but from the Kingsoft Office website I can see that it supports Words documents.
Of course, as all converters, the results may vary depending on the complexity of the document.
About the image quality: did you try the A2 mode?

In general, even though it could be better, I think that if you need to spend many hours writing and reviewing documents, the Max2 is much better of a LCD monitor, in spite of all its limitations.

#7

Just a few additional lines as I’m using the Boox primarily as a “productivity” tool: for writing, sketching and as a pc monitor everytime I use a pc (can’t stand LCD displays as well), I almost never use it as a reader, and it does the job pretty good for me.
My experience is only on Windows, so can’t really say anything about Mac.

  1. about ease of reading with bad contrast/artifacts: if I understand the issue, this is caused by the reduction to 16 shades of gray, which is of course problematic to retain visibility on all color combinations in webpages/applications. A possible solution to improve contrast in monitor mode is using “Desktop Lighter” (or equivalent software), a free pc application to tune down brightness, since this doesn’t tune down the monitor brightness but the screen RGB, it carries over to the Boox, so you can play with different brightness and have the dark-white turn into grey and optimize visibility
  2. I’m using a self-made application to write directly on the boox, it fits my needs, however I occasionally edit on Word and Boox in monitor mode, have no issue with that - what’s the issue with writing in monitor mode? Perhaps it’s Mac-specific

I’m sorry if this reply gets too late, but thumbs up for my Boox experience with document creation so far :slight_smile: