Unable to find 5120x1440 resolution for panoramic screen on MacBook Air M2

ScottMcG2069 wrote:

I tried using a j5 create adapter with a HDMI cord to connect to my Decogear 49 inch monitor.

Which J5Create adapter? Some of the adapters on the J5Create site use native hardware video output; others use the DisplayLink "workaround" – but I don't see any that support resolutions higher than 3840x2160 pixels.

J5Create – Display Adapters

A lot of USB-C adapters have 3840x2160 pixels as their upper resolution limit, so even changing adapters might not help you here. Your Mac can drive a 5K or 6K display – but that's over Thunderbolt.

If your Mac was one that could drive two external displays, and your monitor was one that could accept "left and right" 2560x1440 signals, you could try running two display connections from the Mac, one for each side of the screen, and telling the Mac to treat the two "displays" as an extended desktop. But your Mac has a limit of one external display, so even if this approach is supported by the monitor, your Mac wouldn't support it.

I also tried using an HDMI as well as a DPI cord through my anker 563 adapter. Neither is very clear.

That's a USB-C dock (Anker – Anker 563 USB-C Docking Station (10-in-1)). It has three display outputs, which implies that it must be driving at least some of them using a second-class "workaround" (like DisplayLink) – or in ways that Macs do not support (DisplayPort MST). Now I'm seeing that one of the slides on the Anker site refers to installing the DisplayLink driver – so the second-class "workaround" approach it is.

I have no idea whether you would be able to get away with a "two connections" to the display approach.

Given that size and resolution, the monitor has a pixel density of about 108.5 PPI - roughly the same as that of a 27” 2560x1440 pixel monitor. So even if you can find a way to run it at 5120x1440 resolution, don’t expect Retina type sharpness.

What monitor is this, and how, exactly are you connecting it to the Mac? Please list any adapters or hubs / docks that are between the Mac and the display.

Decogear has a couple of 49 inch monitors. This is the one that has the resolution you mentioned. (They call it a 5K monitor even though 5K monitors like the 27" Apple Studio Display have 5120x2880 pixels.)

Deco Gear – 49” 5K Monitor

The 120 Hz refresh rate is not going to reduce the bandwidth requirements for making a connection, although I'd guess that the monitor can run at lower refresh rates.

It has a HDMI v2.1 input, a DisplayPort v1.4 input, and a USB-C input. There is mention of "Picture in Picture" and "Picture by Picture", so you might be able to run two cables (one HDMI, one DP) from the Anker dock to this monitor, and use it with one side being refreshed at 60 Hz and the other possibly at 30 Hz. I do not see an online manual, so you'll need to dive into the manual "included in the box."

I don’t know that you are going to be able to get 5120x1440 from a single USB-C (DisplayPort) connection, given the 3840x2160 limit of most adapters.

That monitor doesn’t understand Thunderbolt, so that’s out.

That leaves the”two video connections” / “picture by picture” approach - but your M2 MacBook Air only supports one external monitor.

MAC BOOK AIR

OSCARHERCHEL wrote:

MAC BOOK AIR

Did you have anything to say about the OP's problem?