Surface Pro 4 Incompatibility with Ultra-wide Monitor

Anonymous
2016-04-12T04:59:50+00:00

Last year I had purchased a brand new Samsung 29" ultra-wide curved LED monitor S29E790C to use with my older Surface Pro 2, and it worked like a charm. I would have it set to only display on the external display, and the graphics ran smoothly. However, much to my dismay, when I bought a brand new Surface Pro 4 (256 GB, i5, 8GB RAM model), the external monitor will, under no circumstance, adjust the native resolution properly.

The maximum option available is the 1920 x 1080 (recommended), and it's getting pretty frustrating trying to multitask using a 21:9 monitor with fat 3" black bars on either side of the active display area. I am using a regular Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter cable, which I have eliminated as the cause of the issue -- tried swapping it out with the other 4 identical ones I have as backups. I have heard tales of others experiencing the same exact issue with the newest design of the Surface moving to a 4:3 resolution in later models. Any input is appreciated.

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2016-10-13T12:16:05+00:00

Here is my current status for connecting my ultra wide Samsung monitor to my Surface Book /Surface Dock:  

I ordered 2 cables for testing - one cable is a mini display port to display port; and the second is an active mini display port to HDMI.  My monitor has a display port and 2 HDMI interfaces.  

The first cable I received was the mini display port to display port and when I connected this it was a complete and immediate success!!  The monitor switched over right away and had the correct resolution of 2560x1080.  To say I was happy was an understatement.  I installed the monitor drivers for the display port and all is as it should be.

The second cable I received was the active mini display port to HDMI.  I disconnected the display port cable and plugged in this new cable and I had the same issue as with the passive mini display port to HDMI meaning it would not recognize the higher resolution so the monitor and my surface both stayed black.  All of this was the same exact issue as before.  I am not sure if the current monitor drive installed was interfering, but honestly, was not about to make more changes at this point.  I went through the typical reboot, reset the surface dock, etc, but no luck.

If you only have an HDMI port, it may be worth trying the active mini display port to see if that will work.  For my configuration, the display port seems to work the best.

Was this answer helpful?

20+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2016-04-23T22:50:42+00:00

IT WORKED! 

I used the display port on my LG Ultra Wide (29UM55-P), instead of HDMI, and connected it to the mini display port on the Surface Pro 4 and now I have the native resolution (2560 x 1080) again on my LG.  Looks fantastic!

Here is the cable I used:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Compatible/dp/B00C7RJQPY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref\_=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o00\_s00

If you have a monitor that is not working with HDMI-to-MiniDisplayPort adaptors on the Surface Pro 4 I recommend going display port with cable.

Good luck all!

Was this answer helpful?

10+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

47 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-02-26T21:14:54+00:00

    I think he is out of luck with the HDMI ... I didn't even try to get them to address that simply because of the fact it took months for them to finally get a connection using DVI to DVI from a single dock port.  

    That brings up what I think may be a related issue--audio.  Did your DVI have audio?  There has been a longer standing issue with HDMI audio than there has been with its video connections.

    BTW I am well aware that there is seeming disinterest in providing a proper "fix" for these problems.  My interest is in trying to find expediently the most satisfactory workaround possible and try to understand why it would be so.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-26T17:54:15+00:00

    Robert,

    I spent months working through my top tier contact who interfaced with engineering.  To be honest, it simply was not a priority to them.  It is a know problem.  It occurs with the SP4, probably the current SP, and the Surface Book.  Using the recommended DVI cable, my Surface Pro 4 finally worked properly but only on one of the DVI output ports on the dock.  They even sent me a fully updated dock to use, but still I only got the proper resolution, and non-flicker, on one of the two outputs ( which are supposed to be identical ).  It's not about refresh rates.  I think he is out of luck with the HDMI ... I didn't even try to get them to address that simply because of the fact it took months for them to finally get a connection using DVI to DVI from a single dock port.  

    I have to be honest here ... if it is not of interest ( fun ) to the engineers, forget it.  I say this after 36 years of experience with MSFT, and developing software on their platforms for the entire time.  The current generation of "engineers" are not like the guys who made the company great ... they are far more interested in AI and new ideas rather than stability, QC, and support.  My clients all run their businesses on Windows systems, and they are incredibly frustrated with the disruptions caused by the updates and instabilities introduced.  

    My suggestion is to stick with the desktop/ultra wide combination and forget trying to get the SP4 to link.  It's just going to continue to yield frustration without a fix forthcoming.  The Surface line "is what it is" ... good for what works, and not worth the frustration of trying to extend it.

    Tim

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-26T17:21:11+00:00

    was able to install Intel's Graphics Control Panel.

    The point was that it has a Refresh rate drop down list.  Did you try to use it to set a different Refresh rate and did that show you a different set of Resolution capabilities?  Also I would be curious if Intel's tool detects any Advanced capability for your built-in display.  It explains that mine doesn't support any advanced settings but mine is only a Surface 2 Pro.  Otherwise it looks as if you could have some scaling options to try fiddling with.  Presumably that could help with your "stretched out" symptom.

    HTH

    Robert

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments