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
    2016-10-13T12:51:58+00:00

    I have had the same issue. I have a Samsung S34E790 at home and a HPZ34C at work. I have both the Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4. The Surface Pro 3 are able to deliver 3440x1440 with a miniDP to HDMI, but the Surface Pro 4 cannot do it. It does not matter what adapter you are using. Or actually it can, if you install other drivers for the graphics card directly from Intel you can get 3440x1440 but only with 30hz refresh rate. The only way to get full resolution with a good refresh rate on the Surface Pro 4 is to use the display port.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2016-10-11T00:43:45+00:00

    thanks, please reply if successful!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2016-10-10T10:47:59+00:00

    If you only have an HDMI port, try an active mini Display Port to HDMI cable.  I found this information below.  I have been struggling with an ultra-wide Samsung  29" LS29E790.  I have the below cable on order and I have the Display Port to mDP on order.  Will see which one works.

    Surface Dock

    If you experience issues when you connect passive video signal adapters to the Surface Dock, Microsoft recommends that you use active video signal converters instead. StarTech.com offers an active video signal converter for DVI monitors (MDP2DVIS) and for HDMI monitors (MDP2HD4KS).

    What is the difference between a passive and active DisplayPort converter?

    When you convert video from a source that uses DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort to DVI or HDMI (for example, a computer to a monitor), you will need to consider the difference between passive and active adapters.

    If the source supports dual-mode DisplayPort (also known as DP++), then you can use a passive adapter because the source can perform the conversion. If the source does not support DP++, then you need to use an active converter, which includes additional chips to perform the conversion.

    Thunderbolt ports support DP++ natively. To run multiple monitors from the same computer, please see the Active Adapters section below**.**

    Passive Adapters

    Passive adapters are less expensive since they do not need to include additional chips. A quick way to check whether you can use a passive adapter is to see if the DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort source has the DP++ symbol above it. The symbol is a D with a P inside of it, with two + signs to the left, one on top of the other.

    Active Adapters

    Active adapters use additional chips to make the conversion inside the adapter, regardless of whether the source supports DP++. This means that active adapters are more expensive than passive adapters.

    If you want to use multiple monitors with the same computer, you should use an active adapter because some video cards cannot run the maximum number of monitors while using DP++. This is especially true if the computer has more than one DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort connection. Check with your video card manufacturer to confirm which type of adapter you need for the setup that you would like to run.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments