Connecting 2nd monitor using VGA is blurry

[ApusDot]

I connected two of the exact same model monitors (HP VH240A) to my laptop. One monitor is connected through HDMI and it works and looks flawless. But the second monitor is connected to the same laptop using a VGA cable (since the laptop only has 1 HDMI port). But the monitor using the VGA has a very blurry image. I installed the VGA software that HP recommends for monitors using VGA, but it doesn't make a difference. I did a Google search and the only thing I can find is to "unplug the monitor and plug it back in" I tried it but it didn't do anything. I tried connecting the blurry monitor to the HDMI and the image was as clear as the first monitor. They are both using the same resolution, which is 1080p and both are being used as an extension of the other. Anyone has any other suggestions how to fix this? Any help will be very appreciated.

[mxk]

VGA is an analog signal, not digital. It'll look worse when the cable gets longer. 

 

It's pretty bad compared to the other ports/cables being used more commonly, though schools seem to be using VGA which makes it harder for me to take notes

[Turtle Rig]

10 minutes ago, mxk said:

VGA is an analog signal, not digital. It'll look worse when the cable gets longer. 

 

It's pretty bad compared to the other ports/cables being used more commonly, though schools seem to be using VGA which makes it harder for me to take notes

I agree, it's not gonna happen.  Gosh VGA gives me flash backs from 25 years ago with 15" nice tube monitor hehe.

[mxk]

1 minute ago, Turtle Rig said:

I agree, it's not gonna happen.  Gosh VGA gives me flash backs from 25 years ago with 15" nice tube monitor hehe.

vga is soooo bad I don't see the point in using it unless its your last option

[Euchre]

Analog or digital, I suspect the real issue is the native resolution of the displays being different. If they aren't both 1080p, sending identical signals is going to make one of them look bad. I suspect the VGA connected display is actually lower resolution than 1080p, which will actually result in an image that looks like mud.

 

I once tried connecting a TV using S-video output from a PC, which was simultaneously connected to a VGA monitor. The monitor's native resolution was 1024x768, and the TV's was 854x480 (480p 16:9 'widescreen'). The TV's image looked like a muddy version of the monitor's image. The video output was just using the same higher res on both. If I turned the res down, the TV looked OK - but you know how chunky and small a 480p desktop is?

 

So, what are the native resolutions of both displays?

[ApusDot]

Do you mean how bad do I think 480p looks? If so, then yes.

 

Both displays have a native resolution of 1080p. Thee monitor running on VGA not only looks very blurry but also everything has a shadow.

[greenhorn]

Did you try it with another VGA cable? Is the output on the monitor connected via VGA still bad when the monitor connected via HDMI is unplugged?

[Kilrah]

Can you even push 1080p over VGA and have it come out good?

[Tea-Sir]

@Kilrah I have to admit I have never pushed more than 1280x1024 over VGA, but it should be possible. But I think to get a good result you will need to buy a high quality VGA cable. Also the VGA port in the computer needs to be able to output it.

 

@ApusDot As suggest, try checking if you computer is outputting the right resolution to VGA. Some of the older computers we have at work wont push more than 800x600 to our projectors, even though the projectors are capable of much more than that.

 

If it is not outputting the right resolution, we might be able to try a few things in software.

[ApusDot]

10 hours ago, greenhorn said:

Did you try it with another VGA cable? Is the output on the monitor connected via VGA still bad when the monitor connected via HDMI is unplugged?

I only tried 1 VGA cable since I only purchased 1, but I guess I could buy a better one? Not sure. Yeah, I tried disconnecting the HDMI monitor altogether from the laptop and the VGA monitor still looks the same, blurry and with shadows everywhere.

8 hours ago, Kilrah said:

Can you even push 1080p over VGA and have it come out good?

The monitor using VGA shows 1080p under the "display settings" in Windows 10. I tried many different resolutions including resolutions lower and higher than 1080p and they all look as blurry and shadows everywhere. The native resolution of the monitor is 1080p.

6 hours ago, The89Lunder said:

@Kilrah I have to admit I have never pushed more than 1280x1024 over VGA, but it should be possible. But I think to get a good result you will need to buy a high quality VGA cable. Also the VGA port in the computer needs to be able to output it.

 

@ApusDot As suggest, try checking if you computer is outputting the right resolution to VGA. Some of the older computers we have at work wont push more than 800x600 to our projectors, even though the projectors are capable of much more than that.

 

If it is not outputting the right resolution, we might be able to try a few things in software.

I'm pretty sure it's outputting the 1080p resolution. At least it shows it's at 1080p in the "display settings" of Windows 10.

[Kilrah]

Have you tried swapping the 2 monitors, i.e. running VGA into the other? Maybe the monitor has a defective VGA input...

 

[ApusDot]

On 10/27/2019 at 4:08 PM, Kilrah said:

Have you tried swapping the 2 monitors, i.e. running VGA into the other? Maybe the monitor has a defective VGA input...

 

I just tested that and yes, both monitors look equally bad when plugged by VGA. Anything else I could try?