Fix mac external screen colors and blurry icons

patch.rb

#!/usr/bin/ruby
# Create display override file to force Mac OS X to use RGB mode for Display
# see http://embdev.net/topic/284710

require 'base64'

data=`ioreg -l -d0 -w 0 -r -c AppleDisplay`

edids=data.scan(/IODisplayEDID.*?<([a-z0-9]+)>/i).flatten
vendorids=data.scan(/DisplayVendorID.*?([0-9]+)/i).flatten
productids=data.scan(/DisplayProductID.*?([0-9]+)/i).flatten

displays = []
edids.each_with_index do |edid, i|
    disp = { "edid_hex"=>edid, "vendorid"=>vendorids[i].to_i, "productid"=>productids[i].to_i }
    displays.push(disp)
end

# Process all displays
if displays.length > 1
    puts "Found %d displays!  You should only install the override file for the one which" % displays.length
    puts "is giving you problems.","\n"
end
displays.each do |disp|
# Retrieve monitor model from EDID data
monitor_name=[disp["edid_hex"].match(/000000fc00(.*?)0a/){|m|m[1]}.to_s].pack("H*")
if monitor_name.empty?
    monitor_name = "Display"
end

puts "found display '#{monitor_name}': vendorid #{disp["vendorid"]}, productid #{disp["productid"]}, EDID:\n#{disp["edid_hex"]}"

bytes=disp["edid_hex"].scan(/../).map{|x|Integer("0x#{x}")}.flatten

puts "Setting color support to RGB 4:4:4 only"
bytes[24] &= ~(0b11000)

puts "Number of extension blocks: #{bytes[126]}"
puts "removing extension block"
bytes = bytes[0..127]
bytes[126] = 0

bytes[127] = (0x100-(bytes[0..126].reduce(:+) % 256)) % 256
puts
puts "Recalculated checksum: 0x%x" % bytes[127]
puts "new EDID:\n#{bytes.map{|b|"%02X"%b}.join}"

Dir.mkdir("DisplayVendorID-%x" % disp["vendorid"]) rescue nil
f = File.open("DisplayVendorID-%x/DisplayProductID-%x" % [disp["vendorid"], disp["productid"]], 'w')
f.write '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">'
f.write "
<dict>
  <key>DisplayProductName</key>
  <string>#{monitor_name} - forced RGB mode (EDID override)</string>
  <key>IODisplayEDID</key>
  <data>#{Base64.encode64(bytes.pack('C*'))}</data>
  <key>DisplayVendorID</key>
  <integer>#{disp["vendorid"]}</integer>
  <key>DisplayProductID</key>
  <integer>#{disp["productid"]}</integer>
</dict>
</plist>"
f.close
puts "\n"
end		# displays.each

process.md

Source http://www.ireckon.net/2013/03/force-rgb-mode-in-mac-os-x-to-fix-the-picture-quality-of-an-external-monitor#comment-14684

The exact steps I took (to simplify):

• Re run the script to generate the folder to copy to ovverrides.
• You’ll notice override in a new location: /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides and you can’t paste anything to it.
• Boot into recovery (pressing Command+R repeatedly as Mac reboots).
• Go to Utilities –> Terminal and type: csrutil disable. — Reboot.
• Now copy the new file created to /System/Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides overriding the one already there.
• (See 7). Reboot. Text is sharp again!
• Boot into recovery (press Command+R repeatedly as Mac reboots).
• Go to Utilities –> Terminal and type: csrutil enable. — Reboot. You now have Rootless and sharp text!