Dual monitors

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howienz

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#225632 27-Nov-2017 16:22

Hi there

Have just bought two LG 24M338H-B HD LED monitors and attempted to connect them to my MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 201) macOSHigh Sierra V 10.13.1 (17B48) using a CY DP 082 mini display port V1.2 to VGA HDMI 4k x 2k DVI 3 in 1 converter. The rep at PB confirmed that it could drive two monitors concurrently but I'm having my doubts given they only work separately - VGA and HDMI.

Would appreciate any advice/assistance.

Cheers

Maurice

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#1908557 27-Nov-2017 16:52

Just is a basic 3 in 1 DP to HDMI, VGA, HDMI or DVI adapter. it will not drive two displays simultaneously.

Driving multiple displays from a single DP is a lot more complex and you need to daisy chain these either by using monitors with DP In and Out or by using DP adapters that support daisy chain or by using an adapter with multiple outputs. I've seen DP to 3 x HDMI adapters and a quick search shows a number for around US$120 or so.

RunningMan

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#1908559 27-Nov-2017 16:54

Fairly sure the mini displayport can only drive a single display at a time.

sbiddle

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#1908619 27-Nov-2017 19:09

RunningMan:

Fairly sure the mini displayport can only drive a single display at a time.

This was the case with DP1.1 - with DP1.2 you can drive multiple displays with hardware such as this https://www.startech.com/nz/AV/Displayport-Converters/Mini-DisplayPort-Triple-Head-DisplayPort-Multi-Monitor-MST-Hub~MSTMDP123DP

RunningMan

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#1908621 27-Nov-2017 19:11

Right you are!

@howienz, what MBP have you got - one number missing from the date...

sbiddle

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#1908622 27-Nov-2017 19:14

I've actually just read a little bit more about this. Not being an Apple user it's not something I have an experience with but it doesn't look good trying to get multi displays working on MacOS using DP - basically it's not supported by the OS. This is from the FAQ of the adapter I linked above.

Will this MST hub work in Mac OSX?

Recent versions of DisplayPort include the ability to split to multiple displays from one DisplayPort connection using Multi-Stream Transport (MST).

Although you will be able to connect the MST hub to the Mini DisplayPort (mDP) connection on your Mac, Mac OSX does not support MST for NVIDIA and Intel Graphics Processor Units (GPUs). This results in a mirrored image across the outputs of a MST hub and you will not be able to have multiple independent displays on your Mac.
The limitation of NVIDIA and Intel GPUs lies within Mac OSX. If a different operating system is used, such as Microsoft Windows via Bootcamp, you may be able to use the MST functionality of your Mac.

RunningMan

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#1908634 27-Nov-2017 19:27

Same thing here

Not supported at the OS level - up to and including High Sierra.

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RunningMan

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#1908636 27-Nov-2017 19:31

Something funky going on with formatting of this thread.

That's my (double) post sticking out the side!

sbiddle

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#1908643 27-Nov-2017 19:43

RunningMan:

Something funky going on with formatting of this thread.

That's my (double) post sticking out the side!

My quote seemed to break it. I've fixed it now.

RunningMan

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#1908644 27-Nov-2017 19:44

Thank you!

howienz

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#1908713 27-Nov-2017 22:01

RunningMan:

Right you are!

@howienz, what MBP have you got - one number missing from the date...

whoops! - 2011

sbiddle

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#1908747 28-Nov-2017 07:17

howienz:

RunningMan:

Right you are!

@howienz, what MBP have you got - one number missing from the date...

whoops! - 2011

Ultimately the date doesn't really matter now - what you want to do simply can't be done with Mac OS.

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trig42

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#1908814 28-Nov-2017 09:28

I wonder if a DisplayLink device will work?

I have a dell USB-C dock (they also do USB3 docks) that has two HDMI outputs. Has no problem with two monitors, plus the laptop screen. That is Windows though, sorry have no idea if it would work OK on MacOS. DisplayLink does have drivers for MacOS though.

howienz

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#1909084 28-Nov-2017 17:12

sbiddle:

howienz:

RunningMan:

Right you are!

@howienz, what MBP have you got - one number missing from the date...

whoops! - 2011

Ultimately the date doesn't really matter now - what you want to do simply can't be done with Mac OS.

Yep, have begrudgingly returned to my original dual screen set up - MBP with separate monitor :(

harlansmart

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#1946247 24-Jan-2018 19:26

Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13”, 2.7Ghz CPU, 16Gb RAM & 512GB SSD will happily run 2 x Apple 27" Displays (1 x Apple Thunderbolt Display + 1 Apple Cinema Display) + it's own internal display, i.e.:

MBP 13" ---> ATD 27" ---> ACD 27"

MBP 13” runs cooler 'screen open’, so a fridge magnet tricks the display to sleep.

You have to run the ACD last... so the ATD plugs into the MBP Thunderbolt 1 port, the ACD plugs (Daisy Chains) into the back of the ATD.

Tell you whats weird though, the newer Apple 27" displays are less versatile than the older ones... the ones called 'Thunderbolt' and they don't work so easily with Mac Pro vs the earlier ones called 'Cinema' do work with Mac Pro... visually they're almost identical except for the newer one has a more streamlined cord setup and some extra ports on the back that you never use except to daisy chain an extra display!!

howienz

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#1946564 25-Jan-2018 13:40

harlansmart:

Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13”, 2.7Ghz CPU, 16Gb RAM & 512GB SSD will happily run 2 x Apple 27" Displays (1 x Apple Thunderbolt Display + 1 Apple Cinema Display) + it's own internal display, i.e.:

MBP 13" ---> ATD 27" ---> ACD 27"

MBP 13” runs cooler 'screen open’, so a fridge magnet tricks the display to sleep.

You have to run the ACD last... so the ATD plugs into the MBP Thunderbolt 1 port, the ACD plugs (Daisy Chains) into the back of the ATD.

Tell you whats weird though, the newer Apple 27" displays are less versatile than the older ones... the ones called 'Thunderbolt' and they don't work so easily with Mac Pro vs the earlier ones called 'Cinema' do work with Mac Pro... visually they're almost identical except for the newer one has a more streamlined cord setup and some extra ports on the back that you never use except to daisy chain an extra display!!

Just to understand correctly - can I use two LG 24M38H-B 24" Full HD LED Monitors (or do they need to be Apple products?) and a thunderbolt dock to connect them together - please excuse my lack of knowledge.

Cheers

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