The only way i got this 5 port, 4K HDMI switch to behave is by combining it with dummy HDMI adapters (here), In my setup, they are limited to 30FPS (Not sure if this switch can handle more, but the dummy HDMI adapter itself is limited to 30FPS at 4K)
Once the adapters are at the endings of all 5 input cables, the switch works perfectly, but what happens without them
Without them, there are a couple of problems, the PCs switch the video output off, and there is a delay before it comes back once it detects a screen has been connected again, so you keep clicking till you get lucky with the monitor you are looking for, not to mention that in the case of multiple monitors, the operating system keeps changing the monitor setup assuming that screens are coming and going !
the switch comes with a handy remote control (That i don’t use because the button is right here in front of me), but it will be handy in case you are using a PC that is relatively far
Also worth noting is that it can identify which screen are connected, so you do not need to go through all 5 inputs if only 2 are connected, it will only switch between those two
in any case, let me know in the comments if you have any questions
A nice adapter that has both input and output is this which i got from AliExpress (Photos at the bottom)
This 4K dummy adapter seems to support all resolutions up to 60Hz refresh rate, with the exception of 4K which works at a maximum of 30Hz (Probably due to signal attenuation)
There are many uses for this dummy adapter, one of them is “Sunshine and moonlight remote desktop”, another is using your GPU for processing while you are away (Nvidia won’t allow it if you don’t have a monitor connected and switched on), and most importantly TO ME, My video switch since I use multiple machines on the same monitor.
What this adapter is in reality is an eeprom chip that has the EDID data of a monitor with a very high refresh rate (120 hz), namely a fictitious monitor named AOC 28E850, If you want to make sure that this works with your monitor, it needs to be flashed with your monitor’s EDID.
If your monitor supports 4K at 60hz, you need to keep everything in that copy, and remove the 4K.60Hz from the list
If you want the modified file that originated from my LG 27UL550 and was modified to remove the 60Hz from the list of supported configurations, meaning I removed the 60 FPS from the 4K DTD, then here it is, just download it and flash it (Flashing instructions below) I also changed the monitor’s name just in case some systems might cache it’s details…
The steps
1- Find out the port on your graphics card that your monitor is connected to
2- Copy the EDID data from your monitor
3- Edit the data to remove the 4K/60 fps 4- Burn the data onto the adapter
To do that, there are many tools, one thing to note is that edid-rw did not work using my laptop which has a 9400mx, but worked just fine using an old PC i have with a “GT218 [GeForce 210]”, the error on the laptop reads
sudo ./edid-rw 5 Traceback (most recent call last): File “./edid-rw”, line 131, in main() File “./edid-rw”, line 119, in main edid = [dev.read(i) for i in range(EDID_HDR)] File “./edid-rw”, line 46, in read return self.smb.read_byte_data(EDID_ADDR, n) IOError: [Errno 110] Connection timed out
Now, you have python, let us download the tool, you can do that with the download button on github, I would rather just
git clone https://github.com/bulletmark/edid-rw cd edid-rw
To begin with, you may need to run the following command to see what monitors are connected where, In my case, the monitor I want to copy (LG 4K 60FPS) is #5
xrandr --query
If this does not help, try the numbers and read the output to see which entry corresponds to the screen you want
sudo ./edid-rw 5 | edid-decode
Now that we have it, we can edit it with one of the software mentioned above, and dump it back on the dongle (The port number does not change, so put your number there and dump the data onto it)
udo ./edid-rw -w 5 < ~/edited_lgedid.bin
Text from the original page of the item
Support hot plug, plug and play Support virtual display, when the display is powered off or the display cable is hot-plugged, It can achieve no video signal loss, no screen change, no windows running, no order disorder; Support up to 10.8Gbps video bandwidth; It has power-off memory function, power-off/restart display sequence is not chaotic, and the set mode is not lost. Supports for AMD multi-screen image card splicing extended split-screen mode, eyefinity wide-area multi-screen splicing mode (pulling the monitor cable when it is powered on has no effect on the display of the screen TV wall, and pulling the line will only cause the screen of the dropped line to be black, and other screens will not move) Support Nvidia image card multi-screen output, the screen sequence is not chaotic after restart
Connect typ:HDMI Application scope: Display with HDMI interface Product name :HDMI lock screen treasure Max Resolution : 2560 x 1440@60HZ / 3840 x 2160@60HZ colour:Golden Material:Aluminum alloy
Package Contents: 6 x HDMI2.0 Virtual Adapter
The aluminum sleeve appears to be fully cosmetic, At least this is my impression as the plastic inside seems very hard, so it is unlikely that the aluminum is providing any support, and obviously is not functioning as any form of heat sink
Update: the official winner in this is the ASUS, mainly for having built in speakers Update: After buying the LG for myself and the ASUS for a friend, The ASUS does pivot 90 degrees as well !!! the only real advantage i see in the LG is the IPS display (Color accuracy for graphics designers that you will not be able to detect with the untrained eye)
Because the place where i buy my monitors currently only has 2 4K monitors in the 27″ category, I had to compare them to pick one, for most people the ASUS is the clear winner, unless you are a graphics designer, then it is the LG (IPS has better color), I will probably buy the LG because of it’s Pivot feature (UPDATE-They both have pivot), but most people would want the ASUS, in any case, here are the specs for both side by side
The reason the LG is more expensive is because it has IPS, IPS has only one advantage, color, and only to a degree that affects a graphics designer, in fact, IPS has disadvantages too compared to TN (twisted nematic).
3 (2.0) but can only find 2 in manual, manual is for whole series
2 (No mentioning, but most likely 2.0a or 2.1)
DP
1 = 1 (1.2)
1 (No mentioning of Version)
HEADPHONE
1
1
BRIGHTNESS
300cd/㎡
300cd (typ) / 240cd (Min)
CONTRAST
1000:1 (MIN/TYP)
700:1 (Min.), 1000:1 (Typ.)
COLOR
10BIT (1073.7M) – 94%sRGB
IPS has better color
HDR
10
Power Consumption (Typ.)
<31
36 – 41
POSITIONS
Tilt : Yes (+20° ~ -5°), Pivot(Not auto)
Tilt (3°)/Height (Lower and raise)/Pivot(Not auto)
VESA MOUNTING
NO
YES
NVIDIA/AMD
Radeon FreeSync
Radeon FreeSync™
SPEAKERS`
YES 2W X 2
NO
Buttons
Joystick
Joystick
power adapter
Internal (Thicker, and less heat management)
external, 19v, 2a
dimensions with stand
660.4 x 672.5 x 226.3 mm
622.6 mm x 572.2 mm x 230.0 mm
dimensions without stand
660.4 x 380.8 x 62.2 mm
622.6 mm x 371.0 mm x 45.8 mm
Blue light filter
Yes
No
OSD
Nicer and easier
Does the job perfectly, but less nice
The stand is also something i like about the LG, even though it takes more space on the desk, the space is not completely taken by the stand, the half oval shape allows you to put your things on the table within the stand, it also has some height adjustment (just a bit, for the portrait pivot mode mostly so it is not so much a standing desk in any way) that allows me to raise it a bit when i need to for more comfort
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
