Question Looking for a 4 way DisplayPort 1.4 KVM switch with EDID emulation.

[Luk6655]

I have 4 devices with display port outputs running at 4K@60HZ. Each device has its own monitor, also I'd like to share one extra monitor/keyboard /mouse between all 3 devices.

Like this:

The problem is that if I simply use separate monitor inputs and a USB switch for keyboard/mouse the devices detect when each monitor input is active/inactive and they move app windows every time inputs are switched.

Also having to go into the monitor menu to switch every time is tedious, but I could live with it if the PCs could just keep the desktops the same all the time.

I have to switch between devices a lot.

There are devices like Delock 11484, which do everything I need except EDID emulation it seems. So every time the kvm is switched, windows get messed up.


Is anyone aware of a kvm switch that supports eDP 1.4 (for 4K@60Hz) 4 inputs and EDID emulation? Ive been searching for one for weeks and I can't seem to find one.

Or standalone edid emulators that work with displayport 1.4 4K@60HZ?

There is an alternative solution of using displayport to hdmi converters and using a hdmi kvm switch, but then the issue of 4K@60Hz compatibility comes up (I'm not sure what converters supports it) and the whole edid emulation too. If anyone has a similar setup that works, or has any experiences trying to get it working please let me know.

Also, if you have any experience using standalone edid emulators for displayport so I can prevent devices detecting the monitor input was switched to another when I'm using a multi-input monitor please share.

Please don't suggest remote access (RDP, Vnc) nor VMs in this thread. These have to be separate physical machines connected to separate networks, there is no other way about it. No VMs with separate network cards, or remote access between machines is possible.

 

[Ralston18]

Not sure (full disclosure) about the overall connectivity and requirements.

However would something like this EDID emulator help?

https://www.amazon.com/THWT-HDMI-ED...?keywords=edid+emulator&qid=1692111417&sr=8-4

Just a question: not a recommendation or endorsement.

 

[Luk6655]

Not sure (full disclosure) about the overall connectivity and requirements.

However would something like this EDID emulator help?

https://www.amazon.com/THWT-HDMI-ED...?keywords=edid+emulator&qid=1692111417&sr=8-4

Just a question: not a recommendation or endorsement.

Sadly it's a hdmi device, not displayport.

Converting 4K@60Hz displayport 1.4 to hdmi is not easy. If people have experience with it I'd be very interested to hear it. I read there is difficulty in converting modern displayport 1.4 to hdmi (especially from devices with usb C to displayport converters) because an older version of displayport (dp++) used to contain a hdmi signal or there was a way for a device to request a hdmi signal. This is no longer the case with DP1. 4. Also displayport 1.4 supports twice the bandwidth of hdmi 2.0. So even thou it's possible to display 4K@60Hz via hdmi 2.0 it's not true 4K as it uses chroma subsampling (essentially colors are sent downsampled). To match DP1. 4 we need hdmi 2.1 and it's a very new standard only newest monitors support.

 

[BL2115]

I ran into this problem yesterday and found two good-looking solutions, albeit both expensive.

1. NTI makes a product called

DP-HP-MNTR-SRC DisplayPort Hotplug Maintainer​

that looks to be specifically focused on this problem, lists for $150, but found it somewhat less than that on several websites.



2. Lindy based in England makes a model 32116 that says in the instructions it fixes this problem, It is more of a multi-purpose product aimed at several different underlying problems. You can buy it on the USA Amazon site for about $83. Like all the other billion products on Amazon, there are some reviewers who say it works well and some who don't.

 

[BL2115]

Connect Pro makes a series of KVM's with built-in EDID. Expensive but good

 

[Luk6655]

Connect Pro makes a series of KVM's with built-in EDID. Expensive but good

I searched for connect Pro stuff, but I only found DP1. 4 stuff.

So I decided there simply is no 4 port eDP kvm switch like this, so I decided to use HDMI instead. I got a chea($100) hdmi 2.0 kvm switch from unitek that has no edid emulation and it takes good 2s per switch. Also if doesn't emulate usb input devices so the pcs detect disconnect/reconnect events every single time it's switched.

So I'm still looking for something else. I think I'd spend up to $700 for a kvm that has both usb input device and edid emulation, it switches at up to a second (4 pcs) and is hdmi 2.1 compatible. However I'm doubtful such a device exists. I wonder why.

 

[BL2115]

So at the top of this thread the title of this discussion says "DP 1.4", and Connect Pro does sell DP 1.4. I bought one a few weeks ago and it works well, and I would compliment their tech support who helped me solve a software issue.

I don't understand enough about the underlying technology, but I am surprised at the huge price gap between DP and HDMI equipment.

 

[Luk6655]

So at the top of this thread the title of this discussion says "DP 1.4", and Connect Pro does sell DP 1.4. I bought one a few weeks ago and it works well, and I would compliment their tech support who helped me solve a software issue.

I don't understand enough about the underlying technology, but I am surprised at the huge price gap between DP and HDMI equipment.

Which model did you buy? Does it really switch instantly? (without a 1~2s delay).

When I wrote that "for connect Pro I only found dp 1.4" I made a mistake in the numbers actually DP 1.4 would be fine for me. Having reread their site the $550 model (udp-14ap) seems to do exactly what I want (if they ship internationally, the store only seems to support US addresses). I sent them an enquiry. Of course getting it to EU will probably cost $50~$250 + 23% tax on top of the total. So depending on which shipping carrier they're willing to use it may be a $740 kvm switch which would fit my budget or a $1k one which is a bit too steep.

As to why there is a big price difference. It's pretty simple. There are two things. First the bitrate. HDMI 2.0 barely pushes 18Gbps (it can't even do real 4K@60Hz without chroma subsampling) while DP 1.4 does 32Gbps. Second, DP is mostly used in computers while HDMI in addition is used in all sorts of AV stuff (consoles, TVs, projectors) so I imagine HDMI compatible chips benefit from the larger market.

Personally I'm a bit torn between the two standards. When I started this thread my clear preference was DP 1.4 (especially that it can be sent over USB C alongside power), but when I failed to find a suitable kvm I looked into HDMI and I found all my devices actually support HDMI 2.0 too.

Also regarding connect Pro the negative reviews on amazon are a bit concerning https://www.amazon.com/ConnectPRO-UDP-14AP-DisplayPort-Switch-Cables/dp/B08WB28R58/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GT33UOJ1A8FQ&keywords=UDP-14AP&qid=1696112311&sprefix=udp-14ap,aps,528&sr=8-1#customerReviews

We'll see what connect pro says about international shipping. If anyone knows a equivalent hdmi 2.0 (or hdmi 2. 1 device) please do let me know.

Edit: And after writing this I found this on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Support-Simu...efix=candyus+hdmi+4k+usb+3+kvm,aps,307&sr=8-4 with free 2 day shipping to Poland. Supposedly it includes edid emulation too and has lots of good reviews. At this price it is worth ordering just to check if the claims are true (and if not I can always return).

 

[BL2115]

I am seeing a 1-2 second delay when switching. In my application this is not an issue. I should note I have two monitors - a Dell and a Phillips, and the Dell switches more quickly than the Phillips. This leads me to suspect something in the monitor may be a factor here. I should also note I have two older computers, both with USB to dual-Displayport adapters (Startech). replacing both computers with newer ones with built-in dual displayport is on the horizon, and is likely to improve things.

The reviews on amazon are both from 2021, which is a relatively long time ago. As noted, I have found ConnectPro tech support to be responsive and helpful.

 

[Luk6655]

I am seeing a 1-2 second delay when switching. In my application this is not an issue. I should note I have two monitors - a Dell and a Phillips, and the Dell switches more quickly than the Phillips. This leads me to suspect something in the monitor may be a factor here. I should also note I have two older computers, both with USB to dual-Displayport adapters (Startech). replacing both computers with newer ones with built-in dual displayport is on the horizon, and is likely to improve things.

The reviews on amazon are both from 2021, which is a relatively long time ago. As noted, I have found ConnectPro tech support to be responsive and helpful.

Great, thank you for describing your experience. That 1~2 second delay doesn't sound that great . Are you running the same resolutions and refresh rates on all your devices? If not, that would be normal. However if the resolutions and refresh rates are the same I thought it would be much faster. It might depend on the monitors as you noted too.


My Dell monitor is p2415q, if I just pull a hdmi cable from my pc (that was configured to disregard monitor hotplug at the time) and I plug it in again (before the monitor goes into sleep mode) it comes on in under half a second.

If there was a kvm switch that switched everything in well under half a second and did so by emulating all the devices are plugged on to all computers at all times, just switching where data is coming from that would be worth a lot more to me.

 

[BL2115]

I presume you are planning to use auto-switch regularly back and forth. I am manually switching, and in this app this is not really an issue. 5 or 10 seconds would be annoying, but 1-2 seconds is not.

I agree that it is surprising - if the KVM is putting out a consistent signal just from a different computer, why does the monitor temporarily blank?

My computers put out the same resolution to the 2 monitors, but the monitors are diff from each other - hope that makes sense - but that should not explain the delay.

I have had a good experience with ConnectPro tech support. I would suggest you drop them an email and ask. On their web site there is a link to a page that shows different monitors that are known to have various issues.

In my current setup (I think I said before) there are 2 older computers with W-10 and USB-to-displayport adapters - I plan to upgrade - will be interesting to see if this changes anything - but I suspect the monitor model has something to do with it.

I would guess that ConnectPro could suggest a model of monitor that would switch seemlessly.

Ben