DP/USB-C/Thunderbolt 3/4 to HDMI 2.1 4k@120hz RGB4:4:4 10b HDR with Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 now possible !

[neuromask]

One click OS switch (video HDMI 2.1, mouse, kb, webcam, soundcard) done with KVM.
Anker adapter (flashed) with Macbook 16 M1 Pro and PC.
LG C2 OLED 4K RGB 10bit HDR 120hz.

 

[TheGiwi]

Has anyone had success with a Samsung qn90b? EDIT: Particularly, in Europe (I'm in Germany).

I am considering purchasing one as a productivity monitor for my M1 MacBook and am wondering whether I could get 144hz to work. From what I gather from this thread, Samsung TVs are somehow different to the LG OLEDs most people in this thread are using.

Many thanks for your help!

 

[Orien]

Thank you! I was able to connect my M1 MBP to a LG 27GP950 running 4K@144hz.

 

[Vlad123x]

Sure. In my case I have these issues regardless of whether I'm in HDR mode or not. I've attached a compiled binary of the USBResetter tool which ought to be equivalent to hitting "reset board" in the VMMHIDtool. You can find the sources to this tool here:

GitHub - djrobx/USBResetter

Contribute to djrobx/USBResetter development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

In my Hammerspoon scripts I have:

    print("Waking screens.")
    hs.execute("/usr/local/bin/USBResetter", true)
    hs.execute("sleep 1")
    os.execute("sudo /usr/local/bin/python3.11 /Users/djrobx/.hammerspoon/broadlink_cli.py --type 0x5213 --host 192.168.0.11 --mac ec0baea04a28 --send 260056000001269213121312133713121312131213111312133713371312133713371337133713371312131213371312131213121337133713371337131213371337133713111312130005370001264913000c620001264913920d05")

The broadlink command is a USB IR emitter that sends the discrete power on code to my LG C2. The "Wake on lan" method that is commonly used is not consistent in my experience.

Important note: If USBResetter is working, and you just run it while the screens are on, you'll see them go black to "No signal". This is the same behavior you will see if using VMMHIDtool in parallels. Once you reset board, it seems like Mac OSX needs some event to wake the displays back up. Changing the refresh rate or resolution on a screen will do the trick. Or, even just powering the monitors on, as you see in the above script.

I've been going a week now or so without having to unplug the adapters. Would be nice if CableMatters could fix this firmware issue, but after months of trying different things, this is the best workaround I've been able to come up with.

I would encourage people who are seeing this problem to write to CableMatters. It would be awesome to get a solidly working dongle that didn't need hacks to wake up from sleep.

is this the fix for the mac "no signal" issue? It's annoying to replug the cable in every time lol

 

[codedj]

I seem to have bricked my very expensive adapter with VMM7100... It's a ugreen adapter (https://www.lulian.cn/product/968-cn.html)

I flashed it on my windows laptop via a usb 3.1 port, using the USB C - HDMI VMM7100 file. But after that the adapter seems to not work anymore for video output.

Trying to open the VMM tool results in:
- Using the VMM flash tool provided, the error message is "can not find synaptics dp hub ic"
- Using the VMM tool from Microsoft store, the error message is "Spyder chip is not connected"

Hoping to get some help here as I paid quite a hefty sum for the adapter 🥲🥲🥲

Did you see this? https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...icon-m1-m2-now-possible.2381664/post-31996734

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

I am confused. People talk about issues with wake. We are talking about using LG OLED TV's as monitors right? How are you "waking"? I have been using a LG G2 for over a year and have to turn my TV off and on. Am I missing something?

 

[ThatPineapple]

I am confused. People talk about issues with wake. We are talking about using LG OLED TV's as monitors right? How are you "waking"? I have been using a LG G2 for over a year and have to turn my TV off and on. Am I missing something?

There are a couple of GitHub projects that use Hammerspoon to automatically turn on and off LG OLED TVs when you wake/sleep your Mac

 

[apfel27]

Recently got a 16 inch M2 Max 32 GB / 1 TB.

And I was wondering why I couldn't do 4k / 120 hz with the thunderbolt dock I had while my previous AMD ultrabook could do 4k / 120 hz easy with the same hub.

The tweaks in the forum helped me get around that and now I get 4k/120 with modified EDID.

TV: LG C148
Laptop: M2 Max 32 GB / 1 TB
Hub/Dock: CableCreation 6 in 1 dock: https://amzn.eu/d/ati5GW5

VMM6100 firmware. I have attached the original firmware, original EDID and modified EDID.

I have this dock too. There is no VM6100 inside and it is not recognized by the VMMHIDTOOL.

 

[apfel27]

Anker USB-C to HDMI works great.

 

[beesinmyhead]

Ok, so this worked great using the Anker 518 adapter. Thanks @AironMan and others who put this together. I have a question though - How do I enable Auto HDR on Macbook? When I turn on HDR for the LG C2, everything is too bright and vivid, and the picture settings is changed to the HDR one. I prefer to browse and code in the SDR mode. And only use HDR for movies etc. Is that possible or do I just have to do it manually? Thanks though!

 

[ultrafiel80]

So I picked up a C2 48-inch yesterday (clearance from Costco). I've started testing it as a display replacement, and it's better than I thought it would be. Obviously, the biggest drawback is the resolution compared to my 16-inch MBP and also 2020 5k iMac, but I think I can manage. I think the 42-inch C2 would be a better on my 30-inch deep stand-up desk, but 48 was the less expensive option so I had to roll with it.

If this works out, I will replace my personal 2020 iMac with a M2 Mac Studio. However, until then I only have my work M1 Max MBP, so am limited to HDMI 2.0. Question is, for those that have purchased one of the adapters in this thread and updated the firmware to unlock 120hz and 10-bit color, would you say it improved text clarity? I've read getting the chroma to 4:4:4 will help with text, but I'm unsure how noticeable it will be. Any experience with it would be appreciated.

Also, is the firmware update for these adapters custom, or will adapters eventually start shipping with the listed firmware? I don't really want to go through the hassle of setting up a PC/VM just to update firmware, but it doesn't seem like there is an alternative.

Thanks.

 

[HWS]

So I picked up a C2 48-inch yesterday (clearance from Costco). I've started testing it as a display replacement, and it's better than I thought it would be. Obviously, the biggest drawback is the resolution compared to my 16-inch MBP and also 2020 5k iMac, but I think I can manage. I think the 42-inch C2 would be a better on my 30-inch deep stand-up desk, but 48 was the less expensive option so I had to roll with it.

If this works out, I will replace my personal 2020 iMac with a M2 Mac Studio. However, until then I only have my work M1 Max MBP, so am limited to HDMI 2.0. Question is, for those that have purchased one of the adapters in this thread and updated the firmware to unlock 120hz and 10-bit color, would you say it improved text clarity? I've read getting the chroma to 4:4:4 will help with text, but I'm unsure how noticeable it will be. Any experience with it would be appreciated.

Also, is the firmware update for these adapters custom, or will adapters eventually start shipping with the listed firmware? I don't really want to go through the hassle of setting up a PC/VM just to update firmware, but it doesn't seem like there is an alternative.

Thanks.

I swiped the firmware (VMM6100) to unlock 120hz, but couldn't activate 10bit

 

[Vlad123x]

Anker USB-C to HDMI works great.

Did you have to flash Anker USB-c to Hdmi? or is it updated

 

[djrobx]

I am confused. People talk about issues with wake. We are talking about using LG OLED TV's as monitors right? How are you "waking"? I have been using a LG G2 for over a year and have to turn my TV off and on. Am I missing something?

The issue with waking means when I turn my TV on, I get "no signal" from my mac. I need to unplug and replug the cable to get the display.

For automated power on/off, check this out:

GitHub - cmer/lg-tv-control-macos: Automatically wake/sleep and change the input of your LG TV when used as a monitor on macOS

Automatically wake/sleep and change the input of your LG TV when used as a monitor on macOS - cmer/lg-tv-control-macos

github.com

I found powering on by wifi to be unreliable, so I switched to using a Broadlink IR emitter to send the "power on" function.

 

[Not your business]

I've been using Cable Matters HDMI with PD adapter (201428-GRY-N) with the VMM7100 chip, which has had its firmware updated to run at 120Hz. I'm not using BetterDisplays, nor any other software.

But I've realized that even if my LG TV on which I'm connected says 120Hz with 10 bit colors, and that the displays settings on Mac shows 120hz, I'm not always able to run up to 120hz.

The tool I'm using to measure true fps is the Developer Tool from Apple called Quartz Debug, this shows true frame meter in real time.

I'm not sure if this is normal, but Mac OS never runs at a fixed 120Hz with the fix of this thread, which I think it is normal because even with fixed 120Hz in settings it probably is doing the same as ProMotion used on the Macbooks Pro displays.

But besides that when I wake my computer from sleep I'm only able to get a maximum of 80-85Hz. Sometimes this would also happen if I unplug the adapter. I wasn't able to find all the situations in which the bug would occur.
Only a restart of my computer would fix the issue.

Does anybody have the same issues ?

Or maybe you didn't notice it but when you'd start testing it with Quartz Debug tool you'd might realize you're experiencing it.

 

[djrobx]

But I've realized that even if my LG TV on which I'm connected says 120Hz with 10 bit colors, and that the displays settings on Mac shows 120hz, I'm not always able to run up to 120hz.

Does anybody have the same issues ?

Yes. I think it's just how OSX is. For me it seems like it's usually caused by some video application that's open. VLC or the photo booth app will do it for example. I just start closing open things until I find the culprit and it goes back to being smooth.

 

[zazito]

Hello I have 16' M1 Max and I am thinking about buying Samsung Odyssey Ark monitor. I was wondering if whether using this method I will be able to output more than 60Hz (Ark is 165hz) at 4K?

If it's not I guess my other option is to buy the Odyssey Neo G9 and use USB-C -> DisplayPort (ark does not have display port, only HDMI 2.1) as I understand this will allow for more than 60hz?

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

The issue with waking means when I turn my TV on, I get "no signal" from my mac. I need to unplug and replug the cable to get the display.

For automated power on/off, check this out:

GitHub - cmer/lg-tv-control-macos: Automatically wake/sleep and change the input of your LG TV when used as a monitor on macOS

Automatically wake/sleep and change the input of your LG TV when used as a monitor on macOS - cmer/lg-tv-control-macos

github.com

I found powering on by wifi to be unreliable, so I switched to using a Broadlink IR emitter to send the "power on" function.

That is odd then because I mostly keep my Macbook docked and it has no problem waking when I turn on my computer. I am using the Dell WD19TB dock though so maybe that might be part of it.

I have only been using this solution for a week but it has been flawless for me after getting it working.

 

[djrobx]

That is odd then because I mostly keep my Macbook docked and it has no problem waking when I turn on my computer. I am using the Dell WD19TB dock though so maybe that might be part of it.

I have only been using this solution for a week but it has been flawless for me after getting it working.

Yes, the dock could affect it for sure. It also may only happen with certain displays. From looking at the debug log in VmmHIDTool, it seems like once the display fully goes to sleep, there is a flurry of rapid-fire activity with the adapter trying to establish sync again. It seems like this can result in the TB/USB-C side freezing up after a while, which the system doesn't recover it from on its own.

This never happens if the monitors are left on (say with the display part shut off), but LG's "Always ready" mode doesn't work. I shared the debug log with CableMatters but they told me to just return the adapter if it's not working.

I also have two, which I think intensifies the problem, although I see the same behavior with just one.

 

[chargerinthebox]

Doesn't Macbook 16 M2 have HDMI 2.1 port from the box? Or do you need one TB dock with all the connections?

It does have hdmi 2.1 out of the box but I just wanted to have one cable attached to the macbook since I use it as a desktop 90% of the time.

 

[chargerinthebox]

I have this dock too. There is no VM6100 inside and it is not recognized by the VMMHIDTOOL.

Then you probably have a slightly different model. Can you please link the one you got?

 

[galo_sengen]

I'm wondering how people are getting these adapters recognized in Parallels. Can not get VmmHIDTool to see the Anker USB-C -> HDMI adapter I have plugged in to thunderbolt port. Seeing error "Spyder chip is not connected".

3.1. (only VMM7100) Using Parallels will only work when using MicrosoftStore VMMHIDTool (Don't forget to activate the USB ports of your Win Image and additionally activate the port every time up you boot the Win image)

Confused on what's meant by activating the USB ports.

I can't see my device at all in the USB settings for parallels, and afraid I may be missing a crucial step.

Turns out I had the wrong adapter! 🤦‍♂️

 

[apfel27]

Then you probably have a slightly different model. Can you please link the one you got?

6 in 1 USB C Hub,CableCreation USB C Ethernet HDMI Multiport Adapter,Power Delivery 100W Ladeanschluss, USB-C Datenanschluss, 2 USB 3.0 5Gbps Ports für MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro, Surface, XPS

6 in 1 USB C Hub,CableCreation USB C Ethernet HDMI Multiport Adapter,Power Delivery 100W Ladeanschluss, USB-C Datenanschluss, 2 USB 3.0 5Gbps Ports für MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro, Surface, XPS

www.amazon.de

 

[chargerinthebox]

6 in 1 USB C Hub,CableCreation USB C Ethernet HDMI Multiport Adapter,Power Delivery 100W Ladeanschluss, USB-C Datenanschluss, 2 USB 3.0 5Gbps Ports für MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro, Surface, XPS

6 in 1 USB C Hub,CableCreation USB C Ethernet HDMI Multiport Adapter,Power Delivery 100W Ladeanschluss, USB-C Datenanschluss, 2 USB 3.0 5Gbps Ports für MacBook Pro/Air, iPad Pro, Surface, XPS

www.amazon.de

Looks like the same adaptor. How did you try to flash it?

 

[Steyt]

Hello all, just today i got my cable matters adapter https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08MSWMXT4, from what i read in the main post based on The new one is the 201388-A = VMM7100" my adapter should be VMM7100, which as i read should be plug and play. So i have a lg c9 55 inch tv and i want for the love of god to get 4k 120hz working on my macbook air m1. So i plug the new adapter with a high end (certified) hdmi 2.1 cable to my macbook air m1 and no matter what i do, i cannot get the resolution of 3840 x 2160 to show more than 60hz only with 1920 x 1080 low Dipi can i see more than 60hz. What am i missing?, please help me.