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 !

[AlfClausen]

I will describe my observations. Sonoma 14.3 maximum scale at which I managed to start support for HDR 2432x1368 through the setting better display. All resolutions above that automatically switch to SDR mode. I used to work on 2560x1440, so for me, no inconvenience found. Also have mba m1 on Sonoma 14.0, no problems with HDR there at 4k120hz.

LG C2 42" + MOSHOU 1.5m HDMI-USB-C(cfm vmm7100) + Dell WD22TB4 hub + MBP m3 max Sonoma 14.3

 

[MasterEnry93]

for those who use an LG Oled, have you activated HDR or not?

 

[Jashi]

I feel like people need to keep reporting the wake issue to CableMatters. I tried, but got "well I guess your LG C2 is not fully compatible, you can revert the firmware or return for a refund".

From what I saw in the debug logs, when the LG enters deep sleep, the VM7100 goes kind of crazy logging errors, and eventually "crashes" the interface on the DP side when left for too long.

My workaround has been to reset the VMM7100 chip from the USB interface before powering on the LGs. It's nasty as hell but works perfectly. I reverse engineered the "Reset" button in the VMMHidtool to do that and made a Mac utility that does the same. https://github.com/djrobx/USBResetter. Would still greatly prefer a proper firmware fix.

How exactly do you use this? Did you bind it to a a key combination and just press those keys before turning on your tv?

 

[davidx300]

Just wanted to thank everybody. It's working fine (4K 120hz RGB 10b 4L10 SDR and HDR, HDR breaks with hidipi above default - 1920 x 1080) with my setup - macbook pro m1 max sonoma 14.3 + LG C3 42"+ cablematters DP HDMI apdapter with WMM7100 (flashed to firmware provided on this forum). I have always ready feature turned on and if I turn the TV on before waking my mac, it works 90% of the time without no signal (no need to re-plug).

 

[waydabber]

How exactly do you use this? Did you bind it to a a key combination and just press those keys before turning on your tv?

I added this to BetterDisplay based on the work of @djrobx (literally, just took his code - I'll rewrite it in Swift and maybe try to add some improvements if the feature is generally found to be useful in light of feedbacks) which might help with the no signal issue. This should both reset and reconnect the display (so no need to turn the TV off and on).

The VMM7100 reset can be invoked in 4 different ways with the app:

- from the app menu
- via keyboard shortcut
- via a CLI command (so you can script it)
- set to auto-reset on wake

Usage and activation (you need to enter some commands in Terminal to initially enable the feature - this is intentional). Here are the instructions on how to enable it and also set up auto-reset on wake:

VMM7100 no signal workarounds (not a supported feature, just something that can be silently activated) · Issue #2609 · waydabber/BetterDisplay

Added some features to help with dongles that have the VM7100 chipset and run a modified firmware. HDMI dongles with this chipset and the modified CableMatters firmware is commonly used to get 4K@1...

github.com

You can download the latest app version here (this is included in v2.2.2 and newer): https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay

Note: I am not sure how well it works as my setup rarely inters the no signal state. An other limitation is that keyboard shortcuts don't work in lock screen which might be an issue since many probably encounter the no signal issue when stuck on the lock screen after a wake. I added a silent option to automatically run the reset after every wake but it might be more annoying than useful.

This does not require a Pro license, so you can try/use it even if you don't need BetterDisplay in general.

 

[waydabber]

I will describe my observations. Sonoma 14.3 maximum scale at which I managed to start support for HDR 2432x1368 through the setting better display. All resolutions above that automatically switch to SDR mode. I used to work on 2560x1440, so for me, no inconvenience found. Also have mba m1 on Sonoma 14.0, no problems with HDR there at 4k120hz.

LG C2 42" + MOSHOU 1.5m HDMI-USB-C(cfm vmm7100) + Dell WD22TB4 hub + MBP m3 max Sonoma 14.3

Yes, Apple added a framebuffer pixel clock for HDR for M1 in 14.1 for some reason. Here is some discussion about this: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-14-1-no-more-hdr-on-4k-monitors.2408831/

With BetterDisplay and smooth scaling enabled you can indeed get up to 2432x1368. If you can settle for a lower refresh rate, the resolution cut-off point is higher. M2 Pro+ does not have this limitation since 14.1 (but: it had before, so the situation was reversed interestingly).

 

[BigZ12]

A noob on this topic here. Please advise.

Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft, Support 4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz HDR - Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, USB4 Compatible with iPhone 16/15 - Max Resolution on Any MacBook is 4K 60Hz

Cable Matters 48Gbps USB C to HDMI Adapter Cable Supporting 4K 120Hz and 8K HDR - Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 Port Compatible - 6ft

www.amazon.com

With that cable, will I get 4k@120hz on my LG OLED CX from my Macbook Pro 14 M1 Pro (2021)?
Edit:
HDR?
With sound?
Without doing any firmware hacks or other adjustments?

 

[SUPERSAM76]

Just registered to report that I flashed a VMM7100 through Virtualbox with an (old) Win10 Image on my Intel MacBook Pro from 2016 successfully. Hints:

• Use the Microsoft Store version of 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 (drove me crazy)
• Follow the instructions from the PDF in the zip file from OP

Now using the MacBook Pro M1 pro with the LG C2 42", seeing/using the 120Hz option, waking up from sleep (even with closed lid), all good. Only thing I haven't found yet: Where can I see if I get the RGB4:4:4 10b HDR? The LG menu is still confusing, at least I found that unintuitive "click the symbol and change it to PC thing"

Thanks @AironMan for putting this together, silently refreshing this thread since three weeks

Can you or somebody explained what you mean by "activate the USB ports of your Win Image and additionally activate the port every time up you boot the Win image"?

I'm about to lose my mind. I plugged in my adapter to my Mac and to an seperate HDMI display. I'm running Windows 11 on Parallels and using the Microsoft store version of VmmHidTool, but every time I boot it up it just says "VMM USB chip is not connected".

This is my first time using Parallels and whenever I connect the adapter a pop-up appears asking if I want to connect the USB device to my Mac or to Windows 11. I select Windows 11 and double-check that the USB device appears in the Parallels configuration tab.

Why on earth am I getting this error. I've been racking my head over this!

 

[doopp]

Sharing my experience with the CableMatters 201310, using my Macbook M1 Pro and Dell G3223Q.
I could not make Parallels recognize the adapter (it only saw it as a 10/100/1000 adapter), I kept getting the "VMM USB chip is not connected" message. Had to borrow an actual Windows laptop to run the update, and it worked right away. I am now able to get 4K@120Hz (without HDR) or 4k@60Hz (with HDR) which seems to be the best case as of today? Would love to get to 4k@120Hz with HDR but I cannot afford to downgrade macOS just for this.

 

[doopp]

Can you or somebody explained what you mean by "activate the USB ports of your Win Image and additionally activate the port every time up you boot the Win image"?

I'm about to lose my mind. I plugged in my adapter to my Mac and to an seperate HDMI display. I'm running Windows 11 on Parallels and using the Microsoft store version of VmmHidTool, but every time I boot it up it just says "VMM USB chip is not connected".

This is my first time using Parallels and whenever I connect the adapter a pop-up appears asking if I want to connect the USB device to my Mac or to Windows 11. I select Windows 11 and double-check that the USB device appears in the Parallels configuration tab.

Why on earth am I getting this error. I've been racking my head over this!

FYI I spent a while on this and could not make it work either, see my post here

 

[bitphlip]

Confirmed working with the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock.

 

[BigZ12]

Confirmed working with the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock.

I have a Macbook Pro M1 Pro. Will I get 4k@120hz HDR on my LG OLED with this Go Dock?
What about if I buy a Mac Mini M2 (not pro)?

If so, do you have to do any updates or "hacks" to get it working?

 

[bitphlip]

I have a Macbook Pro M1 Pro. Will I get 4k@120hz HDR on my LG OLED with this Go Dock?
What about if I buy a Mac Mini M2 (not pro)?

If so, do you have to do any updates or "hacks" to get it working?

My bad, I could have added a lot more detail:

Computer: M1 Macbook Air (Ventura 13.6.4)
Display: LG CX 48 (HDMI 2.1 input only, no DisplayPort)
Adapter: The Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter linked in the OP
Dock: OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock

Steps:
1. I flashed the Anker adapter with the VM7100 firmware attached in the OP using Parallels. Make sure to back up the original firmware as a safeguard, though I had no issues.
2. I used BetterDisplay to set the resolution to 4K and refresh rate to 120hz.
3. I clicked the green button on the LG remote 7 times and confirmed the subsampling was at 4:4:4 10 bit.
4. I bought the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock and plugged the flashed Anker adapter into one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports
5. I used a HDMI 2.1 cable to connect the adapter to my LG CX 48 and confirmed the resolution/refresh rate/chroma subsampling were still at 4k/120hz/4:4:4.

So my comment was really just to confirm you can daisy chain the flashed adapter through the OWC dock. The OWC dock by itself won't get you the desired refresh rate/resolution/subsampling.

To answer your questions:
- You can get 4K@120hz if you buy and flash one of the linked adapters and follow the steps in the OP.
- Since your LG display doesn't have have a DisplayPort input, you'll need this adapter regardless of which computer you use. If you had an M2 pro or later, you could use the HDMI 2.1 port found on the computer without the need for a flashed adapter.
- So yeah, the only hack is downloading the firmware, Parallels, and clicking a few buttons to backup the existing firmware and flash the one attached to the OP. The dock itself can be used out of the box with a flashed adapter.

 

[BigZ12]

My bad, I could have added a lot more detail:

Computer: M1 Macbook Air (Ventura 13.6.4)
Display: LG CX 48 (HDMI 2.1 input only, no DisplayPort)
Adapter: The Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter linked in the OP
Dock: OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock

Steps:
1. I flashed the Anker adapter with the VM7100 firmware attached in the OP using Parallels. Make sure to back up the original firmware as a safeguard, though I had no issues.
2. I used BetterDisplay to set the resolution to 4K and refresh rate to 120hz.
3. I clicked the green button on the LG remote 7 times and confirmed the subsampling was at 4:4:4 10 bit.
4. I bought the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock and plugged the flashed Anker adapter into one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports
5. I used a HDMI 2.1 cable to connect the adapter to my LG CX 48 and confirmed the resolution/refresh rate/chroma subsampling were still at 4k/120hz/4:4:4.

So my comment was really just to confirm you can daisy chain the flashed adapter through the OWC dock. The OWC dock by itself won't get you the desired refresh rate/resolution/subsampling.

To answer your questions:
- You can get 4K@120hz if you buy and flash one of the linked adapters and follow the steps in the OP.
- Since your LG display doesn't have have a DisplayPort input, you'll need this adapter regardless of which computer you use. If you had an M2 pro or later, you could use the HDMI 2.1 port found on the computer without the need for a flashed adapter.
- So yeah, the only hack is downloading the firmware, Parallels, and clicking a few buttons to backup the existing firmware and flash the one attached to the OP. The dock itself can be used out of the box with a flashed adapter.

Thanks for explaining! That helped a lot!
You also helped me remember the LG remote 7x green trick.
Again, I appreciate it! 👍👊

Edit: You got 4K@120hz, but no HDR if I've understood this correctly?

 

[BigZ12]

Sorry for offtopic!

Any chance you could bother to comment this? I made an own thread, but haven't got any decent answers.
I am thinking about selling my Win11 HTPC, and either make a M2 Mac Mini (with the "firmware hack" and adapters) or a M2 Pro Mac Mini (so expensive ) as my new HTPC. Completing my Apple eco-system .

On my Windows HTPC with Nvidia graphics adapter, I have the Nvidia Control Panel.
Inside I can change: Desktop color depth, output color depth and output color format (RGB/YCBCR 4:2:0 / 4:2:2 / 4:4:4.
Is there any app, or setting I can change this on the Macbook like in Nvidia Control Panel??
And then use the 7x green button on LG Remote to check status. (Thanks again)

Extra question:
In Windows you can set the resolution to 2160p, that makes everything too small on a tv from 3 meters distance.
Then you can use the "Scale and layout" setting it to 150% for example. (and keep the resolution at 2160p)
How do you solve this in MacOS??

 

[Khraze]

Sharing my experience with the CableMatters 201310, using my Macbook M1 Pro and Dell G3223Q.
I could not make Parallels recognize the adapter (it only saw it as a 10/100/1000 adapter), I kept getting the "VMM USB chip is not connected" message. Had to borrow an actual Windows laptop to run the update, and it worked right away. I am now able to get 4K@120Hz (without HDR) or 4k@60Hz (with HDR) which seems to be the best case as of today? Would love to get to 4k@120Hz with HDR but I cannot afford to downgrade macOS just for this.

I'm currently using this adapter and getting 4k 120hz HDR. When flashing the firmware, make sure to follow all the steps for VMM6100, like editing the EDID. The wire is a little finicky, so I'm switching to a VMM7100 adapter.

 

[4k3]

I can confirm that it is working with iVANKY FusionDock Max 1.

Setup:

• Macbook 14 M3 Max
• Ivanky FusionDock Max 1
• Recommended Cable Matters Hdmi Adapter 201388-A (VM7100)
• LG OLED CX48
• 8k HDMI Cable (Noname)

Steps:

1. Install Windows VM with UTM (Emulated / Arm Windows)
2. Enabled USB Device (Adapter directly plugged in to the Macbook, not dock)
3. Flashing the Adapter - Using the recommended Flash Tool from the Microsoft Store and the Firmware
4. Plugged in the Adapter into the dock

 

[Jashi]

I added this to BetterDisplay based on the work of @djrobx (literally, just took his code - I'll rewrite it in Swift and maybe try to add some improvements if the feature is generally found to be useful in light of feedbacks) which might help with the no signal issue. This should both reset and reconnect the display (so no need to turn the TV off and on).

The VMM7100 reset can be invoked in 4 different ways with the app:

- from the app menu
- via keyboard shortcut
- via a CLI command (so you can script it)
- set to auto-reset on wake

Usage and activation (you need to enter some commands in Terminal to initially enable the feature - this is intentional). Here are the instructions on how to enable it and also set up auto-reset on wake:

VMM7100 no signal workarounds (not a supported feature, just something that can be silently activated) · Issue #2609 · waydabber/BetterDisplay

Added some features to help with dongles that have the VM7100 chipset and run a modified firmware. HDMI dongles with this chipset and the modified CableMatters firmware is commonly used to get 4K@1...

github.com

You can download the latest app version here (this is included in v2.2.2 and newer): https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay

Note: I am not sure how well it works as my setup rarely inters the no signal state. An other limitation is that keyboard shortcuts don't work in lock screen which might be an issue since many probably encounter the no signal issue when stuck on the lock screen after a wake. I added a silent option to automatically run the reset after every wake but it might be more annoying than useful.

This does not require a Pro license, so you can try/use it even if you don't need BetterDisplay in general.

This is great, I set a key binding to reset the adapter and use my apple watch to unlock my mac, so now when it fails to show my screen I just hit the keys and it comes up a few seconds later. Very glad and thankful for your and @djrobx work on this issue.

 

[qbfinest]

I added this to BetterDisplay based on the work of @djrobx (literally, just took his code - I'll rewrite it in Swift and maybe try to add some improvements if the feature is generally found to be useful in light of feedbacks) which might help with the no signal issue. This should both reset and reconnect the display (so no need to turn the TV off and on).

The VMM7100 reset can be invoked in 4 different ways with the app:

- from the app menu
- via keyboard shortcut
- via a CLI command (so you can script it)
- set to auto-reset on wake

Usage and activation (you need to enter some commands in Terminal to initially enable the feature - this is intentional). Here are the instructions on how to enable it and also set up auto-reset on wake:

VMM7100 no signal workarounds (not a supported feature, just something that can be silently activated) · Issue #2609 · waydabber/BetterDisplay

Added some features to help with dongles that have the VM7100 chipset and run a modified firmware. HDMI dongles with this chipset and the modified CableMatters firmware is commonly used to get 4K@1...

github.com

You can download the latest app version here (this is included in v2.2.2 and newer): https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay

Note: I am not sure how well it works as my setup rarely inters the no signal state. An other limitation is that keyboard shortcuts don't work in lock screen which might be an issue since many probably encounter the no signal issue when stuck on the lock screen after a wake. I added a silent option to automatically run the reset after every wake but it might be more annoying than useful.

This does not require a Pro license, so you can try/use it even if you don't need BetterDisplay in general.

Can confirm this works absolutely wonderful and mitigates the issue of me spamming random keyboard combos every morning for 5 or so minutes trying to wake up my C3. Pairs perfectly with the auto-login feature from the apple watch and followed by a basic keyboard combo and i got the display up in a couple seconds. Many thanks to you and @djrobx for this! I've seen the comment before but wanted to see if anyone can confirm it working so thanks @Jashi for the testimonial. Don't hesitate to try this if you're having wake issues. Best and easiest solution thus far

 

[bitphlip]

Thanks for explaining! That helped a lot!
You also helped me remember the LG remote 7x green trick.
Again, I appreciate it! 👍👊

Edit: You got 4K@120hz, but no HDR if I've understood this correctly?

I got HDR working as well, but I didn't update to Sonoma, which according to the OP could break HDR!

EDIT: I saw your other comment, and I don't use Windows so I can't really help you there!

 

[Zorast]

Hey everyone. I believe I have a new Anker adapter to add to the compatibility list, Anker 556. I got this to work by following the VMM6100 instructions, even though the hub showed as VMM6200 in VmmDPTool64. This did require another device with USB-C ALT DP. I haven't noticed any lost functionality using the 6100 firmware on a 6200. See my single-wire setup below and let me know if there's anything I should test to confirm this works correctly.

My setup
- M1 Macbook Pro
- Anker 556 USB-C HUB 8-in-1
- LG C3
- 4k, HDR 10bit, 120 Hz
- Amazon Basics 48 gbp/s HDMI

I still can't get HDR and HiDPI to be enabled at the same time, but I haven't been able to do this with any other adapters either. Please let me know if there's a way to do this.

View attachment 2340928

Plz Read OP, this is an MacOS limitation since 14.1. I have not the time now to investigate if there is a workaround. Iam in contact with CM Technical but they do not found a way to get this work. I think Apple limit us to SDR to better sell there Monitors.

 

[Zorast]

Hey everyone. I believe I have a new Anker adapter to add to the compatibility list, Anker 556. I got this to work by following the VMM6100 instructions, even though the hub showed as VMM6200 in VmmDPTool64. This did require another device with USB-C ALT DP. I haven't noticed any lost functionality using the 6100 firmware on a 6200. See my single-wire setup below and let me know if there's anything I should test to confirm this works correctly.

My setup
- M1 Macbook Pro
- Anker 556 USB-C HUB 8-in-1
- LG C3
- 4k, HDR 10bit, 120 Hz
- Amazon Basics 48 gbp/s HDMI

I still can't get HDR and HiDPI to be enabled at the same time, but I haven't been able to do this with any other adapters either. Please let me know if there's a way to do this.

View attachment 2340928

Really nice, this is the first Hub that can be flashed anyway with a custom Firmware. But u need still EDID override yes? I will update the OP. What macOS does u use and are u using HiDPI ? And plz check if u really getting RGB 4:4:4

 

[Zorast]

I feel like people need to keep reporting the wake issue to CableMatters. I tried, but got "well I guess your LG C2 is not fully compatible, you can revert the firmware or return for a refund".

From what I saw in the debug logs, when the LG enters deep sleep, the VM7100 goes kind of crazy logging errors, and eventually "crashes" the interface on the DP side when left for too long.

My workaround has been to reset the VMM7100 chip from the USB interface before powering on the LGs. It's nasty as hell but works perfectly. I reverse engineered the "Reset" button in the VMMHidtool to do that and made a Mac utility that does the same. https://github.com/djrobx/USBResetter. Would still greatly prefer a proper firmware fix.

Really Nice, I will contact CM Technical to get an Firmware fix for that.

 

[Zorast]

My bad, I could have added a lot more detail:

Computer: M1 Macbook Air (Ventura 13.6.4)
Display: LG CX 48 (HDMI 2.1 input only, no DisplayPort)
Adapter: The Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter linked in the OP
Dock: OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock

Steps:
1. I flashed the Anker adapter with the VM7100 firmware attached in the OP using Parallels. Make sure to back up the original firmware as a safeguard, though I had no issues.
2. I used BetterDisplay to set the resolution to 4K and refresh rate to 120hz.
3. I clicked the green button on the LG remote 7 times and confirmed the subsampling was at 4:4:4 10 bit.
4. I bought the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock and plugged the flashed Anker adapter into one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports
5. I used a HDMI 2.1 cable to connect the adapter to my LG CX 48 and confirmed the resolution/refresh rate/chroma subsampling were still at 4k/120hz/4:4:4.

So my comment was really just to confirm you can daisy chain the flashed adapter through the OWC dock. The OWC dock by itself won't get you the desired refresh rate/resolution/subsampling.

To answer your questions:
- You can get 4K@120hz if you buy and flash one of the linked adapters and follow the steps in the OP.
- Since your LG display doesn't have have a DisplayPort input, you'll need this adapter regardless of which computer you use. If you had an M2 pro or later, you could use the HDMI 2.1 port found on the computer without the need for a flashed adapter.
- So yeah, the only hack is downloading the firmware, Parallels, and clicking a few buttons to backup the existing firmware and flash the one attached to the OP. The dock itself can be used out of the box with a flashed adapter.

Thanks i will update the OP

 

[Zorast]

I can confirm that it is working with iVANKY FusionDock Max 1.

Setup:

• Macbook 14 M3 Max
• Ivanky FusionDock Max 1
• Recommended Cable Matters Hdmi Adapter 201388-A (VM7100)
• LG OLED CX48
• 8k HDMI Cable (Noname)

Steps:

1. Install Windows VM with UTM (Emulated / Arm Windows)
2. Enabled USB Device (Adapter directly plugged in to the Macbook, not dock)
3. Flashing the Adapter - Using the recommended Flash Tool from the Microsoft Store and the Firmware
4. Plugged in the Adapter into the dock

Thanks i will update the OP. Really nice Dock !! Does it really connect 2 native Thunderbolt 4 Ports so getting 80 Gbit on the Dock ?