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Studio Display brightness in Windows
- Thread starter coffeym
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What news are you looking for? I haven't been able to get the ambient light sensor working.
Followed the instructions here, was able to get the brightness (kinda) working for XDR and Studio displays. Here are a few caveats I ran into:
- When connected directly to an Asus Thunderbolt card (looped back to a 4090 via DP), both the Studio and XDR are detected by the BootCamp control panel & brightness is adjustable, but I can't set a resolution above 5K on the XDR.
- When connected directly to the 4090 via a Belkin VR cable, the Studio display is detected by the BootCamp control panel (and brightness is adjustable), but the XDR is not; however, Windows correctly IDs the XDR & the 6K resolution is available.
- When using an AngusPlay USB-C switcher, connected to the Asus Thunderbolt card, the Studio & XDR are detected, but brightness adjustments are disabled. The XDR is again limited to 5K.
- Using the AngusPlay USB-C switcher w/ the Belkin VR cable, connected directly to the 4090, neither the Studio nor XDR are detected in the utility, but Windows correctly IDs both & 6K is still available on the XDR.
Side note 1: I could not get the WJESOG cable, (often mentioned as an alternative to Belkin's), to work under any condition.
Side note 2: When using the AngusPlay USB-C switcher + Belkin VR cable with an eGPU on an Intel Mac (under macOS or Bootcamp), brightness adjustments are also disabled. Taking either the switcher or the VR cable out of the loop restores brightness control.
Conclusion: Ultimately, I gave up on brightness control in Windows. I ended up connecting my 2 Studios to the TB card through AngusPlay switches & the XDR directly to the 4090 via the Belkin VR cable through another AngusPlay switch. The brightness settings carry over, so switching back over to the Mac to change it isn't too terrible.
- When connected directly to an Asus Thunderbolt card (looped back to a 4090 via DP), both the Studio and XDR are detected by the BootCamp control panel & brightness is adjustable, but I can't set a resolution above 5K on the XDR.
- When connected directly to the 4090 via a Belkin VR cable, the Studio display is detected by the BootCamp control panel (and brightness is adjustable), but the XDR is not; however, Windows correctly IDs the XDR & the 6K resolution is available.
- When using an AngusPlay USB-C switcher, connected to the Asus Thunderbolt card, the Studio & XDR are detected, but brightness adjustments are disabled. The XDR is again limited to 5K.
- Using the AngusPlay USB-C switcher w/ the Belkin VR cable, connected directly to the 4090, neither the Studio nor XDR are detected in the utility, but Windows correctly IDs both & 6K is still available on the XDR.
Side note 1: I could not get the WJESOG cable, (often mentioned as an alternative to Belkin's), to work under any condition.
Side note 2: When using the AngusPlay USB-C switcher + Belkin VR cable with an eGPU on an Intel Mac (under macOS or Bootcamp), brightness adjustments are also disabled. Taking either the switcher or the VR cable out of the loop restores brightness control.
Conclusion: Ultimately, I gave up on brightness control in Windows. I ended up connecting my 2 Studios to the TB card through AngusPlay switches & the XDR directly to the 4090 via the Belkin VR cable through another AngusPlay switch. The brightness settings carry over, so switching back over to the Mac to change it isn't too terrible.
Hello,
This is my first post on this forum.
I am in the process of writing a driver for the Studio Display monitor, which will have the ability to automatically adjust brightness and most likely won't require the installation of Bootcamp software. I will keep you updated as I get more information.
At the moment, I have already written functioning software that communicates with the monitor and is capable of getting ambient brightness from the sensor and adjusting the monitor's brightness. Now, I just need to create a user interface for it and conduct tests, then I will be able to make it available for you.
Regards!
This is my first post on this forum.
I am in the process of writing a driver for the Studio Display monitor, which will have the ability to automatically adjust brightness and most likely won't require the installation of Bootcamp software. I will keep you updated as I get more information.
At the moment, I have already written functioning software that communicates with the monitor and is capable of getting ambient brightness from the sensor and adjusting the monitor's brightness. Now, I just need to create a user interface for it and conduct tests, then I will be able to make it available for you.
Regards!
this is great news! I look forward to trying it, and I can update the main post when its completed
Hi Chris, also first post here! I'm a UX designer by trade, happy to offer any help with UI work to help design a minimal, seamless experience and give back to the forum here. Please DM me if interested/when ready to talk UI.
Cheers,
-Anthony
Thank you very much for the offer to help.
Currently, I am focusing on writing the core of the software.
Additionally, finding the correlation between the ambient brightness and the brightness of the monitor, considering the preferences of different users, turned out to be a significant topic. I want this function to provide the user full control while remaining as natural to use as possible.
Considering that understanding and implementing communication between the PC and the monitor took me some time, I would like to release the software with a basic UI version in a reasonable time.
I must admit, I work on this topic in between my actual work, taking care of my child, etc., so I have very little time
but when I have good and stable version of the software I would like to make UI better so we could work on it then.
Currently, I am focusing on writing the core of the software.
Additionally, finding the correlation between the ambient brightness and the brightness of the monitor, considering the preferences of different users, turned out to be a significant topic. I want this function to provide the user full control while remaining as natural to use as possible.
Considering that understanding and implementing communication between the PC and the monitor took me some time, I would like to release the software with a basic UI version in a reasonable time.
I must admit, I work on this topic in between my actual work, taking care of my child, etc., so I have very little time
but when I have good and stable version of the software I would like to make UI better so we could work on it then.
You have to remember that on the day the display came out it was not immediately obvious that firmware updates were required or how they were performed. Seems obvious now.
Regarding the brightness setting across different devices, there could be compatibility issues or differences in how the operating systems handle the display profiles.
Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:
Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:
- Check display settings on Windows
- Install display drivers
- Calibrate the display on Windows
I'm pretty sure it's a firmware thing. The newer firmware versions have gained the ability to remember brightness settings, as opposed to the launch firmware.
Hello again!
I have finally finished working on the app. I named it "Studio Display Brightness Controller". The application does not require BootCamp installation. You can use it to control the brightness of the Studio Display. The application uses the built-in ambient light sensor and updates the brightness of the monitor in real time.
I am in touch with kreasu_ who will update the main post in this thread shortly with all the information needed to install the app.
I encourage everyone who likes the app to click the "Buy me a coffee" button
Regards!
Chris
I have finally finished working on the app. I named it "Studio Display Brightness Controller". The application does not require BootCamp installation. You can use it to control the brightness of the Studio Display. The application uses the built-in ambient light sensor and updates the brightness of the monitor in real time.
I am in touch with kreasu_ who will update the main post in this thread shortly with all the information needed to install the app.
I encourage everyone who likes the app to click the "Buy me a coffee" button
Regards!
Chris
As you may or may not know, Apple has dropped supporting BootCamp on their Apple Silicon Macs. As such, it is clear that Apple isn't interested in creating new drivers and maintaining existing drivers for Windows 10 or Windows 11 in the future. So, as such, I doubt Apple will release a Boot Camp update to bring better compatibility and support for Windows. They have done the bare minimum to make it work in Windows, and I believe it will stay that way.
I've updated the main post of the windows compatibility thread with the new brightness controller that works without installing bootcamp.Hello again!
I have finally finished working on the app. I named it "Studio Display Brightness Controller". The application does not require BootCamp installation. You can use it to control the brightness of the Studio Display. The application uses the built-in ambient light sensor and updates the brightness of the monitor in real time.
I am in touch with kreasu_ who will update the main post in this thread shortly with all the information needed to install the app.
I encourage everyone who likes the app to click the "Buy me a coffee" button
Regards!
Chris
@coffeym would you mind linking this thread as well in the first post for visibility?
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Some users might want to open at startup, but since the app requires elevated permissions, you have to run it through task scheduler instead of putting a shortcut in the startup folder:
1) Windows + R to open the Run Command: taskschd.msc
2) Inside task scheduler on the right column click New Task (Basic)
3) In the main config, MAKE SURE RUN WITH HIGHESTPRIVILEGES is checked ON
View attachment 2211149
4) In triggers click new and set the trigger to "At Log On"
View attachment 2211150
5) In Action click New and change the action to Start a program, then browse to the brightness controller.
View attachment 2211152
1) Windows + R to open the Run Command: taskschd.msc
2) Inside task scheduler on the right column click New Task (Basic)
3) In the main config, MAKE SURE RUN WITH HIGHESTPRIVILEGES is checked ON
View attachment 2211149
4) In triggers click new and set the trigger to "At Log On"
View attachment 2211150
5) In Action click New and change the action to Start a program, then browse to the brightness controller.
View attachment 2211152
Another tip: If you're still having trouble with both values being at 0, sometimes the studio display doesn't wake up the ambient sensor, and it needs to be plugged into another apple device to wake it up, like an iPad or a macbook etc. Sometimes opening the bootcamp control panel can help with that but I've had mixed success with that.
Hello, thanks so much for the tip. Great work!
Ive got two questions:
Ive got two questions:
- Would it be possible for someone to record a video and show how the process is done to install this fix?
- Is it possible to install this fix in a compórtate windows laptop without admin permission?
1) Maybe someone can do it, but the process is fairly easy to do.
2) This will not work without admin permissions, as you're installing a custom driver and the app itself needs admin permissions as well to control the display.
Thanks so much for the answer. I guessed admin permissions were necessary.
On the other hand, does anyone know if the Studio Display works with a HP ProBook i5?
Thanks!
Hello,
I encourage everyone to download the update of my "Studio Display Brightness Controller" application, there is a small but important stability fix, the link is in the first post of this thread as usual:
I encourage everyone to download the update of my "Studio Display Brightness Controller" application, there is a small but important stability fix, the link is in the first post of this thread as usual: