2013 MacBook air with two external monitor

[kant]

This is a problem with the Dock, if you chosse to place it down.

And i have a problem with two old 1600x1200 screen, Mac OS X see a 3200x1200 screen (it's OK), but the display say that there are in 1920x1200.

With two 1080p display, no problem.

Thanks for the quick response. One more question:

The two monitors need to be the same resolution, but do they need to be the same model or panel type. I'd love to have a Dell 2413 for photo editing and a cheap TN for extraneous stuff - browser open to forums, a video window, iMessages, etc.

That's why the single spanning display doesn't bother me. I'm used to segregating sections of screen for different categories of stuff.

 

[The WOPR]

I had also been looking to do this for a while, so I thought I'd chime in here with some feedback since I recently took the plunge. I wanted to create a sort of "docking station" for when I'm working at my desk.

I'm very happy with this configuration and it works well for me but YMMV of course. I don't use my computer for gaming or graphics work aside from photos. I mainly use the secondary monitor as extra space while working with spreadsheets, reference material and documents and I desperately needed more screen real estate so that I didn't have to switch back and forth between windows while working. Personally I feel it is much more efficient to work this way and it feels like a relief from just using the standard laptop screen.

I did look for, and notice some "lag". But it's almost imperceptible and doesn't affect performance for the tasks I mentioned. If I wasn't looking for it I probably wouldn't have noticed and it doesn't really bother me. I am able to play a full 1080P movie in quicktime on either monitor and can move the window while it's playing to either screen, and even leave it in between screens so that it straddles both. It continues to pay fine with no hiccups. I also played two 1080P mp4 movies simultaneously, one on each monitor, and the result was fine. There are some issues with flash content displayed in a browser. Some flash advertisements and things such as the player scrub controls on youtube suffer from a very noticeable flicker. On my system I am able to play a 720P youtube video in a window or full screen on the secondary monitor and the video itself looks fine as long as it has buffered enough (even with a 1080P movie playing on the primary monitor). However, these known issues with flash and browser content on the displaylink device could definitely be annoying for some people. The simple solution is to use the primary monitor connected to the mac for content such as this if it bothers you. For me this isn't a big issue since I use the secondary displaylink screen for work and I understand that some multimedia or 3d applications may perform better on the primary screen.



Here's my configuration:

2012 13" Macbook Air, i5 with 8gb RAM running mountain lion 10.8.4
(2) Asus VS228H-P 22" Monitors (both using the HDMI input)
Planar dual monitor stand
HDE Mini display port to HDMI cable - connecting the MBA to the primary monitor
Regular HDMI cable - connecting the plugable device to the secondary monitor
Plugable USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter (connected to the MBA via included USB cable) Drivers were installed via the website before I plugged the device in.
Twelve South Bookarc stand
Apple wireless keyboard & mouse

 

[Dandu]

Thanks for the quick response. One more question:

The two monitors need to be the same resolution, but do they need to be the same model or panel type. I'd love to have a Dell 2413 for photo editing and a cheap TN for extraneous stuff - browser open to forums, a video window, iMessages, etc.

That's why the single spanning display doesn't bother me. I'm used to segregating sections of screen for different categories of stuff.

No problem with two different screen, it works if they have the same definition.

But this is complicated for full screen, because if you use Full Screen mode with Mac OS X, it's with the two screen.

A litle test in french : http://www.journaldulapin.com/2013/04/11/deux-ecrans-sur-une-seule-sortie-video-sur-un-mac/

 

[colemac]

MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) Connecting Dual Monitors

Hello,

I was wondering how I can do this with this Macbook Air "MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)"

I have 2 24" dell monitors. They each have a dvi and vga on them.

What is going to be the easiest and cost effective way to make this work and what will I require?

Thanks in advance,

 

[mbaus]

I got this

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Dynad...8&qid=1371518223&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+dock

Its coming tomorrow, has ethernet, dvi and hdmi (can be used simultaneously) as well as a bunch of usb ports (from what i have read the audio ports dont work with osx

if you go to the plugable website (they use the same displaylink chip) it shows their dock hooked up to a display plus another usb to dvi plugged into one of the docks ports (their dock only has a single video out) powering a second display and the third display being the laptop and it is smooth plus it has gigabit ethernet

Hi New Deal... did this work with a Macbook Air? I keep reading the graphics card in the macbook Air won't support two monitors. I'm not doing video it's strictly office applications and email.

 

[Boyd01]

I keep reading the graphics card in the macbook Air won't support two monitors.

It will support two Thunderbolt monitors - see the link posted on the previous page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219#dispnum

 

[SBA]

Hello,

I was wondering how I can do this with this Macbook Air "MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)"

I have 2 24" dell monitors. They each have a dvi and vga on them.

What is going to be the easiest and cost effective way to make this work and what will I require?

Thanks in advance,

I got a Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition (DP = Displayport) from someone on ebay a couple of weeks ago, and just got everything hooked up last night.

My setup is a 2012 13" MBA with 2 Dell S2340M (23" 1080p) monitors hooked up.

The setup was not very user-friendly, but after tinkering with the Matrox software settings, I've got everything working, and it's pretty great. My only gripe is that this has to run at basically 3840x1080, so one long screen stretched, and new windows open centered, right under the two bezels.

But this certainly beats any lag with the USB adapters, and Dell really makes some good monitors. No issues with colors, dead pixels, etc.

Here's a really crappy picture to give you an idea.

 

[newdeal]

Hi New Deal... did this work with a Macbook Air? I keep reading the graphics card in the macbook Air won't support two monitors. I'm not doing video it's strictly office applications and email.

it worked OK. It displayed an image no problem but there was a slight bit of lag, not too bad but not perfect either. Also there is a bug that affects video playback in safari when using flash where the flash element flickers. It doesn't affect other browsers just safari

 

[mbaus]

It will support two Thunderbolt monitors - see the link posted on the previous page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219#dispnum

Hi Boyd... I have a late 2011 or early 2012 MBA, I bought it sometime that winter. Is there a way I can get the date on it? (I'm fairly uneducated on this, first Mac), which would put it under one display only.

I noticed it says "two thunderbolt displays" Could I run two monitors off a dock, using USB, such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Dynad...8&qid=1371518223&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+dock

 

[mbaus]

it worked OK. It displayed an image no problem but there was a slight bit of lag, not too bad but not perfect either. Also there is a bug that affects video playback in safari when using flash where the flash element flickers. It doesn't affect other browsers just safari

I'll only be doing office work on it, so not in too much need of the high quality video. I am on a mid-2011 Macbook Air. I am assuming yours is more current?

 

[Boyd01]

Hi Boyd... I have a late 2011 or early 2012 MBA, I bought it sometime that winter. Is there a way I can get the date on it?

That's easy: go to the Apple menu > About this Mac > More Info...

The 2011 MacBook Air did not support two Thunderbolt displays but the 2012 and 2013 models do. If you bought that winter, it's probably a "mid 2011" model - that's what my old machine was.

 

[newdeal]

I'll only be doing office work on it, so not in too much need of the high quality video. I am on a mid-2011 Macbook Air. I am assuming yours is more current?

I am on a 2013. You may have even worse performance because I don't think that the 2011 model has USB 3.0 and so it will be using USB 2.0 and the performance will be terrible I am sure. I just checked and it does not have USB 3.0, because of that if you really need dual external displays I suggest you sell your air and buy a retina 13" macbook pro when they come refresh. They have HDMI and two thunderbolt ports so running 2 displays is a non issue

 

[elctropro]

So I just bought a 27" Super IPS monitor in addition to my current 24" monitor.

Do you think a 2013 MBA with 8 GB RAM and base processor could drive 1920x1200 PLUS 2560x1440 external displays (with the lid shut)? Is that hoping for too much?

 

[gymrat2k]

So I just bought a 27" Super IPS monitor in addition to my current 24" monitor.

Do you think a 2013 MBA with 8 GB RAM and base processor could drive 1920x1200 PLUS 2560x1440 external displays (with the lid shut)? Is that hoping for too much?

I'm doing it on a 2012 MBA with Intel HD Graphics 4000.

A 2560x1600 monitor via miniDP, a 2560x1440 monitor in portrait via DiplayLink-adapter and the ordinary laptop screen. No biggie.

Also tried dual 1920x1200 monitors in portrait instead of the 2560x1440 single monitor. Worked fine.

 

[suttong]

Has anyone tried this combo in order to have port expansion capability in addition to dual monitors? Ideally I want to be able to bring my laptop in and use only the thunderbolt port to use all my peripherals.

Two monitors --> Dualhead2go --> Thunderbolt dock --> Macbook Air


Main concern would be if lag would be horrible through the two devices.

 

[macfacts]

FYI, Mavericks with multi monitor setups using a displaylink usb device is going to lag more.

http://arstechnica.com/information-...-multi-monitor-setups-with-some-usb-displays/

 

[sco]

Has anyone tried this combo in order to have port expansion capability in addition to dual monitors? Ideally I want to be able to bring my laptop in and use only the thunderbolt port to use all my peripherals.

Two monitors --> Dualhead2go --> Thunderbolt dock --> Macbook Air


Main concern would be if lag would be horrible through the two devices.

Yes. I've been doing this for months with a Belkin Thunderbolt dock and Dualhead2Go ME. Works just fine. I don't play games on it so I can't comment about lag. There's no noticeable lag for normal desktop use.

 

[DiscardedPacket]

I had also been looking to do this for a while, so I thought I'd chime in here with some feedback since I recently took the plunge. I wanted to create a sort of "docking station" for when I'm working at my desk.

I'm very happy with this configuration and it works well for me but YMMV of course. I don't use my computer for gaming or graphics work aside from photos. I mainly use the secondary monitor as extra space while working with spreadsheets, reference material and documents and I desperately needed more screen real estate so that I didn't have to switch back and forth between windows while working. Personally I feel it is much more efficient to work this way and it feels like a relief from just using the standard laptop screen.

I did look for, and notice some "lag". But it's almost imperceptible and doesn't affect performance for the tasks I mentioned. If I wasn't looking for it I probably wouldn't have noticed and it doesn't really bother me. I am able to play a full 1080P movie in quicktime on either monitor and can move the window while it's playing to either screen, and even leave it in between screens so that it straddles both. It continues to pay fine with no hiccups. I also played two 1080P mp4 movies simultaneously, one on each monitor, and the result was fine. There are some issues with flash content displayed in a browser. Some flash advertisements and things such as the player scrub controls on youtube suffer from a very noticeable flicker. On my system I am able to play a 720P youtube video in a window or full screen on the secondary monitor and the video itself looks fine as long as it has buffered enough (even with a 1080P movie playing on the primary monitor). However, these known issues with flash and browser content on the displaylink device could definitely be annoying for some people. The simple solution is to use the primary monitor connected to the mac for content such as this if it bothers you. For me this isn't a big issue since I use the secondary displaylink screen for work and I understand that some multimedia or 3d applications may perform better on the primary screen.



Here's my configuration:

2012 13" Macbook Air, i5 with 8gb RAM running mountain lion 10.8.4
(2) Asus VS228H-P 22" Monitors (both using the HDMI input)
Planar dual monitor stand
HDE Mini display port to HDMI cable - connecting the MBA to the primary monitor
Regular HDMI cable - connecting the plugable device to the secondary monitor
Plugable USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter (connected to the MBA via included USB cable) Drivers were installed via the website before I plugged the device in.
Twelve South Bookarc stand
Apple wireless keyboard & mouse

Plugable USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter (connected to the MBA via included USB cable) Drivers were installed via the website before I plugged the device in.

------
Which brand USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter did you use? can you link it? thanks!

 

[The WOPR]

Plugable USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter (connected to the MBA via included USB cable) Drivers were installed via the website before I plugged the device in.

------
Which brand USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter did you use? can you link it? thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Multiple-2048x1152-1920x1200-DisplayLink/dp/B007L6NYAO/


FYI - I haven't had a chance to test it with mavericks and the updated driver. And another option for some of you to consider may be to use an apple TV to drive a second HDMI screen - I have not tried that myself, perhaps someone else can chime in?

 

[DiscardedPacket]

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Multiple-2048x1152-1920x1200-DisplayLink/dp/B007L6NYAO/


FYI - I haven't had a chance to test it with mavericks and the updated driver. And another option for some of you to consider may be to use an apple TV to drive a second HDMI screen - I have not tried that myself, perhaps someone else can chime in?

Thanks. Can you post an update when you've tested it with Mavericks?

 

[lsquare]

It's been more than a month since the last post and I'm seriously considering the 11" MacBook Air. Is this laptop fast enough to drive dual 1920x1080p displays? Will there be any lag? Can I use one displayport cable to daisy chain both LCDs to the MacBook Air?

Thanks!

 

[lsquare]

No one here knows?

 

[Boyd01]

I have a 2013 11" i7/8gb/512gb MBA. It's a really speedy little machine, but I only use one external screen at 1920x1200. If you want two external screens you must either buy two Thunderbolt displays or use one miniDisplayport screen plus a USB device to connect the second screen.

You cannot daisychain two screens using miniDisplayport.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I have a 2013 11" i7/8gb/512gb MBA. It's a really speedy little machine, but I only use one external screen at 1920x1200. If you want two external screens you must either buy two Thunderbolt displays or use one miniDisplayport screen plus a USB device to connect the second screen.

You cannot daisychain two screens using miniDisplayport.

Please revisit post #57 in this thread. Matrix makes a $150 adapter that allows 2 displays to be hooked up via mDP.

 

[Boyd01]

Please revisit post #57 in this thread. Matrix makes a $150 adapter that allows 2 displays to be hooked up via mDP.

This part would be a deal-breaker for me.

My only gripe is that this has to run at basically 3840x1080, so one long screen stretched, and new windows open centered, right under the two bezels.

The only reason I would want two external monitors would be to use one for the canvas and another for the timeline in Final Cut Pro. It sounds like that device really only gives you one long skinny screen that spans two monitors.