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CalDigit's $199 Thunderbolt Station Shipping November 4
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From my reading only:
No optical output. Simply standard 3.5 jacks on the dock.
HDMI would shut off when you plugged in the Dvi-MiniDisplay. In order to use two monitors at once (other than built in displays on a laptop/iMac) one of the monitors MUST be thunderbolt, not Displayport or any other type.
EDIT: I assumed that both monitors would be hooked up to the hub. I think if you have two thunderbolt ports on your computer, you could hook up two non thunderbolt monitors by hooking one up to the HDMI in the hub, and the second directly to the second Thunderbolt port on the computer itself.
No idea about the graphics, but I would assume that it would work like normal.
USB throughput is always managed by the CPU. It's one of the major differences between USB and FireWire. That said, in the realm of today's multi-core processors, having the CPU manage I/O overhead for USB traffic just isn't the strain it once was with the previous generations single-core processors.
So using a DVI-to-DisplayPort adaptor that would plug into the available thunderbolt port on the dock, plus an HDMI monitor on the dock as well would work? I keep the laptop closed and just use my 2x monitors. I want everything plugged into this station.
Their FAQ seems to make it seem so.
I think it is exceptional marketing. Their soon-to-be shipping product is obviously better than any vaporware Thunderbolt products, whatever other shortcomings their product may have (e.g. lack of Thunderbolt 2 support, no FireWire port).
I'm not reading it that way, mostly going by the letter they send to another forum member two months back.
Post 147 by wshamp:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...1568512&page=6
I remember people were having to put another thunderbolt device between an apple thunderbolt display and the older apple cinema display, due to a technical limitation of the thunderbolt technology. I am guessing that this has the same kind of limitation.
Can't get the link to work, here is the text instead:
Old Sep 11, 2013, 10:02 PM #147
wshamp
macrumors newbie
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: New York, NY
Quote:
Originally Posted by theluggage View Post
**The Caldigit dock does offer a HDMI output which would be a partial solution - allowing you to connect a display and, e.g. a Thunderbolt peripheral. However, I'm waiting with baited breath to see how well this works & whether you can still connect a display device to the second TB port (I don't expect both to work simultaneously, but they need to be able to switch).
MiniDP rather than HDMI would have been better, though - MiniDP-to-everything adapters are widely available and most Mac users already have the ones they need.
Hate to burst people's bubble on the dual display but here is the email chain with their support:
Me:
I was wondering if you could answer a question about the dual monitor setup. would this configuration work:
Monitor 1: HDMI output -> monitor
Monitor 2: Thunderbolt output -> thunderbolt to HDMI converter -> monitor
Would the OS see these as two separate desktops (extendable)
Thanks for clearing this up. It seems to be a point of confusion
Caldigit:
Dear customer,
No, it will not work.
Monitor 1: HDMI output > HDMI/DVI Monitor
Monitor 2: Thunderbolt output > Apple Thunderbolt Display
- If you want to use the Thunderbolt to HDMI/DVI converter, then the Thunderbolt station's HDMI port will not provide any signals. Among the station's Thunderbolt/HDMI ports, you can only run one non-Thunderbolt display.
Monitor 3/4/5: it is possible to use an USB3.0 to HDMI/DVI converter
Best regards,
CalDigit - Support
Me:
will the usb 3.0 be at 5.0 Gb/sec ?
Can you explain why the above configuration wouldn't work. Was this a design choice or a thunderbolt hardware constraint? It seems this feature would be greatly appreciated by your customers.
Caldigit:
Dear customer,
Yes, the USB3.0 is at 5.0Gb/sec. We were able to hit 400+MB/s with the SATA6G SSD on those ports (using our AVPro).
As for the monitors configuration, it's a hardware limitation.
Best regards,
CalDigit - Support
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Wow, that blows.
Assuming everyone that has dual monitors uses an Apple Thunderbolt display is dumb, IMO. But whatever, just won't buy their product.
Will just keep on waiting for the Henge Horizontal Docking. Though the fact that you need to use their software to use the dock makes me cringe. I just want straight hardware-to-hardware.
Assuming everyone that has dual monitors uses an Apple Thunderbolt display is dumb, IMO. But whatever, just won't buy their product.
Will just keep on waiting for the Henge Horizontal Docking. Though the fact that you need to use their software to use the dock makes me cringe. I just want straight hardware-to-hardware.
Well said, I’m thinking the same thing. I’ve got a mid-2011 MBP 15”, (1) TB port (currently used with a DP>HDMI adapter), and (2) USB 2.0 ports. I want USB 3.0 (I’ve got USB3.0 drives), could use an extra USB port, adds a touch of convenience with cable management - plus it has a passthrough in the event I add some TB peripherals. For $200, it isn’t _terribly_ priced, if you’re coming from a TB/USB2.0 machine without ethernet, it’s even better.
My next storage will have TB or TB2. Why? Same reasons why I used FW800/400 over USB2.0
The speed over FW was better and since TB is not using CPU cycles like USB 3.0, it won't slow me down.
The speed over FW was better and since TB is not using CPU cycles like USB 3.0, it won't slow me down.
Ahh, thanks. I was thinking the device would take a USB drive and make it look like a TB drive to the OS. Then it might be suitable for audio applications which need the uninterruptible data stream that FW provides.
Yes - that's a slight minus.
Thunderbolt 1 will always be thus - you only get one video device per Thunderbolt controller. Maybe with Thunderbolt 2's support for DisplayPort 1.2 this will improve, but I'm not holding my breath.
However, with this dock, you can at least connect an external HDMI monitor and another TB device to a MacBook Pro with a single TB port. Until now, using any of the cheaper TB peripherals with no daisychain port would rule out using any external monitor on a MBP Classic or Air.
Also, presumably, like the TB display, daisychaining any device with a TB through port (maybe a second hub?) would let you add a non-TB display to the end of the chain.
Saw the video?
Over here we don't talk about the competition all the time, in fact, we pretty much ignore them on our marketing, and it seems to work.
I agree, but I think it is a limitation of thunderbolt vs anything that Caldiget wanted to intentionally do.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/11...t_display_will_not_daisy_chain_cinema_display
Once these are released, and experiment would be to put another thunderbolt device between the display port & caldiget dock and see if that would work, based on the thunderbolt/cinema display. Of course, yet another device really increases the cost, if it does work.
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/16/apple-thunderbolt-display-with-multiple-monitors/
That "sounds" correct because the HDMI would use the ONE backward compatible DisplayPort signal reserved for older monitors. When you add another "thunderbolt" monitor it MUST be thunderbolt and not DisplayPort because the "end of the chain" is the only one that gets to use the DisplatPort signal.
Then is sounds like even if another thunderbolt device is put between the dock and the display port adapter it still won't work. Thanks for the explanation.
It was their language first...
It still is, and I hate hearing it pronounced "haitch".
I totally agree. Any more than $100 and I would just upgrade my iMac or mac mini to a 2012 or newer model that already has USB 3 built in.
What about "zed" for the letter "zee"? Or their pronunciation of "aluminum"?
What's the quote about two nations separated by a common language?
I fall into this niche as well. I have a late '12 27" iMac with a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, LaCie TB/eSATA hub (connected via TB), Drobo 5D (connected via TB), 2xMercury Qx2 RAIDs (both connected via eSATA), a FW800 hub (connected via TB-FW800 adapter), 24" monitor (connected via MiniDisplay-DVI adapter), and a 42" monitor (connected via TB-HDMI adapter). I'm a film editor and motion graphics designer for those of you wondering why I need my setup the way I have it. In my current setup I need to unplug my 42" screen in order to get access to my FW800 hub and vice versa which kills my workflow sometimes. So this will significantly help my setup with the inclusion of 2 more USB 3.0 ports, I can get rid of the TB-HDMI adapter and also gain access to a gigabit ethernet as well as an audio out jack right in front of me, instead of digging behind the computer or plugging into my speakers. .02
Yay for $200 you can now save yourself 4 seconds of wasted time every morning! Or just set your alarm to 4 minutes sooner, you won't notice the difference…
Since all Macs come with powered USB ports, 2 Thunderbolt ports, and you can buy fairly cheap (well less than $200) Thunderbolt to HDMI connectors, it doesn't actually do anything other than take space on your desk and save a few seconds every morning as he said.
Also the ports are misaligned and aren't in the same row. I mean if you're going to charge so much for such a special device, might as well make it look a bit more Apple-y!
But seriously I'm sure this has its use, I just find that devices like this shouldn't cost much more than $20. Yes I know it's not possible because it's got a bunch of CPUs inside running custom built OSs that do complicated stuff to route data from one port to the other, it's not their fault, but at the end it's only worth the price if your manager pays for it or something.
Since all Macs come with powered USB ports, 2 Thunderbolt ports, and you can buy fairly cheap (well less than $200) Thunderbolt to HDMI connectors, it doesn't actually do anything other than take space on your desk and save a few seconds every morning as he said.
Also the ports are misaligned and aren't in the same row. I mean if you're going to charge so much for such a special device, might as well make it look a bit more Apple-y!
But seriously I'm sure this has its use, I just find that devices like this shouldn't cost much more than $20. Yes I know it's not possible because it's got a bunch of CPUs inside running custom built OSs that do complicated stuff to route data from one port to the other, it's not their fault, but at the end it's only worth the price if your manager pays for it or something.
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If the reviews are good then I will probably pick this up. I just wish Apple would at least update the Thunderbolt Display to USB 3.0. I believe I've finally found an eSATA to USB 3.0 adapter that isn't crap. It's the one that OWC sells. It's been rock-solid for the past couple days on my pre-USB 3.0 G-Drive moving around a few hundred gigs. The nice thing about this dock is that someone could run a monitor off of the HDMI, and then run a FireWire adapter off of the extra TB port. Right now I'm running everything off USB 3.0 and Displayport on my rMBP. One less cord would be nice, plus built-in audio. My iMic USB audio often messes up my system audio. Sometimes nothing comes out, and often I have to manually switch from system to external audio. If this is less buggy that's another plus.
What about "zed" for the letter "zee"? Or their pronunciation of "aluminum"?
What's the quote about two nations separated by a common language? Image
I would like someone from the UK to chime in here, because just as we in the US have our regional dialects, the British Isles have just as many or more. (And then there are the OTHER former colonies, of course ) I think this is a similar example, and just because he might be from the UK doesn't grant "legitimacy," for lack of a better word, to his pronunciations. I've heard plenty of Brits pronounce the eighth letter of the English alphabet the same way that most Americans are used to hearing it.
Just an observation for fun.
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