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Luna Display Gains PC-to-Mac Mode, 5K Support and More

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The Luna Display dongle that's meant to turn an iPad or Mac into a secondary display for a primary machine today received a major 5.1 software update, introducing new features.

luna-display-mac-to-pc.jpg

With the new PC-to-Mac Mode, Luna Display owners can turn a Mac into a secondary display for a PC. PC-to-Mac mode follows PC-to-iPad mode, which was introduced in October. Thanks to the updated software, any old Mac or iPad can now be used as a secondary display with either a PC or a Mac.

Along with PC-to-Mac mode, the update introduces support for 4K and 5K resolutions. Computers that have a 4K or 5K display can be used as a secondary display at their full resolution, with the USB-C Luna Display required for this functionality.


There's also a new Teleprompter Mode for the PC, Office Mode for PC users, and Magic Keyboard Support for iPhone owners. The Magic Keyboard and trackpad can now be used with an iPad when using Luna Display.

The USB-C Luna Display that works interchangeably with Macs and PCs can be purchased for $129.99, though there is a discount for the next two days that drops the price to $97.50. The discount will show up when the Luna Display is added to the cart for purchase.

Article Link: Luna Display Gains PC-to-Mac Mode, 5K Support and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/01/luna-display-pc-to-mac-mode/
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looks really cool, but for drawing it even looked laggy on the doc signing part of the video.
 
Seems they'll need to really push the cross-platform piece if they want to keep people interested, as macOS has added much of the functionality that made their product unique, and offers even better integration on Apple devices.
 
So I have a Luna Display USB-C that has been sitting in my drawer for ages since it never worked well. I will pull it out to see how this update works, but I did have problems before where my mouse would move from one screen to another and would get bound at the screen edge of the target display (I could move it to my other screen if I used my laptop trackpad though, just not my mouse). That issue made it unusable for me, so if that hasn't been fixed yet then this update, while better, won't help.

Since that time I have been using the Airplay to Mac feature in macOS 12, and it has worked quite well. The resolution to my 5k iMac isn't as clear as it should be, but it hasn't been too bad for working (acts more like a non-5k iMac). Not sure if I can't get the quality better or not, as I've tried using a Thunderbolt 3 cable for the connection, or if it because I'm using a 2017 MBP. My hope is that when I upgrade to a M1 Max MBP that the quality will improve but I haven't seen much about people using Airplay to Mac.
 
If I'm using Luna Display from a MacBook Pro in clamshell mode to an iMac, is the webcam on the iMac usable? Also, I read on Luna Display's site that you may have to change your laptop's settings so it won't go to sleep while it's in clamshell mode. Any Luna Display users out there who can speak to this? Thanks!
 
rawweb said:
Just tried this update on my M1M 16" and 2017 27" iMac as a second display. Pretty lackluster, even over a thunderbolt wire. Experience the usual lag/pixelation.

Would be fine for still content.

Click to expand...
Hold option going in to preferences, debug menu, set bandwidth manually.
 
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snyp1193 said:
The 4K/5K retina scaling is only 45hz though so things feel a bit more choppy. Nevertheless it finally looks as sharp & clear on my iMac as it does natively.
Click to expand...
What is the 2K frame rate?

Also, I am sure it’s been mentioned here before but why is this a hardware solution? Is it just allowing a separate 802.11n connection dedicated to this task?

Edit: wait… it supports USB, Ethernet, or Thunderbolt as well? So it’s just a DRM hardware key?

Does it disable the touch input on an iPad?
 
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patsfan83 said:
Hold option going in to preferences, debug menu, set bandwidth manually.
Click to expand...

Yeah, should have mentioned. Tried that and various other settings, no dice. Apparently the test was recorded with bandwidth set to low (100KB/s/800kbps)
 
Last edited:
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I would like to use my windows work laptop to mirror the screen into my M1 iMac so that I can work only in one screen. Does anyone think this would work decently?
 
rawweb said:
Just tried this update on my M1M 16" and 2017 27" iMac as a second display. Pretty lackluster, even over a thunderbolt wire. Experience the usual lag/pixelation.

Would be fine for still content.

Click to expand...
How is using Airplay to Mac with your M1M using your iMac as the display? Can you get 5k quality with that MBP?
 
ultrafiel80 said:
How is using Airplay to Mac with your M1M using your iMac as the display? Can you get 5k quality with that MBP?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I'm not able to get the iMac on Monterey because of a server driver, so it's still on Big Sur. I've gone the other direction, iMac to M1M (it see's it as an airplay device). It's lag free and smooth as butter, but restricted to 1080p.

This video at 1:17 mentions this feature won't work with any iMac's older than 2019?
 
4jasontv said:
Also, I am sure it’s been mentioned here before but why is this a hardware solution? Is it just allowing a separate 802.11n connection dedicated to this task?

Edit: wait… it supports USB, Ethernet, or Thunderbolt as well? So it’s just a DRM hardware key?
Click to expand...
The dongle mimics an actual display. Makes it easier and more seamless. As opposed to having some sort of hack running constantly in the background in order to trick the OS into thinking another display is connected.
 
jwhazel said:
The dongle mimics an actual display. Makes it easier and more seamless. As opposed to having some sort of hack running constantly in the background in order to trick the OS into thinking another display is connected.
Click to expand...
That would mean the host PC/Mac would have no additional software running. That can’t be right, right?
 
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