Luna Display's Mac-to-Mac Display Feature Now Works Over Ethernet and Thunderbolt

[junior]

I posted a quote from their help docs prior which states otherwise for Mac-to-Mac mode. So I think this is a case of "it depends on how you're using it."

View attachment 1770704

From May 5 2021 release notes about the new ethernet/thunderbolt support, which also links to the help doc I originally quoted in a prior message (https://help.astropad.com/article/226-retina-m2m )

Ah, so using smaller displays with less resolution than say 5K might make the output retina. The fact they're not giving out specifics for resolution is a bit of a worry.

 

[joecomo]

Will that work with a 5K Retina Imac (first generation)?

The icing on the cake would be to use it via Thunderbolt - leveraging the 2-3 Adapter from Apple.

 

[joecomo]

Luna and similar solutions are utilising highly compressed image data.
It will work, but the picture you'll see won't be as good as native display.

That is a pity - so the 5K iMac will have to go ultimately.

 

[Aiwi]

I've been using the open-source software Moonlight for this kind of purpose (Nvidia-based PC desktop on my 5K 2017 iMac). It is only able to do 4K 60fps on the iMac.

When we dug deep into why neither Moonlight nor Parsec (another great low latency variant that works with AMD GPUs) wasn't able to do 5K, only 4K, we found that the GPUs in the 2017 5K iMacs aren't capable of hw decoding anything over 4K60fps. I ran the "DXVA Checker" under Windows on the iMac to check this.

So I would bet that we can't get 5K 60fps without an external hw decoder (e.g. an egpu) on these iMacs.

 

[niho]

I've been using the open-source software Moonlight for this kind of purpose (Nvidia-based PC desktop on my 5K 2017 iMac). It is only able to do 4K 60fps on the iMac.

When we dug deep into why neither Moonlight nor Parsec (another great low latency variant that works with AMD GPUs) wasn't able to do 5K, only 4K, we found that the GPUs in the 2017 5K iMacs aren't capable of hw decoding anything over 4K60fps. I ran the "DXVA Checker" under Windows on the iMac to check this.

So I would bet that we can't get 5K 60fps without an external hw decoder (e.g. an egpu) on these iMacs.

Just a reminder for anyone sees this post, afaik Moonligth and Parsec only supports Windows as the streaming server.
Client can be mac, or PC, or mobile devices.

 

[renewingmind]

Astropad's Luna Display accessory that's able to turn an old iPad or Mac into a secondary display for a primary Mac was today updated with a new feature that's designed to allow Mac-to-Mac mode to work over Ethernet and Thunderbolt.

The Luna Display is an alternative to Apple's Sidecar, allowing an iPad to be used as a display for a Mac. Unlike Sidecar, it works with other Macs, so you can use one Mac as a display for another Mac, something that's always been useful with machines like the iMac.

With a new 4.5 software update that's available today, the Luna Display can work with two Macs connected by Ethernet or Thunderbolt, which improves the Mac-to-Mac mode experience for users who have poor WiFi connectivity or would prefer to work with a wired connection. Prior to today's update, Mac-to-Mac mode was limited to the Luna Display's wireless connection.

The new software update brings other features including a battery indicator for a secondary device, secondary Mac keyboard enhancements, improved Retina support on M1 Macs, and for iPads, better compatibility with the 2020 iPad Air.

According to Astropad, Mac-to-Mac mode is an ideal alternative to Target Display Mode, a feature that Apple used to offer for older iMacs. Target Display Mode allowed an iMac to be connected to another Mac, with the iMac then serving as a display, but that functionality does not work with modern Macs.

The Luna Display allows an iMac to be used as a display for another Mac, but technically, it works with any two Mac combinations, so you can pair up two MacBooks, a Mac mini and a MacBook, or anything else.

The Luna Display is priced at $100 and can be purchased from the Astropad website.

Article Link: Luna Display's Mac-to-Mac Display Feature Now Works Over Ethernet and Thunderbolt

On the surface this sounds great, a way to use that extra 27” iMac I have sitting around. But the pricing makes this far less interesting. A 27” display costs a little over $100. In fact I bought one for my wife’s M1 MacBook Air. As much as I’d love to use the old Mac, it seems silly to fuss with software and a higher energy consumption device when I can get a simpler, dedicated device for around the same price.

 

[Jonescifer]

I have been using it for a week via thunderbolt (apple thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter) cable it works perfectly. no lag at all. I use it with an additional secondary display also- MacBook Pro connected to iMac (2013) and HP display via mini display port ( I have a Belkin dock pro).
Loving it.

 

[Jack Neill]

I have been using it for a week via thunderbolt (apple thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter) cable it works perfectly. no lag at all. I use it with an additional secondary display also- MacBook Pro connected to iMac (2013) and HP display via mini display port ( I have a Belkin dock pro).
Loving it.

I have the same setup but its quite laggy for me. Its a shame, I had high hops for this little device.

 

[BillyBurke]

Is this a solution to use your iMac with Apple Studio ?

 

[chucker23n1]

I think so.

 

[niho]

Is this a solution to use your iMac with Apple Studio ?

It's an ok for temporary solution. But the quality and latency is nowhere near the native display/tb cable. But it's still ok.
I'd sell iMac and get a proper monitor to use with Mac Studio. 4k 27" monitors are very cheap novadays.

 

[hajime]

I read Luna Display has versions 4, 5.1, etc. Is it hardware update which requires buying a newer version of the hardware or update via software?