Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New 'Orion' App Turns Your iPad Into an HDMI Display for a Console or Mac
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The iPad already does Sidecar and AirPlay-as-a-target, so that already covers using your iPad as an external display for your other Apple devices.
Apple, in its typical arrogance, doesn't care about your non-Apple devices, so as far as they're concerned you don't need anything else.
so the thing is, I actually do use an iPad as a display nearly every day (via Sidecar). Yeah, it is great as an external display for work, just useless for console gaming.
but I suppose I wasn't clear about that
It’s unique because it’s the first one to publicly come out. Also means it gets all the press. I think Capture Pro was the first one to launch a test flight. Too bad they couldn’t get their app out the door first.
They did! It’s called Genki Studio now. (Perhaps the rebranding was a mistake?)
And it’s free with no subscriptions or IAP…
Thank you both for the recommendations.
Not exactly what I wanted but it’s good to know.
This is one of the best iOS features for years. Works soooo well using iPad mini as field monitor with my camera 🙌
What about MacBooks and iMacs? Given they both have screens and USB-C ports. Remember target display mode?
And why not go a step further, what about iPhone support? I've no interest in an iPad, but it would be need to be able to use my phone as a display if needed.
And why not go a step further, what about iPhone support? I've no interest in an iPad, but it would be need to be able to use my phone as a display if needed.
Macs already have this feature and have for years. Remember this requires a USB capture device. This isn’t turning your iPad into a monitor in the traditional sense. You need an adapter to take an HDMI signal and that adapter has a chipset in it that converts that signal into a H.264 transport stream (with compression and latency).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_video_device_class
Last edited:
Thanks! I heard of Genki Studio but didn't realize that was the same app. I don't think I agree with the name change. Capture Pro sort of sounds like a camera app (which it kind of is), I think Capture Studio would have been perfect. It's simple and kind of drives the point of the app better.
This is working really well as a display for my Raspberry Pi. I suspect I'll be using this all the time.
It does look like for some precision based applications like gaming may have some latency since it does have to pass through a USB C capture card. Of course the question is are there more powerful USB C capture cards that lower this latency? And the other question is theoretically can't we just connect a USB-C to HDMI adapter and let the iPad do the processing real time? Or is that Apple artificially limiting the capabilities?
I've got this setup using a video capture card, iOS 17 and an iPad Pro 4th Gen. My question: Is there a splitter or some kind of external device which can provide power to the iPad whilst displaying input via the video capture device (PS5 in my case)? Otherwise it's a bit pointless.
For example, would something like this work?
USB-C Multiport Adapter with HDMI/USB 3.0/USB-C Power Delivery (60W/3A) - 4K
For example, would something like this work?
USB-C Multiport Adapter with HDMI/USB 3.0/USB-C Power Delivery (60W/3A) - 4K
Attachments
Last edited:
That should work provided the capture device you plug into it is USB-A (or use an additional adapter). I have tested both the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport adapter and a 3rd party one and can capture and charge at the same time.
A Magic Keyboard would also give you an alternative port for charging.
Thanks @ElBerserko I purchased the USB C Multiport Adaptor and it works perfectly. Charge and PS5 input confirmed.
As the output is via the iPad, there's no way to display on the screen the FPS data, unless someone knows something I don't. From an experience point of view I've not had chance to fully test. I did try Cyber Punk and ran well and Battlefront 2 (one of the few players still playing it) and this ran really well.
Some people say they can “feel” the latency but not sure if each USB capture card works different. Good to know thanks!
Besides probably costing slightly more, I wonder if there is any other technical reason for not implementing DP. Portable monitors seem to be much bulkier than an iPad, and they don’t even include all the computer parts and batteries. I wonder if there is something about the way the iPad’s display is integrated into the iPad that makes using it as a direct standalone DP display difficult which makes solutions like Sidecar and Orion necessary. Just a thought. Could just be Apple didn’t want to.
You aren't giving a lot of detail here other than you like it for 'what they are'... so what is the resolution? Nits? Size? and how often do you actually travel with it? Sincerely curious. I travel twice a month or more with my 12.9 pro and Sony mirrorless camera and like the idea of using this as a camera display but interested in your use.
Unfortunately, you wouldn’t be able to use the iPad’s Magic Keyboard to control the Pi. Would it be better just to remote connect into it?