Splitting HDMI-out from mm2012

[toke lahti]

I tried to use Deltaco's HDMI-245 to split hdmi from mac mini to ht-receiver and monitor (hp's L2335 via dvi, no hdcp support). That didn't work. I don't know why, maybe a strange EDID & hdcp issue. The monitor just blinked the dektop every ca. 17 seconds. The splitter worked with my old asus laptop.

Anybody knows any cheap splitter/amplifiers that support 2 outputs at the same time, works with mini(2012) and I could also get audio out of mini via hdmi to ht-receiver?
[doublepost=1507319610][/doublepost]Isn't this what will happen:
A) The monitor has 1920x1200 resolution and dvi input. If I connect it to the splitter first, mini will notice that there's no audio at monitors end. How can then the splitter get audio to ht-receiver?
or
B) If I connect the receiver first to the splitter, mini will send 1920x1080 with audio to it and then the monitor will not get full resolution
?

 

[jpietrzak8]

I tried to use Deltaco's HDMI-245 to split hdmi from mac mini to ht-receiver and monitor (hp's L2335 via dvi, no hdcp support).

Before diving any further into technical details, can I ask the obvious first question -- is there a reason you don't want to connect either of the displays to the Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort port? A mDP->DVI adapter seems a lot easier way to connect a second DVI monitor...

 

[toke lahti]

Before diving any further into technical details, can I ask the obvious first question -- is there a reason you don't want to connect either of the displays to the Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort port? A mDP->DVI adapter seems a lot easier way to connect a second DVI monitor...

I have mDP2dual-dvi for my 30" dual-dvi monitor in tb port.

 

[jpietrzak8]

Wow, that's a lot of monitor for such a limited amount of GPU.

I'm not entirely certain what the features of this particular splitter are, but I think the first question to ask is whether the splitter itself has an EDID signature, before trying to determine whether it passes one or both signatures from the displays. Most of these "intelligent" splitters can only handle a certain maximum resolution, and so it makes more sense for the splitter itself to define its properties.

If you bring up the display preferences panel in system preferences, you should be able to see whether the mini is able to recognize either of the displays connected to the splitter (or the splitter itself). (You can also hold down the "option" key in the display preferences panel to get a "detect displays" button, which can sometimes be helpful when plugging and unplugging displays.)

 

[toke lahti]

Wow, that's a lot of monitor for such a limited amount of GPU.

Well, I've used to have 23"+30", had them now about 10 years. And the amount of pixels is not going down when I buy my next monitor! I've also hooked my computer to television since late 90's. What I'm trying to do now is test if I can replace my cMP with mm, since 98% of time mp is just wasting electricity. Quite painfull this experiment, so far I have had one dead mDP-converter, 2 faulty dual-dvi-cables, faulty splitter, hdmi switcher that had secret automatics in it that changes the input everytime mp wakes for few seconds to check time etc., witch messes my desktop with mini (usually chrome with 8 windows and about 160 tabs). Also, one corrupted fusion drive. And some strange crashes, followed by one error code from apple hardware test. Still haven't got enough time to make full test to ram & storage.

I didn't expect this to be this painful. Apple just doesn't have medium desktop (xMac or whatever) that would be perfect for me. Maybe I'll try some eGPU enclosure next, but mm2012 has only tb1, 10Gbps, which might be the next bottleneck.
I still believe that with hackintosh, I'd have to spend time tweaking it, when I'd like to do something else. Another possibility would be to buy used mbp with dGPU, but those are so damn expensive.
Or accept to look myself from the imac's double glassy mirror they call a screen.

 

[jpietrzak8]

Apple just doesn't have medium desktop (xMac or whatever) that would be perfect for me.

Gotta agree here. Apple's idiosyncratic design choices are really limiting the potential uses for their hardware any more.

I still believe that with hackintosh, I'd have to spend time tweaking it, when I'd like to do something else.

Honestly, with the amount of effort and resources you've now poured into that mini, I can't imagine a hackintosh would be harder.

Myself, I'd consider keeping the MM as is, and maybe testing out a non-Apple OS for HTPC duties (or other tasks). Linux does a fine job as an HTPC these days...

 

[toke lahti]

I'm not entirely certain what the features of this particular splitter are, but I think the first question to ask is whether the splitter itself has an EDID signature, before trying to determine whether it passes one or both signatures from the displays. Most of these "intelligent" splitters can only handle a certain maximum resolution, and so it makes more sense for the splitter itself to define its properties.

If you bring up the display preferences panel in system preferences, you should be able to see whether the mini is able to recognize either of the displays connected to the splitter (or the splitter itself). (You can also hold down the "option" key in the display preferences panel to get a "detect displays" button, which can sometimes be helpful when plugging and unplugging displays.)

Deltaco (of course) doesn't manufacture these by themselves, these gadgets are sold with dozens of brands with identical internals. If I connect the splitter to my mini without screens attached to splitter. SysPrefs Displays will tell that the splitter is EP-HDMI-RX, 1080p, 1080i, 720p available without option-key, 50 & 60 Hz.

The splitter should handle 4k@60Hz, so I guess I'm not very near it's limits.
When some destination device is connected to splitter, SysPrefsDisplay will tell the name of destination device.
I guess why this doesn't work with mini+HDMI-245+L2335, is that either the switch converts the forwarded EDID wrong or there is a problem with forwarding hdcp. Like I told, the splitter works with oldAsusLaptop+HDMI-245+L2335.
17sec blinks leads to 59.94Hz / 60.00Hz problem, which leads to EDID forwarding problem. So does that, when L2335 is connected via splitter, SysPrefDisplay says that it's refresh rate is "60Hz(NTSC)" and when L2335 is connected straight to mini, it's only "60Hz". When only splitter is connected there's "50Hz" and "60Hz" and no "60Hz(NTSC)".
Hints for dhcp problem is that it works ok with windows machine and has same problem with all my macs (mini, mp3,1 & mbp2009). I also tested the splitter with 30" Eizo I have. It has one dvi with hdcp and dual-dvi without hdcp. Former socket works, latter doesn't.

I guess, I'm gonna use the mini so rarely for htpc purposes, that it doesn't justify getting another computer for that. Also, it isn't so elegant solution: what do you do if your new splitter doesn't work with old equipment? You renew all your equipment...

If I would try to find a working splitter, I'd need to know how these splitters work, to understand, if there even can be a working splitter with my equipment. Could there be something like "passive splitter" that just feeds the same signal to both ends? Mac would get the EDID and feed the signal as first destination device is connected and second device would just get the same signal? Is this even possible with hdcp? The second device could catch the signal without hdcp and thus decrypted? Or with encryption that it can't open, since the keys are from another device?

Maybe all these "splitters with amplification" that can feed both ends of the split simultaneously can have same problem than mine, so I shouldn't try to have same display at my monitor and my projector?
Simultaneous feeding of two destinations needs the splitter to select EDID components from both display devices and ask the sufficient signal from the source, so that both display devices can show it?

Solution would then be to use simple mechanical, manual splitter switch, when mini gets only the EDID of switched device and nothing from the other or the splitter itself?

The problem in this age is that selleres and even "brands" don't understand the inner life of their products. Even Deltaco was surprised about my findings of their device...

Anybody know if this is real passive mechanical manual "no intellignce or EDID inside":
https://www.amazon.com/Bi-direction-Manual-Switch-Passthrough-Supports-DotStone/dp/B01L8LLP2G/ref=sr_1_3?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1507394946&sr=8-3&keywords=hdmi+splitter+manual+bi-direction&refinements=p_85:2470955011,p_76:2661625011
?

Deltaco has this under HDMI-7017 ( https://www.deltaco.se/produkter/deltaco/deltaco-prime/HDMI-7017 ), but their support probably mixed this with some other model and started to telling about automatics and remote controls with this model...

 

[jpietrzak8]

Deltaco (of course) doesn't manufacture these by themselves, these gadgets are sold with dozens of brands with identical internals. If I connect the splitter to my mini without screens attached to splitter. SysPrefs Displays will tell that the splitter is EP-HDMI-RX, 1080p, 1080i, 720p available without option-key, 50 & 60 Hz.

Cool. I suppose it really ought to be working then...

Hints for dhcp problem is that it works ok with windows machine and has same problem with all my macs (mini, mp3,1 & mbp2009).

Yeah, that does sound suspiciously like OS X might be unhappy about the HDCP compatibility of the switch, or one of the monitors. So, my next question: is OS X unhappy when either of the displays is plugged directly into the mini? Also, is OS X unhappy when the splitter is connected to just one of the displays? (I suppose you've already tried all these permutations, but I just wanted to check.)

I guess, I'm gonna use the mini so rarely for htpc purposes, that it doesn't justify getting another computer for that. Also, it isn't so elegant solution: what do you do if your new splitter doesn't work with old equipment? You renew all your equipment...

Heh. I've personally never thought of a splitter as an "elegant" solution. Now that I've switched to Linux for my personal computing, I'm free to customize my machine with enough GPU support to drive all the monitors I want to connect up to it. I can perfectly match supported GPU resolution to monitor resolution as well. No need to split signals, no spending money on computing power I don't need...

Solution would then be to use simple mechanical, manual splitter switch, when mini gets only the EDID of switched device and nothing from the other or the splitter itself?

I'm not sure that's all that much better than simply hot-plugging HDMI cords. Especially if you're using the machine very rarely for HTPC purposes; it'd probably be easer (and cheaper, and safer) to just manually plug the other cord in when you need to...

 

[toke lahti]

Hmm,
found something about EP-HDMI-RX:
http://extreme-macro.co.uk/hdmi-matrix/
I guess I guessed right about Lowest Common Denominator...
I guess the best way would be to have some UI to tweak the EP-HDMI-RX inside the splitter, but of course no avail...

 

[toke lahti]

Yeah, that does sound suspiciously like OS X might be unhappy about the HDCP compatibility of the switch, or one of the monitors. So, my next question: is OS X unhappy when either of the displays is plugged directly into the mini? Also, is OS X unhappy when the splitter is connected to just one of the displays? (I suppose you've already tried all these permutations, but I just wanted to check.)

I have checked that L2335 & SX3031W/non-hdcp-port doesn't work connected one at a time. And they both worked when splitter was not in the middle.[/QUOTE]

Heh. I've personally never thought of a splitter as an "elegant" solution. Now that I've switched to Linux for my personal computing, I'm free to customize my machine with enough GPU support to drive all the monitors I want to connect up to it. I can perfectly match supported GPU resolution to monitor resolution as well. No need to split signals, no spending money on computing power I don't need...

Well, I've had the same freedom with my cMP (2 cards, 7 display sockets..)..

I guess this is far too rare thing (mac mini & non-hdcp monitor) to ask, what splitters others have got working. I guess the only way to use active splitter that has both outs active, would need to set the EDID forwarding of the splitter. Now I guess, it handshakes hdcp with mini, which is then "always on" and then the problem comes between the splitter and the monitor. So, the splitter would have to be hdcp turned off. Also it should be jammed to 1920x1200 w/ certain values for ver/horz frq, front/back porch, etc.

Funny that this 30€ splitter has same chip inside than 300€ matrixes, but I guess that configurable matrix is way more expensive...