'Thunderbolt 5' Would Enable Dual 8K Display Support and More on Macs

[theorist9]

Yeah, I only got G3 results when searching.

But all of those use the same LG panel, and both the Dell and HP quickly got discontinued, no?

Don't know their histories. If they didn't last long it's probably because they were, at the time, very expensive products with limited markets, and Dell and HP decided they were losing money.

But I think my point remains--you thought other mfrs. weren't trying to introduce 5k's, and so I was rising to their defense to say they did. Maybe they introduced them too early but, having been bitten once, don't want to try another foray.

I've read BOE (China) is producing large (27"+) Retina-grade panels for release starting late 2022. But I don't know how good they'll be. They're apparently not IPS, but BOE's own alternative to IPS:

BOE Latest Panel Development Plans – July 2022 - TFTCentral

Share this contentWe have some updates from one of the smaller LCD panel manufacturers BOE about their panel development plans. This is BOE as a panel manufacturer, as opposed to....[click link for more]

tftcentral.co.uk

 

[theorist9]

Ethernet cables don't contain controllers. The plugs on a Thunderbolt cable each contain an Intel timing controller.

Ethernet is for data transmission; Thunderbolt is for externally attaching a PCI Express device. While overlapping, the two aren't the same.

Now, USB-C does effectively do a lot of the things Thunderbolt does, but USB-C also arrived several years later, and cannot do all of them. It also (as USB is wont to do) heavily relies on the host machine's CPU, whereas Thunderbolt does the heavy lifting on its own.

OK, but the timing controllers are at the ends. I'm talking about the body of the cable itself (the "tube"). I'm sure I'm missing something but, still, I get the impression that a TB's cable body uses a fragile transmission technology that limits it to 3 m (for passive copper), and requires exacting manufacturing standards to ensure 40 Gbps transmission—and it's these exacting requirements that at least partially explain the cost. By contrast, I get the impression that ethernet is a more robust technology, enabling 10x longer cable lengths with passive copper, and much less exacting (and thus less expensive) manufacturing to get 40 Gbps transmission.

 

[slal03]

Could TV’s also ditch HDMI now and just work with USB 4 or TB 5?

 

[Frantisekj]

Probably 2024 to get it in Macs, right?

2023 Mac Pro would be much nicer and good reason they have not released it yet.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Why are you complaining about Apple’s prices rather than that competitors aren’t even trying (other than the LG Ultrafine)?

I totally agree, the reason apple can charge so much is that no one is properly competing.

 

[chucker23n1]

Could TV’s also ditch HDMI now and just work with USB 4 or TB 5?

They could, but why? Living room equipment has mostly standardized on HDMI.

 

[rileyes]

Yet despite this, somehow, Apple will find a way to ensure that a single 4k monitor will still only run at no more than 60hz.

 

[smulji]

Apple would have to incorporate Intel proprietary DRM hardware into their SoC to access the PCIe directly. Why? Since TB 4 Intel made it a requirement. Intel opensourced TB 3 and older, but not TB 4 and newer.

The following image shows why Apple has TB 3 and USB 4, not TB 4/USB 4.

The M1-based MBP & Mac Studio have TB4 proper.

 

[jdk1.0]

If im in the Apple Store and I move the pointer on a Mac Studio with Pro Display XDR and compare it to moving the pointer on a M1 MacBook Pro, the XDR feels like the pointer is underwater- slow and sluggish. Same for all 4k screens I try and exacerbated if MacOS is performing scaling. Now we're cueing up 8k.

Wonder if that will ever be worked out? "Supporting" a screen is one thing, but I still have to pass if it feels sluggish. Is it just me?

What 4k screens are you using, and which machines? This is bizarre. I've been running 4k monitors since 2015, before 4k could even be presented properly without a bunch of hacks. And yet, they display just as fast as any other monitor. This is on Linux and Windows. Macs are usually better in the display department, but you're telling me thay they can't handle 4k in your experience?

 

[theorist9]

What 4k screens are you using, and which machines? This is bizarre. I've been running 4k monitors since 2015, before 4k could even be presented properly without a bunch of hacks. And yet, they display just as fast as any other monitor. This is on Linux and Windows. Macs are usually better in the display department, but you're telling me thay they can't handle 4k in your experience?

Others have already pointed out to him that this is most likely because of the mouse speed tracking settings.