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KVM UHD/DCI 60Hz Full Color KVM needed

Discussion in 'KVM' started by Littauer, Dec 6, 2017.

  1. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    Current setup:

    2 desktops with GTX 1050 ti (nVidia) graphics cards (DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 on each)
    USB Keyboard & mouse
    Old VGA KVM with video disconnected
    Samsung 6300 50" monitor/TV with 3 HDMI inputs (about 85 DPI).

    This works beautifully but the switching process is cumbersome and error-prone. It works way better for me than a multi-monitor setup as it gives me more real estate and no clumsy dividing lines. I'm not a gamer.

    For testing purposes I use straight HDMI on one desktop and DP with an active HDMI adapter on the other.
    Both desktops display non-chroma-subsampled (aka RGB or YUV 444) text correctly (yes, I checked the test images).

    I need to replace the old VGA KVM with one that can handle my current setup.

    I think I need:

    A) Something to prevent the delays and errors associated with re-detecting the monitor and peripherals.

    B) USB switching is "nice to have" but not essential

    C) Fancy keyboard and mouse is a "nice to have" but I currently use simple ones.

    D) Microphone switching is a "nice to have"

    E) Speaker switching is totally irrelevant (I use a mixer between the two computers).

    F) 2 ports (2 desktops) are essential, more than 2 is "nice to have"

    What shall I buy?

    Aten CS1924 looks good but I'm not confident of full color or no-delay switching...
     
  2. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    CS1924 indeed looks like it would suit your needs:
    - It supports DisplayPort 1.2
    - It supports 4K Cinema resolution @ 60Hz
    - It supports 4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0 Chroma subsampling. Basically, as long as the source and destination support the desired subsampling, the CS1924 will carry it.
    - It supports USB emulation which typically eliminates any delay in switching due to USB peripherals. If there is any delay it will be related to the inherit DisplayPort protocol.
    - It supports microphones.

    Hope this helps!
    We welcome your questions - please come back and ask us anything, anytime, or just offer your feedback.
     
  3. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    Happy to hear that the Aten CS1924 supports 4:4:4 (I'll hold you to it; couldn't find it in their literature).

    The literature also says they do KB/Mouse emulation, even for fancy versions.

    I guess all that's left is monitor. Does it somehow pass EDID or something through DP? A DP solution of course means I'll need a DP -> HDMI adapter. I'm currently using Club's version.

    Am I still OK?
     
  4. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    DisplayPort handles all the EDID data. The switch simply carries it. You may still experience a video delay because the switched computer needs to renegotiate a connection to the monitor (no emulation). Any such delay is dependent on the resolution and color depth being used.
     
  5. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the delay and other effects. The main use case is 2 computers each with the identical video card: GTX 1050 ti (nVidia). The resolution is identical (UHD@60Hz, 4:4:4).

    How much delay can I expect?

    Are there other artifacts (like icon rearrangement)?

    I'd like to buy now; do I need to wait until an HDMI 2.0 KVM is available?
     
  6. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    Using DisplayPort, you could expect about 3 - 4 seconds of video delay upon switching.
    Using HDMI you may experience significant shorter delay.
     
  7. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    3-4 seconds is livable...

    What about other artifacts like icon rearrangement?
     
  8. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    Not sure what you mean by this. Please elaborate.
     
  9. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    Many operating systems re-arrange the icons on the desktop when a monitor is re-recognized. If you have a lot of icons you can spend a lot of time reorganizing them when you switch. This was a big problem in the bad old days when you had to switch monitors by unplugging and re-plugging them.
     
  10. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    If all video sources and monitors are DisplayPort, that shouldn't be a problem.

    While DisplayPort doesn't allow the use of EDID emulation on the KVM, the DisplayPort protocol itself is supposed to maintain its settings on the respective PCs.
     
  11. Littauer

    Littauer Member

    Unhappily, the monitor is HDMI 2.0. The video cards are DisplayPort 1.4. There is a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter in the middle (tested and working well).

    Right now, switching is done in the monitor (using "source" control).

    Do I need to wait for HDMI 2.0 KVMs? How does that look? Anything at CES?
     
  12. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    It's hard to tell whether this combo of DisplayPort computers, DisplayPort KVM switch; HDMI monitor; DisplayPort to HDMI adapter will work without creating any 'side effects'.
    If you test this out and see the monitors act like they're reconnecting, our first troubleshooting step would be to use a native DisplayPort monitor to rule out the adapter.

    This doesn't currently look like a priority for KVM switch manufacturers, unfortunately.
     

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