Best/Most Economical way to increase ports for monitors on M1 Max Mac Studio?

[James Steele]

I currently have three monitors attached to my M1 Max Mac Studio. All three are connected via TB to HDMI adapters:

• 43" LG 4K TV (3840x2160)
• 32" LG Monitor (2560x1440)
• 32" LG Monitor (2560x1440)

Looks like I'm going to buy a used Slate Raven MTi2 off a guy locally. I'm going to have to necessarily replace my MC Control + MC Mix combo in order to make room for it, but I suspect that's going to be a worthwhile move.

My only problem is I will need to connect the MTi2 via HDMI and I've used up all my TB ports on my Mac Studio. So it looks like I'm going to need some sort of dock or hub to make that work and I've heard not all are created equal or good for video. Any suggestions/links are very welcome. Thanks!

[Phil O]

I'm not prepared to recommend this cuz I've only had it for about a week, but it's one you might want to check out:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-dock

Plug and play - has worked perfectly so far. NOT cheap but the last thing I got with the OWC brand name was a 4 bay HD enclosure and it has lasted for years and has been problem free. Others here have recommended the OWC stuff as reliable. They have some other options in this line-up as well that may be more budget friendly (or better suited for displays). Also, check out the CalDigit stuff.

Also, check out the specs on your Mac Studio. I think it may only support a certain number of displays regardless of available ports. I don't know if the Raven affects that. Mike would be the guy to ask about that.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil

[James Steele]

Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure it supports five displays. One in the built-in HDMI port, and up to four more using the USB-C thunderbolt ports.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Phil O]

That's good!
I don't know what you're looking to spend, but Thunderbolt stuff is not cheap and I've read bad reviews about some of the less expensive stuff. Do your homework on this one.

Your friendly neighborhood Phil

[mikehalloran]

Only 5K and higher resolution monitors require a TB cable. 4K and lower (your LGs are 2K) are fine with a USB 3 to HDMI or DisplayPort cable. No need to overspend.

Here is Apple’s basic guide. I think the only difference between this and yours is that the M1 doesn’t support 8K.

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-st ... a4c9cb/mac

Each TB bus has two ports, same as my iMac Pro.

OWC TB3 and TB4 hubs allow one additional TB (5/6/8K) or two 4K monitors per port.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/thunde ... bolt-docks

[mikehalloran]

Each TB bus has two ports, same as my iMac Pro.

This is true for all TB3/4 Macs. Apple's bulletins tell you to keep that in mind when attaching 5/6K monitors to any TB3 Mac. TB4 removes that limitation as one would expect. The additional HDMI port supports up to 4K on the M1, up to 8K on the M2 Studio.

The M1 Max can support up to five simultaneous displays (four up to 6K + one 4K from the HDMI port).

Just for kicks, I assigned both of my LG 4K monitors to one of the TB3 busses on my iMac Pro. I didn't even have to reboot.



I use USB-C to Display Port cables on mine leaving their HDMI ports open for my 2012 MacBook Pro. If your monitor has a pair of HDMI ports, they can be daisy-chained as long as both are mirrored (as I did while preparing a presentation last year from my MBP). My guess is that the Studio's HDMI port is the same as my MBP.

[James Steele]

Only 5K and higher resolution monitors require a TB cable. 4K and lower (your LGs are 2K) are fine with a USB 3 to HDMI or DisplayPort cable. No need to overspend.

True enough. I'm actually already doing that. I'm using USB-C TB to HDMI adapters connected to HDMI cables for my LG 2K displays. And my Samsung 43" is connected to the Mac Studios HDMI output.

My problem seems to be that I just don't have any more free TB ports on the back of my Mac Studio (the M1 Max Mac Studio only has the four on the back)

So here's how I've got things connected:

Back of Mac Studio
HDMI OUT --> Samsung 43" 4K monitor
USB-C TB OUT 1 --> USB-C to HDMI Adapter --> HDMI cable --> LG 2K Monitor
USB-C TB OUT 2 --> USB-C to HDMI Adapter --> HDMI cable --> LG 2K Monitor
USB-C TB OUT 3 --> Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter --> TB2 cable --> MOTU 828es --> Ethernet cable --> MOTU 24Ai
USB-C TB OUT 4 --> UAD-2 TB3 Satellite OCTO --> USB4 NVMe Enclosure --> WD Blue 2TB NVMe drive

So somewhere in here, I have to attach another HDMI monitor (aka Slate Raven MTi2). This makes me think I'm definitely going to need another hub/dock.

Also, I might want to allow for future growth, so if I have to spend a bit more, I might want to be able to have TWO additional connections so in addition to the Raven (standard HD)... I might someday attach a wall mounted larger 4K TV for movie window, etc.

[mikehalloran]

Only 5K and higher resolution monitors require a TB cable. 4K and lower (your LGs are 2K) are fine with a USB 3 to HDMI or DisplayPort cable. No need to overspend.

True enough. I'm actually already doing that. I'm using USB-C TB to HDMI adapters connected to HDMI cables for my LG 2K displays. And my Samsung 43" is connected to the Mac Studios HDMI output.

My problem seems to be that I just don't have any more free TB ports on the back of my Mac Studio (the M1 Max Mac Studio only has the four on the back)

So here's how I've got things connected:

Back of Mac Studio
HDMI OUT --> Samsung 43" 4K monitor
USB-C TB OUT 1 --> USB-C to HDMI Adapter --> HDMI cable --> LG 2K Monitor
USB-C TB OUT 2 --> USB-C to HDMI Adapter --> HDMI cable --> LG 2K Monitor
USB-C TB OUT 3 --> Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter --> TB2 cable --> MOTU 828es --> Ethernet cable --> MOTU 24Ai
USB-C TB OUT 4 --> UAD-2 TB3 Satellite OCTO --> USB4 NVMe Enclosure --> WD Blue 2TB NVMe drive

So somewhere in here, I have to attach another HDMI monitor (aka Slate Raven MTi2). This makes me think I'm definitely going to need another hub/dock.

Also, I might want to allow for future growth, so if I have to spend a bit more, I might want to be able to have TWO additional connections so in addition to the Raven (standard HD)... I might someday attach a wall mounted larger 4K TV for movie window, etc.

You do have options.

1) You can hook up to 5 monitors. Only the HDMI port is limited to 4K. To free up ports, you will need a hub — at least two 4K monitors per port is supported but the max total is still 5 on an M1 Studio Max… or is it?

2) Use one or more DisplayLink hubs. Your USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 ports can drive one HDMI or DP monitor each (Macs do not have USB-A 3.2 gen 1 ports) and your USB-C ports can drive two each. DisplayLink sells none of these under their own name but you download the drivers from them.
https://www.synaptics.com/products/disp ... /downloads

I used a DisplayLink hub for years on my 2010 Mac and it performed surprisingly well. That said, I wouldn't go there unless I needed six or more monitors.

Here's a list of products and manufacturer or reseller web sites.
https://www.synaptics.com/products/disp ... b_adapters


The latest release notes.

=============================================================================
=============================================================================

DisplayLink macOS Application Release Note

Version: v1.8.1
Build: posix/63-679-g9dc06f8f191 (180)

Date: 2nd March 2023

=============================================================================
=============================================================================


A. Introduction
===============

This is DisplayLink Manager macOS app v1.8.1 release.
Details about this app can be found in our FAQ: https://support.displaylink.com/knowled ... es/1932214
This version supports macOS versions 11.x, 12.x and 13.x. See section D for details.

A full list of known issues can be found in the "Known issues and limitations" section below.

B. Contents
===========

A. Introduction
B. Contents
C. Changes in this release
D. Supported operating systems
E. Language support
F. Supported hardware
G. Operating system limitations
H. Known issues and limitations
I. Third-party component libraries

C. Changes in this release
=============================
- Added FW support for upcoming DL-7400
- Fixed displays not waking up after resuming from sleep VIFR-1889 VIFR-2307
- Fixed unreadable survey button

C.4 Changes in 1.8.0 release
----------------------------
- Introduced support for macOS Ventura 13
- Added information for new USB Restricted Mode permission introduced in macOS Ventura 13
- Fixed spurious USB unplugs on macOS Ventura 13 (VIFR-1502)
- Added validation mechanism for application generated message for technical support contact
- Since 1.8.0 Alpha, Introduced experimental support for 3008x and 2560x HiDPI modes on Apple M1/M2 products

C.3 Changes in 1.8.0 Alpha release
----------------------------
- Introducing experimental support for 3008x and 2560x HiDPI modes on Apple M1/M2 products
Details at https://support.displaylink.com/knowled ... es/1993915

C.2 Changes in 1.7.1 release
----------------------------
- Added support for new DisplayLink DL-6350 products
- Improved labelling for monitor settings
- Fixed the issue with disabling two or more displays with identical names and serial numbers (PS1901)
- Fixed LAN sent package status for half-duplex 100M fixed switch config (VIFR1040)
- Fixed timing issue on some modes with Dell AW2721D monitor (VIFR1045)

C.1 Changes in 1.7.0 release
----------------------------
- Enabling color-temperature support (beta stage) - compatible with 3rd-party tool f.lux
- Enabling system sleep on display-closed mode via DisplayLink Manager user interface
- Disabling screen options via DisplayLink Manager user interface


D. Supported operating systems
==============================

The DisplayLink macOS application can be installed on Apple Mac computers running OS version:
- macOS Big Sur 11
- macOS Monterey 12
- macOS Ventura 13

Older versions of our drivers are available from our website:
https://www.synaptics.com/products/disp ... oads/macos


E. Language support
===================

The DisplayLink macOS application is only available in English.


F. Supported hardware
=====================

DisplayLink IC series supported:
- DL-7400
- DL-6xxx
- DL-5xxx
- DL-41xx
- DL-3xxx
- DL-1x5


G. Operating system limitations
================================

Protected content from iTunes and other players is not visible on built-in graphics when DisplayLink screens are connected. (17087)

The list of available resolutions and the default resolution for 4K displays depends on the type of connection (HDMI or DisplayPort). To see a more complete list of resolutions follow these steps:
- Open the Displays preference in System Preferences
- Go to the preferences panel for the DisplayLink screen
- While keeping the option (alt) key pressed, select the "Scaled" option for the list of resolutions.

Manual Ethernet speed setting is not retained across reboots. (20973)

In macOS Ventura 13, USB Restricted Mode protection is enabled by default on Apple Silicon MacBooks.
This requires users to explicitly allow new USB peripherals, including products using DisplayLink technology.

H. Known issues and limitations
===============================

- An updated list of troubleshooting suggestions is available at http://support.displaylink.com/knowledg ... pics/80209
- The screen-disable options might not work properly when using 2 or more displays with same product and serial numbers
- It is not possible to unlock the MacBook via Apple Watch when screen saver is running/enabled
- Some resolutions, especially HiDPI/ Retina ones, may be missing on Apple Mx products (29526)

I. Third-party component libraries
==================================

The following 3rd-party libraries are included in this release:
- mbedTLS 2.28.2 - Apache 2.0 license
- mbedTLS 2.28.1 - Apache 2.0 license (device firmware - DL-7400)
- mbedTLS 2.16.12 - Apache 2.0 license (device firmware - others)
- tinyxml2 9.0.0 - Zlib license
- JSON for Modern C++ 3.11.2 - MIT License

[James Steele]

Thanks Mike... I appreciate it... looks like on of my LG 2K monitors is later model and has a Display Port option as well as HDMI, where the other is HDMI only. Either way... I don't think there's an advantage to me to use Display Port... and I'm up to my eyeballs in HDMI cables already.

Amazon was out of the brand you recommended but I did find THIS:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F2SZQYX

I think that is going to probably do what I need and I can connect my two LG 2K "wing" monitors to that as the total resolution of both monitors is well within the spec of that adapter.

[James Steele]

P.S. That adapter I posted the link to sounds like the most expeditious way to solve my *immediate* problem.

I guess If I want to add a 5th display... I'm still out of luck. Not to mention I'm thinking about wanting to connect a second external NVMe drive, so maybe I need a more expensive dock. Ugh... this is making my head hurt... LOL... I may just "punt" and order that adapter above and deal with future issues down the road.

[mikehalloran]

Amazon was out of the brand you recommended but I did find THIS:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F2SZQYX

That is a DisplayLink adapter that requires drivers (mentioned at the bottom of the page). On a Studio, it supports 2 monitors plugged into the USB-C port.

It supports one plugged into the USB-A port—I think. It may support two but I think that requires the USB-A port 3.2 gen 1 which Macs do not have.

TB hubs that do not require drivers can also add two 4K monitors to a TB 3/4 port. They cannot add one to the USB-A port—only a DisplayLink box can do that.

[James Steele]

Amazon was out of the brand you recommended but I did find THIS:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F2SZQYX

That is a DisplayLink adapter that requires drivers (mentioned at the bottom of the page). On a Studio, it supports 2 monitors plugged into the USB-C port.

It supports one plugged into the USB-A port—I think. It may support two but I think that requires the USB-A port 3.2 gen 1 which Macs do not have.

TB hubs that do not require drivers can also add two 4K monitors to a TB 3/4 port. They cannot add one to the USB-A port—only a DisplayLink box can do that.

Hmmmmm... thanks. I cancelled that order just to slow down and be on the safe side.

USB-C is just a connection type, yes? That's what you've said. I was going to plug-it into the USB-C port on the back of my Mac Studio which support Thunderbolt. Is it TB3 or TB4. I'm tired and don't even care now. But I guess that adapter was not TB? I guess I'm trying to find something that will just plug in and not need drivers.... that uses Thunderbolt. How hard can that possibly be? LOL. I will keep looking.

[James Steele]

Thanks for pointing that out, Mike. I found another by the same company that supports Thunderbolt and has more options, etc. but it requires driver software too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKLT853Z/

I'm really glad you mentioned this. Maybe it makes no difference, but if there ARE options that don't require me to install third party drivers, I think I'd feel a lot better about going that way. Seems like that's just another level of potential issues or compatibility problems. Maybe I'm wrong.

Perhaps I'm better off searching on OWC instead of Amazon?

[James Steele]

Arggh... screw it! LOL... I think THIS will do what I need:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-hub

Says is supports 2 4K monitors. I have to wonder if 2 monitors is the limit. What about 3 monitors if two are 2K and one is 4K? I'm pretty confident though that I could move things around and attach my NVMe drive to this hub... or possibly even my UAD-2 TB Satellite (although I have this gut instinct that a DSP processor would be best connected directly).

I think that would work and it's not much more money.

[James Steele]

BTW... I just opened up a new topic here about how Tapatalk is hijacking "shortened" Amazon.com links.

https://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=73302

It's bloody outrageous! I went back and edited my previous posts to use longer versions. I can't believe the audacity of Tapatalk to do that!