Ask HN: Can you recommend an “instant-switch” Monitor? Does one exist?

Current situation: - I have three sources connected to my monitor (1 HDMI, 1 DP, 1 USB C). - The monitor is on a switched off source i.e. due power save mode. - When I try to switch to another source, it takes 4 seconds or more to switch

What the monitor should do: S - Switch instantly no matter if the current source is on or not.

WHY the long delay??? It is really something that angers me.every.damn.time.

I have a Dell U2723QE, but older models have that as well as others from other brands.

Would love to get a recommendation for an instant switch model.

An external KVM switch might help but a lot of monitors suffer from this issue u fortunately and I don’t think anyone has benchmarked this

Unrelated: OP, how do you like the U2723QE? Been trying to decide on pulling the trigger on two of them recently.

There are hardware limitations that make what you're asking for impossible.

Use software solutions if you actually need instant switch. But you probably don't.

This has been annoying me since I first tried a PC after using Atari computers since they were a thing. No matter what monitor I use, it will take for ever to switch input port or just a simple change of resolution. I was used to be able to switch resolution several times per frame, you could make a game with low resolution and color on the upper 3/4 of the screen and have the stats in higher resolution 4 color mode on the lower 1/4 of the screen without any sort of delay in the signal, you just set an interrupt on every scanline and if the monitor was painting the 300'th scanline, you witch mode and suddenly it's doing double resolution for the rest of the frame. Then switch back on the Vertical Blanc Interrupt at the start of the frame paint.

I was quite surprised when the brand new PC needed 2-3 seconds just to switch resolution. And we are still there after 30-odd years? A KVM switch with analog signal was just the same, still long time to switch between signals. I'm using a remote control software to the local computers so I don't have to wait between every switch. With the added bonus that I can copy/paste between the computers without having to think.