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The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

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Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#91

Post by sitkack »

gm-conspiracy wrote: post #59
Jaruzel wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cut a HDMI cable in half and splay it out, then try switching that to another display. See what happens. If you took an ancient (but still available to buy) 25-pin 'parallel port' 4-port switch box with a rotary dial: https://photography-909a.kxcdn.com/product-images/03292/600/... And wired up the HDMI of two machines to output ports 1 & 3[1]. Then wired up the HDMI to the display to the input port (so effectively…

I think the real isssue is with HDCP. The output device "ensures" the display device is authorized via a key to output. So, you would need an intermediary device that would accept any incoming signal, while also having a legit handshake with the output device. So, as you switch "inputs", there is no additional authorization required, because the output device does not detect any changes.

I believe this is also the case. The only organizations that can get exemptions from the HDCP Alliance (DRM Cabal) for devices that effectively circumvent encryption are for high end broadcast gear. Nothing precludes making a 4k KVM. Infact, a mid range AV main unit could probably route 4k KVM.

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/av_receivers_am...

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#92

Post by topspin »

AdrianRossouw wrote: post #18

I use this one for my 40" 4k monitor, and it works great : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BSNSOPU/

That's the second endorsement of an IOGEAR DisplayPort solution I've seen so far. The full product line is here: https://www.iogear.com/solutions/kvm

$480 to solve the dual head 4K DisplayPort problem, and it works, apparently.

Now, is that a reasonable price? I have to say I think so. This is not a trivial problem and this equipment isn't being manufactured by a dozen companies and flying off Best Buy shelves. Given the low demand and difficult requirements I think the price is reasonable. If your use case involves smoothly switching between 2-4 high resolution dual head systems $480-$680 probably amounts to something in the range of 5-20% of the cost of the entire system.

I don't buy the argument that this cost makes such a KVM pointless because one can simply buy more display(s) and input devices instead: that takes a lot of space and results in a lot of underutilized hardware.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#93

Post by sushisource »

daemin wrote: post #53
theothertom wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never really understood the desire to use the button on the display to turn off monitors - does allowing the monitors to be switched off by the OS not solve basically the same problem ?

I leave my PC running 24/7 pretty much, so at night I want the monitors turned off so it doesn't illuminate the whole living room (which I can see from the bedroom - it is a small apartment). I used to turn them off with the button on the monitor (when all my monitors were DVI), so if the mouse was moved by accident during the night it wouldn't wake the monitors up. Right now I have to let it go to sleep normally, an…

I came up with a trick for this. Wrote a little script for windows (I'm sure you could do the same thing for linux) that just sends the "sleep" command to the monitors at will.

I can dig it up for you if you want it when I get home.

EDIT: Upon re-read this doesn't really solve your accidental wake up problem. Oops.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#94

Post by bitL »

blauditore wrote: post #13
keypusher wrote: post #5

The rise of more powerful graphics cards with the ports and ability to run multiple monitors made this something that ever fewer desktop users need that did before. You can still get good KVMs in the enterprise/hardware market, they are common in server rooms, but even then less so than the old days as most firmware allows remote management.

I don't understand what this has to do with graphics cards. One is about connecting multiple monitors to one computer, the other about connection one monitor to multiple computers.

For example, my 3 monitors each have 4 different inputs. My GPUs have at least 3 outputs. So you can connect each GPU to each monitor, then you need a way to switch between different computers at once or separately.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#95

Post by topspin »

dekhn wrote: post #77

I am so happy I don't use KVMs any more. Instead, monitors with multiple inputs, and a simple USB switch for the keyboard.Then I don't have to spend $200 when I upgrade monitors, just so I can switch whatever new resolution I moved to.

I've looked into doing this as well. Have you found monitors that a.) switch inputs without many seconds of delay b.) switch using keyboard input as opposed to banging on balky switches on two displays? My expectation is one button and no delay, not switching the input devices and then switch two monitors one after the other, because I expect to switch frequently. Also, the buttons on a lot of monitors aren't really intended to be used terribly hard; they wear out. Maybe capacitive buttons solve this, I guess, but those can be flaky as well for other reasons.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#96

Post by erikbye »

daemin wrote: post #53
theothertom wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never really understood the desire to use the button on the display to turn off monitors - does allowing the monitors to be switched off by the OS not solve basically the same problem ?

I leave my PC running 24/7 pretty much, so at night I want the monitors turned off so it doesn't illuminate the whole living room (which I can see from the bedroom - it is a small apartment). I used to turn them off with the button on the monitor (when all my monitors were DVI), so if the mouse was moved by accident during the night it wouldn't wake the monitors up. Right now I have to let it go to sleep normally, an…

You can disable mouse-wakeup, so that the only way to wake from sleep is a keyboard press.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#97

Post by erikbye »

hudibras wrote: post #47

When I worked in the Pentagon, everybody in our office had these to switch between the classified and unclassified computer systems. It was amusing when someone in our large cubicle farm would say, "Hey, check out this email that just came in on the low side," and then two dozen index fingers would reach out and two dozen monitors would blink over to the Windows login screen simultaneously.

G-man here (not the U.S.). Switching between four systems daily. Scroll Lock x2 + n.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#98

Post by copperx »

Jaruzel wrote: post #54
Fnoord wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotal, I still use a KVM, for a specific use case. My PC has 2 monitors. My 1st monitor is standard usage, but my 2nd monitor is also used by my partner's PC. If she wants to use her computer, she gets the 2nd monitor (and the speakers) but otherwise I got a 2nd monitor to use. Practically, it saves me from having to use another set of speakers (you would not use 2 sets of speakers at the same time and I usually…

You are not alone in this. For years my Partner and I had separate machines on a KVM. It was only when our Daughter moved out and her desk became free in our study that we no longer needed this setup.

You had a daughter with your business partner? I'm now curious about the story.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#99

Post by grzm »

copperx wrote: post #98
Jaruzel wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not alone in this. For years my Partner and I had separate machines on a KVM. It was only when our Daughter moved out and her desk became free in our study that we no longer needed this setup.

You had a daughter with your business partner? I'm now curious about the story.

Partner can be used in lieu of spouse for an unmarried couple.

Re: The Peculiarly Quiet Decline and Fall of the KVM

#100

Post by aidenn0 »

gm-conspiracy wrote: post #59
Jaruzel wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cut a HDMI cable in half and splay it out, then try switching that to another display. See what happens. If you took an ancient (but still available to buy) 25-pin 'parallel port' 4-port switch box with a rotary dial: https://photography-909a.kxcdn.com/product-images/03292/600/... And wired up the HDMI of two machines to output ports 1 & 3[1]. Then wired up the HDMI to the display to the input port (so effectively…

I think the real isssue is with HDCP. The output device "ensures" the display device is authorized via a key to output. So, you would need an intermediary device that would accept any incoming signal, while also having a legit handshake with the output device. So, as you switch "inputs", there is no additional authorization required, because the output device does not detect any changes.

It's absolutely not HDCP since a 4k HDMI splitter is much cheaper than a 4k KVM.

My guess is that with KVMs disappearing from server racks, there isn't enough volume to get the prices we used to get.

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