Nintendo Switch + LG UltraFine 4K

[funn3r]

Hi,

i want to connect my Nintendo Switch to my LG UltraFine 4K which has 3 Usb-C ports and 2 TB ports. 

But Nintendo Switch doesn't support Display Port alternate mode. So i have to place Nintendo Switch to dock and

then somehow connect HDMI to my LG UltraFine 4K monitor. What i read, i have to use active HDMI to Display Port (Usb-C)

adapter, but i can't find anything on AliExpress or at local vendors.

 

Have someone similar experience and can recommend me right adapter ? Thank you.

[GenericFanboy]

I mean, are you sure a nintendo switch can push 4K?

[Kilrah]

I don't know of any adapter TO Type C, they're always FROM Type C.

[funn3r]

11 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

I don't know of any adapter TO Type C, they're always FROM Type C.

Yes you are right, but i need opposite direction from (Output) HDMI -> (Input) USB-C Display Port

[Mira Yurizaki]

I don't think what you're doing, which I'm understanding as HDMI -> DP -> Thunderbolt, is possible. At least in the naive approach of using an HDMI to DP converter, and plugging in a DP to Thunderbolt 3 cable. You have to have a Thunderbolt controller to actually send the DP signal to the monitor, which I don't think there are standalone products to do such.

[PlayStation 2]

If you have a PC to go with the monitor, it'll probably be a lot easier just to get a capture card and just pass through the Switch output like that.

[funn3r]

Well i don't have PC, i have only MacBook, that is why i have LG UltraFine.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Just now, funn3r said:

Well i don't have PC, i have only MacBook, that is why i have LG UltraFine.

You just need to find an HDMI capture device compatible with Mac.

[funn3r]

But that capture device has to has DisplayPort output via USB-C/TB3

[funn3r]

I know simplest solution is "buy TV, buy monitor", but i don't need them.

I don't watch TV and also will have to make space for another monitor on my working

desk.

[Mira Yurizaki]

4 minutes ago, funn3r said:

But that capture device has to has DisplayPort output via USB-C/TB3

The point of the capture device is to show the HDMI footage on your computer as a pass-through, which you watch through a viewer that you can drag to the monitor.

 

You cannot send DisplayPort in a Thunderbolt input without converting it to a Thunderbolt signal first. Thunderbolt is a carrier of multiple data types, DisplayPort being one of them. Thunderbolt itself doesn't know what to do with a raw DisplayPort signal. And as far as I know, there are no ways to convert a DisplayPort signal into a Thunderbolt one that's readily available.

[funn3r]

But that TB3 and USB-C ports supports Display Port alternate mode, so there is no conversion. The only one conversion what

i need is HDMI (Output) to DisplayPort (Input) (USB-C connector), or am I wrong ?

[Kilrah]

It depends if the display supports DP alternate mode straight over USB signaling or only over TB3. Seems it does the former since there are reports it works with an iPad Pro that has no TB3.

But still, the connections you need simply don't exist. 

[Mira Yurizaki]

15 minutes ago, funn3r said:

But that TB3 and USB-C ports supports Display Port alternate mode, so there is no conversion. The only one conversion what

i need is HDMI (Output) to DisplayPort (Input) (USB-C connector), or am I wrong ?

According to LG's Manual and Apple's website, the USB-C ports are USB 3.1 Gen 1 and make no mention of supporting DP alternate mode.

 

And again, Thunderbolt doesn't support a raw DP signal. This is the basis for how Thunderbolt works:

 

 

Thunderbolt combines DP and PCIe signals into a single data stream that's only understood by the Thunderbolt protocol.

 

If you want to watch HDMI from your computer, you need an HDMI capture device like https://www.bestbuy.com/site/elgato-game-capture-hd60-s-black/5187800.p?skuId=5187800

[Roswell]

On 11/25/2019 at 4:01 AM, funn3r said:

Hi,

i want to connect my Nintendo Switch to my LG UltraFine 4K which has 3 Usb-C ports and 2 TB ports. 

But Nintendo Switch doesn't support Display Port alternate mode. So i have to place Nintendo Switch to dock and

then somehow connect HDMI to my LG UltraFine 4K monitor. What i read, i have to use active HDMI to Display Port (Usb-C)

adapter, but i can't find anything on AliExpress or at local vendors.

 

Have someone similar experience and can recommend me right adapter ? Thank you.

 

This thread seems needlessly complex.

 

The easiest solution is just to get an active DP to HDMI converter. They're not that expensive: https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-Converter-FOINNEX-Adapter-Powered/dp/B07G796JF8

 

Easy peasy.

[Mira Yurizaki]

37 minutes ago, Vitamanic said:

 

This thread seems needlessly complex.

 

The easiest solution is just to get an active DP to HDMI converter. They're not that expensive: https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-Converter-FOINNEX-Adapter-Powered/dp/B07G796JF8

 

Easy peasy.

Most of this thread is explaining why this won't work.

 

It's because you can't use a raw DP signal in a Thunderbolt port because Thunderbolt ports are expecting a Thunderbolt signal.

 

The other USB-C ports are USB 3.1 Gen 1 only.

[Kilrah]

No, the manual shows you can feed a signal both using Thunderbold and regular USB-C, and as previously mentioned people have reported it works with non-Thunderbolt devices like an iPad.

 

 

4 hours ago, Vitamanic said:

The easiest solution is just to get an active DP to HDMI converter. They're not that expensive: https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-Converter-FOINNEX-Adapter-Powered/dp/B07G796JF8

That's a first step (well, given that this adapter is HDMI to DP, not DP to HDMI like you said), but then there is no DP->USB-C that I know of to chain with it to go into the monitor..

[Mira Yurizaki]

I'm just going to leave this here and hopefully put this to rest. From https://blog.startech.com/post/what-you-need-to-know-about-thunderbolt-vs-mini-displayport/

Quote

Thunderbolt is fully compatible with Mini DisplayPort peripherals, and the new port is backward compatible, therefore it can still be used to connect to DisplayPort devices, BUT, only the new port can be used to connect to Thunderbolt devices.

What works, what doesn’t?

The image below shows which combinations of Thunderbolt (TB Cable) and Mini DisplayPort (DP Cable) will (green) and will not (red) work together.

...

However, a Mini DisplayPort enabled device will not function when connected to a Thunderbolt display or docking station.

The connector and/or protocol version doesn't matter. The principle is going to be the same.

[Kilrah]

20 minutes ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

However, a Mini DisplayPort enabled device will not function when connected to a Thunderbolt display or docking station.

But that display is BOTH Thunderbolt AND DisplayPort over USB-C.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, Kilrah said:

But that display is BOTH Thunderbolt AND DisplayPort over USB-C.

Nothing in either LG's manual or Apple's website say the USB-C ports use DP Alternate Mode. The thing you screenshot is just to say "if you want USB connection, make sure to plug in one of the USB-C ports to your computer"

 

From Apple's website itself:

 

[Kilrah]

Again what I captured is the "how to connect to a host" section, the one about connecting USB peripherals is in a section further down. You wouldn't connect a host just for using the display as a hub so obviously it's for display as well.

And again people have reported it working with devices like an iPad which does not have Thunderbolt 3, but USB-C DP.

 

But yea the specs are poorly written. Neither Apple or LG obviously intend/expect anyone to connect that display to anything else than a Mac.

[Mira Yurizaki]

10 hours ago, Kilrah said:

Again what I captured is the "how to connect to a host" section, the one about connecting USB peripherals is in a section further down. You wouldn't connect a host just for using the display as a hub so obviously it's for display as well.

And again people have reported it working with devices like an iPad which does not have Thunderbolt 3, but USB-C DP.

 

But yea the specs are poorly written. Neither Apple or LG obviously intend/expect anyone to connect that display to anything else than a Mac.

The LG UltraFine is a Thunderbolt Display, which Apple support on their forums said:

Quote

1. iPad Pro doesn't support Thunderbolt 3 displays such as the LG UltraFine 5K Display.

 

Unless the specifications clearly state that it supports a USB-C alternate mode, you can't assume that it does.

[Kilrah]

The post you linked to refers to the old Thunderbolt 2 display.

 

The 2019 LG Ultrafines work with iPad pros: https://www.anandtech.com/show/14698/lg-unveils-new-ultrafine-4k-5k-monitors-now-with-ipad-pro-support

iPad Pros put out DP over USB-C, and do not have Thunderbolt 3: https://support.apple.com/en-ae/HT209186

 

Therefore the 2019 LG Ultrafines have to support DP over USB-C even if the specs are crap and don't mention it clearly, unlike the 2016 models that were TB3 only ("iPad Pro supports the 2019 LG UltraFine 5K Display at 4K resolution with video, audio, data, and power. iPad Pro doesn't support Thunderbolt 3 displays such as the 2016 LG UltraFine 5K Display").

[funn3r]

Well i tried to connect brothers PC with GTX 970 using Display Port to USB-C cable, which was working with my old Samsung U32H850.

But no signal is sent to LG UltraFine. I am using this cable MicroConnect cable USB3.1 C (M) - DisplayPort V1.2 (M).

So i guess i need next monitor or TV 

 

Probably the monitor is working only with Apple devices

[Kilrah]

Which version of the Ultrafine is it? As mentioned only the new 2019 one that came out this summer has a chance of working, you never clearly mentioned which one you had, all my answers assumed the new one. Also are you sure your cable is DisplayPort to USB-C (rare if not non-existant) and not the opposite (very common)?

 

Yes as figured out in the first post another monitor is likely the solution.