Resolume Forum

It doesn't seem to have a Thunderbolt input

Thumderbolt is a combination of PCIe and Displayport so you mean Mini DisplayPort. But yes, get a Decimator MD-HX with a good miniDP to HDMI cable and you should be good to go!

Once you own a Decimator MD-HX, you'll wonder how you made work without one before

Oaktown wrote:

It doesn't seem to have a Thunderbolt input

Thumderbolt is a combination of PCIe and Displayport so you mean Mini DisplayPort. But yes, get a Decimator MD-HX with a good miniDP to HDMI cable and you should be good to go!

Once you own a Decimator MD-HX, you'll wonder how you made work without one before

Thanks. I am referring to Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C - on the newer Macs. Different connector to Thunderbolt 2 or Mini DisplayPort.

Thanks. I am referring to Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C - on the newer Macs. Different connector to Thunderbolt 2 or Mini DisplayPort.

it still doesn’t change the fact that there is no such thing as a T3/USB-C video
input so we’re still dealing with the same connectors which are miniDP, DP, HDMI, DVI and SDI for digital signal.

The only scalerswe own that can take DisplayPort is the Barco Image Pro II (ours are dual outputs) but they cost a fortune, $8-12,000 depending on options!

Oaktown wrote:

Thanks. I am referring to Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C - on the newer Macs. Different connector to Thunderbolt 2 or Mini DisplayPort.

it still doesn’t change the fact that there is no such thing as a T3/USB-C video
input so we’re still dealing with the same connectors which are miniDP, DP, HDMI, DVI and SDI for digital signal.

The only scalerswe own that can take DisplayPort is the Barco Image Pro II (ours are dual outputs) but they cost a fortune, $8-12,000 depending on options!

I understand but none of those connectors exist on a current series MacBook Pro so adapters are required either way.

Zoltán wrote:sounds great!
if you select 25p then the monitor will run at 25Hz.
You can double check this in Resolume, enable Show fps in the output menu.
and when you output to this display the maximum fps you see should be 25 with the composition fps set to auto.

You lot may have saved me. We make films which we shoot in 25p and I got a new iMac in January but haven't been able to choose a 4k 2nd screen monitor for just this reason. Since Jan, the price of the cheapest one in the 27-32" range has come down from £300 to £200 which is great but I didn't think I could get one because of the 60hz/25fps problem.

So you're saying I just spend $17 on Switch Res X and all will be well?

And if we've filmed in 25p, then you suggest I set the refresh rate using Switch Res of the external monitor to 25hz, not 50hz? Is that right?

Also, it's filmed in 1920x1080, so I should set the resolution to this, right? There's no point in having at UHD which is exactly twice the size of full HD, even though it would just double height and width?

And then in future, if we film in 4k at 50p or whatever, I can set the screen to that.

This is brilliant.

So to confirm, with my iMac 27" with a Radeon Pro 580 8gb graphics card inside (and i7 quad-core 4.2ghz turbo boost to 4.5) I can use a usb-c to display port lead to a 4k 60hz monitor* and it will work as said. i.e. I can play my 25p video on the 2nd screen with no problem?

*Or do I need to make sure I get a variable rate monitor? On the Freesync website, they show you monitors with variable refresh rates (that are more expensive) some of which have 40-60hz. None go down to 25hz. But I guess I could set the frame rate to 50hz if that was the case.

So:
1. Will this work for us?
2. Can I just use a bog standard 4k 60hz monitor.

Dear God, I do so hope you've solved my problem. I've been dying to get a 2nd screen since the start of the year. We had to move back to Adobe Premiere (after switching from PC to Mac's FCP when my beloved started her course ten years ago) as OSX no longer works with FCP 7, and have this spanking new iMac replacing a 6 year old model with 40gig of ram, the top graphics card and processor, internal and external SSD but have been stuck working on one screen.

Please let me know. You may really have saved us.

All the best, mate.

I would check the manufacturer website for the display you're looking at.

Here is one for example: ViewSonic 2WQHD 2771

This one has USBC 3.1 C type connector for power/audio/video: and can do the frequency range you want:

Oaktown wrote:I would check the manufacturer website for the display you're looking at.

Here is one for example: ViewSonic 2WQHD 2771

This one has USBC 3.1 C type connector for power/audio/video:
Screenshot 2018-05-14 07.22.51.png
and can do the frequency range you want:
Screenshot 2018-05-14 07.25.00.png

Thanks for the help.

Can I just check - I don't need a usb-c input, do I? I can use a usb-c from my mac to a display port into the monitor and a normal power supply? Is that right?

I can't find that model in the UK but when it shows the separate horizontal and vertical frequencies, that's what I need to look at?

Yup?

Most of the websites I've looked at don't have the separate horizontal and vertical scan rates, but I've found one that does. 28" for £250.

https://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Produc ... -_-Product

It says:

Horizontal Refresh Rate
30 - 99 kHz

Vertical Refresh Rate
50 - 76 Hz

So even though the specs say 60hz, this means that I could use SwitchRes X to set the refresh rate to 50hz and this would work. My 25p footage will play perfectly. Please tell me yes.

If you do, you'l have sorted out 4 months of stress for me.

(Am I right to think that I could also set the resolution to 1080p as that's what I've filmed in if I want, though it wouldn't matter is the resolution is exactly double, just like the frame rate?)

If this one is ok, do you know anything about panels?

This is Active Matrix, TFT LCD. Is that ok?

Mate, you've been an angel. Please let me know if this monitor would work, and confirm that as long as both their horizontal and vertical range allows 50, I'm ok.

Btw, if you could set this monitor to 76 (as it fits both H and V) why don't they advertise it as 76hz? Or as 50-76hz which is what you can get. Is it because without the Switch Res, a normal user would just have the 60hz?

Thanks again. Please let me know when you have time.

Sounds like you're making this too complicated! Why don't you just plug your computer to your HDTV and select 50hz as refresh rate?