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Does a DVI KVM Solution Exist?

Posted by Cliff on from the for-those-who-have-$$$-for-more-than-one-LCD dept.

clichekiller asks: "I'm looking for a way to share my Apple 23" LCD between my Dual-G4 and my Athlon PC. I know that I'll need to upgrade my PC video card to one that has a DVI connector on it, but I haven't found a DVI Switch yet. Is there a simple way to share an LCD between two computers? Has anyone managed this between a Mac and a PC? I'd really like to ditch my behemoth 70 lbs. 19" monitor."

9 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Good news and bad news by AlexisKai · · Score: 5, Informative

    Belkin makes a version of their Omniview SOHO KVM switches that has DVI ports and USB - perfect for use with a Mac. Unfortunately, I've been unable to get it to work with the Apple 23" flat panel monitor using Apple's DVI-ADC adapter. When the monitor is connected to the Mac through the KVM switch, the Mac (a G5) shuts itself down immediately. I haven't yet figured out why it does this or whether there's a workaround. Belkin tech support says they've never heard of that but couldn't say whether they'd tested the switch with Apple's monitors.

    1. Re:Good news and bad news by AlexisKai · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah, it's funny - they have a diagram on their website of the way the ports are arranged on the switch. When I got the switch, I discovered that the diagram was inaccurate in one crucial way: the DVI-in plug, where the monitor plugs into the KVM, is so close to the side of the case that a normal DVI cable will not fit into it. I called Belkin and they said they were aware of the issue and would ship me a free cable to fix the problem. Which they did... after a couple months.

    2. Re:Good news and bad news by mcgroarty · · Score: 4, Informative
      Be careful of the Belkin Omniview series if you're mixing PC and Mac. A good number of USB keyboards don't work properly through the Omniview, and you may find yourself forced to change keyboards. I couldn't use the Pfuca Happy Hacker Keyboard, an iMac keyboard, or the MS wireless keyboard. I ended up having to buy an actual MS Natural Keyboard before I could type properly. Belkin acknowledges the problem and says there is no planned fix.

      The keyboard is also virtualized, and the virtual keyboard has very course control over keyboard repeat settings. If you've become used to specific timings, you'll deal with some frustration.

      The mouse is virtualized as well. If you have a fancy mouse with tilt and a bunch of extra buttons, some of those features will be lost. It pretty much emulates a three button mouse with a scroll wheel and internet forward/back buttons. I read some forum problems where others' Logitech mice didn't work at all, but I didn't face any mouse problems myself.

      Lastly, if you're using the 2.6 kernel, you definitely need to jump into the documentation and make sure you're using the new USB devices. If you're running the old keyboard-specific USB driver instead of the generic HID driver, keyboard detection will be erratic with most KVM switches.

  2. Re:I find it hilarious that... by IAmAMacOSXAddict · · Score: 5, Informative

    I find it hilarious that you didn't read his post thouroughly. If you did you would have seen he wants it for a 23" Apple HD LCD. In other words, he wants to be able to use the native 1920x1200 resolution. If you had checked the ones you found they have a MAX digital resolution of 1600x1200. So who is the idiot now?...

    --
    MacOSX, because making *NIX better is a lot better than waiting for Micro$loth to fix Windows
  3. Dr. Bott by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 4, Informative

    Dr. Bott makes a pretty inexpensive mechanical DVI+USB switch. Like most of them, it's only good for up to 1280x1024 panels. They used to advertise it as being okay for Cinema displays, but enough people had problems owing to the extra cable length not being tolerated well for the higher signaling rate that they withdrew the claim.

  4. Re:VNC by Smidge204 · · Score: 4, Informative

    VNC and similar virtual computing programs are useful, but they don't compare with direct access. No latency, no compromise on color depth or resolution, no compression or update artifacts. There's also no dependency on the VNC software, which means you can access/view parts of the machine outside of the OS (BIOS configuration, etc).

    There's also a ZERO percent chance that a third party can access the machine remotely. Even with the best security practices and software, if you're connected to a network there's still a chance of a break-in.

    VNC has it's uses, but a direct connection is preferable if the physical machine is right next to you. The advantage of a KVM switch increases with the number of machines, too!
    =Smidge=

  5. RAM Electronics by psyconaut · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_switch.html

    Expensive, however....

    -psy

  6. I do this - Gefen KVM by tm2b · · Score: 4, Informative

    I current have a setup with a couple of Powermac G4 Cubes and a Vaio on a Gefen KVM connected to a 23" cinema display LCD and a Kennsignton wireless mouse.

    Works great, they support ADC by providing ADC-to-DVI cables and the main box is DVI/USB/audio.

    I have one major complaint - the switch they provides (ie, the UI) is via an IR remote control. Unfortunately it's hideously simple - my TiVo remote is constantly swtiching the KVM if I don't block it. And that's the only UI to the KVM. Otherwise, it's great.

    --
    "It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
  7. KVMs may require unacceptable compromises by dgallina · · Score: 3, Informative

    Keep in mind that using a KVM may require you to make compromises you find unacceptable.

    I bought and tried a few on my P4, G4, and G5- based setup. Ended up returning *all* of them.

    The biggest issues I encountered, in no particular order:

    1) degraded video quality. some cables / switches were better than others, but all of them caused some degredation past about 1024x768.

    2) virtualization of mouse and keyboard devices. stops any special buttons or keys from working. on most KVMs, this means that your apple media keys might not work and some unusual mice (my kensington optical trackball) may not work at all. This alone was a deal-breaker for me since i use those extra buttons for expose and other functions

    3) pc-centric nature of most kvm's. most of them assume you are connecting PCs. KVM hardware may not work or may have issues with non-PC OS' or hardware. The KVMs i tried usually worked ok, but a few presented virtual devices that were not recognized by my Macs or Linux.

    Good luck!
    Diego