Sync two monitors. Is it possible?
 

Hello and thanks for reading this.

I wonder if someone knows how to sync an external monitor to a displaylink-monitor?

My setup is a notebook and two monitors connected to it:

1. an ordinary monitor @ HDMI
2. a DisplayLink-driven ASUS 168B+ @ USB

So I am working with three monitors. Now I need the two external monitors to show the same content, as if they were two monitors connected to a HDMI splitter.

Thus the internal notebook monitor should show content A, the HDMI and the USB monitor together should show content B.

Is this possible?

Thanks a lot!

Martin.

Hello Martin,

The HDMI splitter will not help achieve this. The splitter will only copy the content so you'll end of with HDMI1 = HDMI2.

What CPU full number and graphics card do you have?
Which version of Windows are you using (full number as well)?

Kind regards,
Alban

Hello Alban!

Thanks a lot for your reply. It seems I did not explain the right way: Actually I don't want to use a splitter but I want to achieve the same effect: I want to make my DisplayLink-driven USB-Monitor and my HDMI-Monitor to behave AS IF they were two HDMI-Monitors connected to a splitter.

Actually this is what I had until now: Two HDMI-monitors and a splitter. But now I want to change one of these HDMI-monitors to the USB-monitor.

I have a HP Spectre x360 with Intel i5 quadcore and built-in graphics card, it is running Windows 10. So, nothing special. :-)

Thanks a lot! Martin...

Hi Martin,

I understand what you wish to achieve.
The exact version of Windows (build number) and the graphics card generation is necessary for me to advise how to achieve this.

With Windows 10 ***before*** the anniversary update (v1507 and v1511), our driver does everything from the ground up, so we can tell what we want to the Windows and the graphics card. Cloning between the primary graphics card and any DisplayLink monitor doesn't rely on the graphics card implementing the feature and we have implemented it.

Since Windows 10 anniversary update (v1607), the driver is cut into two parts because Microsoft has integrated native support for DisplayLink USB graphics in the OS... But it means we are not doing everything ourselves and we use now standard Windows calls and Windows talks to the graphics card driver, not us. So, if the primary graphics card driver did not implement the feature called DWM Clone, you will have to use tricks to get the cloning across different graphics adapters to work. Supporting DWM Clone was first not existing, then became optional, and has been compulsory on Windows 10. So depending on which Intel CPU generation it is and the driver version, it may or may not be immediate.

In a nutshell, can you please use the Customer Support Tool available from the last link in my forum signature and post the system_details.txt file so I can give you the definite answer?

Kind regards,
Alban

Alban, thank you so much for your efforts. I didn't know I am that much close to the edge with my system! :-)

I downloaded the tool and ran the check, so attached is the required info.

Now hoping it is possible! Thanks!

Martin

You're welcome.

You have a recent platform: 5th generation Intel CPU.
Even better sign, your Intel graphics driver version starts by 20.
It means it's following the WDDM 2.0 standard in which DWM Clone implementation is *compulsory*. As you are running Windows 10 Anniversary Update, we need that if we don't want tricks.

==> Yes you can duplicate with no problem whatsoever.
Just open the display settings, then select the display, then in the drop down called multiple displays, select duplicate with the other displays you wish to clone.

Kind regards,
Alban

Alban! Thanks you so much! I really appreciate your help.

I feel a little confused I did not recognize I have this option built into the system. Really works perfectly! Now, it seems to me with this option it doesn't matter how monitors are connected to the system any more, right? I will be able to sync all kind of monitors, am I right?

Thanks a lot!

Martin.

Yes, that is correct Martin.