4 ms·

I have a 2016 iMac which has an amazing screen, but sadly apple removed target display mode in 2012, which makes it useless for me. It has been collecting dust,

by bjoli 6y ago

I have a 2016 iMac which has an amazing screen, but sadly apple removed target display mode in 2012, which makes it useless for me. It has been collecting dust, since I can't stand Mac OS except when I really have to use it (mostly some sound production things at work). I am very much looking forward to try this.

rasengan 6y ago
You could also try Shells [1] to breathe life into an old computer. [1] https://shells.com https://shells.com
tootie 6y ago
I can't fully vouch for this setup but there are some dirt cheap HDMI-to-USB devices on Amazon (got mine for $15) now. You can run HDMI out from your main machine to the USB of your iMac and then capture the input with OBS and run it full screen. A little hacky but it should work. I've been using one to pipe an old Android phones camera to a virtual cam on my laptop.
- bjoli 6y ago
  This is amazing. Thank you.
  - tootie 6y ago
    Here's the doodad: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08Q7V4V4L?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08Q7V4V4L?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_...
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  Latency could be a slight issue though. The display underneath should be connected via LVDS, so it should be relatively easy to give it native inputs.
DenisM 6y ago
Why not dual boot Windows or Linux? VMs work fine too, been using them for a decade now.
- bjoli 6y ago
  Because I have a Linux workstation and I want to have 2 screens. The iMac screen is waaay better than my main screen, which is why I want to use it. In daylight, those extra 150 cd/m2 really help
  - kbouck 6y ago
    Not sure if this helps the dual-screen desire, but to make more use of it, couldn't you install linux directly on the iMac? I did that (install pop os) recently with a Macbook Air 2012, and it works flawlessly as far as I can see. All special keyboard buttons, sound, sleep/wake, battery, trackpad (minus gestures), etc. etc.
    - kbouck 6y ago
      If you want to go further down the rabbit hole, here someone tinkering to get target display and linux to work together: https://floe.butterbrot.org/matrix/hacking/tdm/ https://floe.butterbrot.org/matrix/hacking/tdm/
adrianmonk 6y ago
The hardcore option (within my ability to conceive of, possibly beyond my ability to execute): https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/117066/Can+I+Mod+an+early+2009+24%22+iMac+to+external+monitor#answer200166 https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/117066/Can+I+Mod+an+earl... This will involve some kind of DisplayPort-to-LVDS board (or HDMI/DVI/VGA-to-LVDS). LVDS is the type of input on LCD panels. If "amazing screen" means retina, one question is whether there is even a board available that can output high enough resolution for good results. This page seems to have good info: https://jared.geek.nz/2015/apr/driving-fpdlink-displays https://jared.geek.nz/2015/apr/driving-fpdlink-displays Anyway, the advantage would be you can plug directly into it and get full performance (no lag, full bandwidth) because you've basically converted it into a monitor.

by bjoli 6y ago

rasengan 6y ago

You could also try Shells [1] to breathe life into an old computer. [1] https://shells.com https://shells.com

tootie 6y ago

I can't fully vouch for this setup but there are some dirt cheap HDMI-to-USB devices on Amazon (got mine for $15) now. You can run HDMI out from your main machine to the USB of your iMac and then capture the input with OBS and run it full screen. A little hacky but it should work. I've been using one to pipe an old Android phones camera to a virtual cam on my laptop.

bjoli 6y ago
This is amazing. Thank you.
- tootie 6y ago
  Here's the doodad: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08Q7V4V4L?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08Q7V4V4L?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_...
Nextgrid 6y ago
Latency could be a slight issue though. The display underneath should be connected via LVDS, so it should be relatively easy to give it native inputs.

DenisM 6y ago

Why not dual boot Windows or Linux? VMs work fine too, been using them for a decade now.

bjoli 6y ago
Because I have a Linux workstation and I want to have 2 screens. The iMac screen is waaay better than my main screen, which is why I want to use it. In daylight, those extra 150 cd/m2 really help
- kbouck 6y ago
  Not sure if this helps the dual-screen desire, but to make more use of it, couldn't you install linux directly on the iMac? I did that (install pop os) recently with a Macbook Air 2012, and it works flawlessly as far as I can see. All special keyboard buttons, sound, sleep/wake, battery, trackpad (minus gestures), etc. etc.
  - kbouck 6y ago
    If you want to go further down the rabbit hole, here someone tinkering to get target display and linux to work together: https://floe.butterbrot.org/matrix/hacking/tdm/ https://floe.butterbrot.org/matrix/hacking/tdm/

adrianmonk 6y ago

The hardcore option (within my ability to conceive of, possibly beyond my ability to execute): https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/117066/Can+I+Mod+an+early+2009+24%22+iMac+to+external+monitor#answer200166 https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/117066/Can+I+Mod+an+earl... This will involve some kind of DisplayPort-to-LVDS board (or HDMI/DVI/VGA-to-LVDS). LVDS is the type of input on LCD panels. If "amazing screen" means retina, one question is whether there is even a board available that can output high enough resolution for good results. This page seems to have good info: https://jared.geek.nz/2015/apr/driving-fpdlink-displays https://jared.geek.nz/2015/apr/driving-fpdlink-displays Anyway, the advantage would be you can plug directly into it and get full performance (no lag, full bandwidth) because you've basically converted it into a monitor.