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Does TP work with a hdmi pass through?

By Tiny pp @tinypp
    2024-11-10 20:10:26.749Zassigned to
    • @cghague

    i have a MacBook Pro that connects to an external monitor via hdmi that has hdmi input and output. To the monitor’s output, I want to connect tiny pilot pro and take the advantage of hdmi pass through for passing video from Mac to monitor to tiny pilot. I don’t need to control Mac.
    Will this work ?
    Are there any specific requirements to that external monitor ?

    • 8 replies
    1. C

      Hi, thanks for your question about using TinyPilot with a passthrough monitor!

      TinyPilot can accept HDMI via a passthrough monitor, provided the signal is at a supported resolution and refresh rate. It's unlikely that your monitor modifies the video signal, so you can usually pick suitable settings in your MacBook Pro's display configuration.

      1. TTiny pp @tinypp
          2024-11-12 02:15:04.562Z

          Thank you for the reply. I have tried multiple options from the hdmi resolutions, but the video doesn’t show on tiny pilot webpage. The external monitor is accepting the resolutions that I change in the MacBook.

          Kindly let me know the alternate solution. Is there any other settings in tiny pilot ?

          1. TTiny pp @tinypp
              2024-11-12 04:18:11.183Z

              I checked with the monitor brand service team that both MacBook Pro and the tinypilot work at
              1600x900 at 60Hz.

              Even though I select the 1600x900 at 60Hz on Mac, monitor still shows 1920x1080 at 60Hz.

              For one second I saw the video on tinypilot website while changing from 1600x900 at 50 Hz to 60 Hz. How do I keep the video consistent ?

              What do I do ?

              1. TTiny pp @tinypp
                  2024-11-12 14:29:39.348Z

                  TP worked like a charm for more than few hours. But after a refresh of all the screens, the video was stuck for some time and then lost.

                  When TP worked, the video mode was H.264, but now it won’t change to that video mode from MJPEG. I have also saved the logs from when the TP was working. How do I get this to work consistently?

                  1. TTiny pp @tinypp
                      2024-11-12 15:18:05.991Z

                      LOgs when TP video was working fine: https://logs.tinypilotkvm.com/RrzS5Prj -- this shows correct info:
                      Streaming mode
                      Selected mode: H264
                      Current mode: H264

                      Video settings when TP video worked: Frame rate 30 @ 5 MBPS , STUN server: google , external monitor was sending TP video at 1920x1080@50.0 Hz (HSync: + 56.3KHz, VSync: -50.0 Hz). Actual source of video is from Macbook pro HDMI - Display being optimized for external monitor and being used as a Mirror.

                      Logs when TP video is not working: https://logs.tinypilotkvm.com/z0X2Hy7M -- this shows wrong info because I can clearly see the UI shows MJPEG left bottom, but logs still show H264:
                      Streaming mode
                      Selected mode: H264
                      Current mode: H264

                      I can still see the video on TP UI for a second, when I restart the external monitor and the TP goes into H264 mode, shows video for a second and then blanks out. On page refresh, it goes back to MJPEG.
                      It wont let me change settings to H264 without making changes to frame rate , bit rate - which is not necessary because the defaults worked last time.
                      I have also tried to play with the H264 bit rate and frame rate and save, but it defaults to MJPEG.

                      Please assist asap.

              2. C
                In reply totinypp:

                Thanks for getting back to me with those details and sharing those logs! I've looked through them, and there are a few factors we need to consider.

                Regarding video quality, the logs show your TinyPilot device is streaming H.264 video in both cases, so I'm not sure why you're seeing MJPEG. It sometimes takes a short while for the H.264 stream to establish itself. Can you please wait a minute or two to see if it connects automatically?

                Regarding the video signal, the logs show that the video received from the monitor is 1920x1080 at 50Hz. This combination is supported, so everything should work correctly. Is this the resolution you've selected for the external display on your MacBook Pro?

                1. TTiny pp @tinypp
                    2024-11-15 02:49:56.714Z

                    I wait for a lot of time after each setting.
                    It conflicts with H264 and MJPEG at the left bottom and then fixes with any one mode. But video won’t play.

                    As mentioned, one time it worked like a charm for straight 3-4 hours but then the same settings won’t get the video next time.

                    Yes, that’s the resolution I gave from Mac 1920x1080 at 50Hz. I played with many different resolutions also.

                    Logs never recorded MJPEG. I COULD CLEARLY SEE ON LEFT BOTTOM - MJPEG.

                    Are there any other external devices that I can use in this loop so that we can make sure a consistent H264 is delivered to TP?

                    Or any other solution ?

                    1. Thanks for replying; I appreciate how frustrating this issue must be. I've not encountered any scenario where the web interface shows something different from the logs, so we'll need to look into this in more detail. Could you please let me know which operating system and browser you are using to access your TinyPilot's web interface?