Connecting a Mac Studio to NEC PA322

[TechTalk]

I connected the Mac Studio to my old NEC PA271W with a Displayport to USB-C cable  and it did not show any video signal at all on the monitor. However, I tried another Displayport to USB-C cable and...it worked with the native resolution.

The A/B comparison of those two DisplayPort cables indicates that you have one DisplayPort cable that doesn't work. The nonfunctional cable should be eliminated from use. A cable that is defective, worn, or damaged can potentially damage a port.

[TechTalk]

Thanks, I have tried that a number of times, to no avail. Unclear what the problem is, as the native resolution of the monitor is working with my Mac Pro using Mac OS Monterey. There is something about the M1 chips and these monitors.

The switch in CPU hardware from Intel x86 CISC architecture to Apple silicon/ARM RISC architecture is likely to be the source of a variety of hardware and software compatibility issues for some time. It will certainly make forums more active.

[TechTalk]

Well, I purchased a USB-C to HDMI cable today (HDMI into the PA322) and....it works with the Mac Studio at the native resolution of the PA322! Is there any disadvantage to this configuration rather than using the DisplayPort connection? ... I know that  the DisplayPort is generally recommended, but I am not sure why.

The issue is HDMI signal encoding from the Mac which results in color range limits and banding. The previous links to information from NEC and Eizo provide a general description of the issues.

[hubell]

your display port issue may be related to the port you were using on the PA.
The two ports have different dp standards according NEC

https://assets.sharpnecdisplays.us/documents/colorbrochures/pa322uhd_specbrochure.pdf

here are the DP standard spec levels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort

and  HDMI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI

the HDMI connector std can matter as well.

Yes, I am aware that there are two DP ports on the PA322. I am using the correct one.

[hubell]

The issue is HDMI signal encoding from the Mac which results in color range limits and banding. The previous links to information from NEC and Eizo provide a general description of the issues.

I do know that NEC is advising these issues exist with an HDMI connection, but I wonder how discernible they are in real life working with files.
FYI, I started a dialogue with Apple Tech support today about my inability to get the NEC 4K monitor to work at its native resolution with the USB-C to DisplayPort cable. So far, their advice is that I need to use an HDMI cable if I  want a 4K monitor to display at its native resolution with a Mac Studio. I am receiving yet another USB-C to DisplayPort cable tomorrow from Amazon. The J5Create cable recommended by NEC. we will see.

[TechTalk]

I just acquired a Mac Studio Ultra and tried to connect it to my NEC PA322UHD Monitor using the Displayport cable out of the monitor to the Mac Studio USB-C port using the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter. No dice.

As you discovered, the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter does not support DisplayPort displays.

I am receiving yet another USB-C to DisplayPort cable tomorrow from Amazon. The J5Create cable recommended by NEC. we will see.

Have you had an opportunity to try the J5Create cable recommended by NEC? It's unfortunate, but there are far too many new cables sold that don't function as they should.

One of the few times that I called Eizo was due to trying to connect my existing Eizo to a new computer with a connection failure. I was unknowingly using a new but defective DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable. Eizo advised trying another cable and I purchased their cable from them. Problem solved.

Last year, the New York Times published an article called The Best USB-C Video Cables and Adapters in their Wirecutter section. They tested and reviewed about 10 USB-C to DisplayPort cables. Out of those tested:

Nekteck’s Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort Adapter was the only cable we tested that simply failed to work. We tried two units, and neither established a connection between our computer and monitor over repeated attempts.

In our tests, Plugable’s USB-C to DisplayPort Adapter didn’t always connect, and when it did, it maxed out at 1080 resolution, rather than full 4K.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-usb-c-video-cables-and-adapters

[TechTalk]

One other long shot for you...

I was looking at the user manual for your display and came across this in the Advanced OSD menu (Page 24 - Tag8) DP EDID SOUND SELECT: When OFF is selected, DisplayPort signal will not emit any sound. You can select “OFF”, when DisplayPort signals do not optimize on the native resolution. It is a dip switch setting on the HDMI and DisplayPort Input Card.

It's a long shot, but I assume that optional setting does have a purpose. Who knows? Might be worth a shot.

[hubell]

One other long shot for you...

I was looking at the user manual for your display and came across this in the Advanced OSD menu (Page 24 - Tag8) DP EDID SOUND SELECT: When OFF is selected, DisplayPort signal will not emit any sound. You can select “OFF”, when DisplayPort signals do not optimize on the native resolution. It is a dip switch setting on the HDMI and DisplayPort Input Card.

It's a long shot, but I assume that optional setting does have a purpose. Who knows? Might be worth a shot.

I went to a local computer store yesterday and purchased a J5 Create USB-C to Displayport cable. Still no luck. Max resolution was still 1920x1080. The default setting for DP EDID SOUIND SELECT is actually "Off" according to the Manual.
Thanks again for all of your input. PA311D, an Eizo CG 319X or an Apple XDR Pro Display. I would tend to lean toward the Apple because it is likely to have the fewest compatibility issues with Macs over time. However, it is in some respects not ideal. The 6K resolution makes it ideal for viewing photographs and video. However, for softproofing and making photographic prints, it may not be appropriate even when you use the Photo/D65 Preset with Adobe RGB rather than PCI-3. It may be very hard to judge the appropriate level of sharpening for print at the 6K resolution. I guess you can turn it down. NEC is discontinuing the PA311D and the line of color critical monitors, so I am not sure I want to jump into that. The Eizo may be the better option in terms of photo editing.
I am reluctantly concluding that somehow the DisplayPort port itself or the card in my PA322 has been damaged or corrupted. I plan to look into replacing it with one of three options. An NEC

[degrub]

way back, i had a Dell screen that would periodically loose it's connection to the computer. This was when everything was switching from analog signal to digital. The EDID memory would get corrupted in the screen. Dell had a procedure to follow to reset it and this would allow the monitor to start working with the digital input again.

Maybe there is something NEC can tell you about resetting back to factory ?

Just a thought.

[TechTalk]

The default setting for DP EDID SOUIND SELECT is actually "Off" according to the Manual.

When I look at the manual's DIP switch configuration chart on Page 12: 3) DP EDID - 1.2 (Default setting) requires both DIP switches 4 and 5 to be set to the OFF position. The next line down shows DP EDID - 1.2 no sound requires dip switch 4 OFF and DIP switch 5 ON.

Based on the the difference between the default (4=OFF + 5=OFF) and no sound (4=OFF + 5=ON) DIP switch configuration, I would assume that the default is DP with sound. I may be wrong or reading it incorrectly.

I confess that I haven't had a need to think about or use DIP switch configuration settings in a long time. It does bring back memories of trouble shooting long gone by... thank goodness!

Thanks again for all of your input.

Just trying to help a fellow traveler and happy to oblige.

[TechTalk]

I am reluctantly concluding that somehow the DisplayPort port itself or the card in my PA322 has been damaged or corrupted.

That's possible. That may require attention from NEC or someone else with the neccessary technical expertise to diagnose the issue. 

Just curious if you've closely examined the monitor's DisplayPort port for any signs of damage like a cable-pin stuck inside for instance. I've had that happen to me in the past.

[hubell]

When I look at the manual's DIP switch configuration chart on Page 12: 3) DP EDID - 1.2 (Default setting) requires both DIP switches 4 and 5 to be set to the OFF position. The next line down shows DP EDID - 1.2 no sound requires dip switch 4 OFF and DIP switch 5 ON.

Based on the the difference between the default (4=OFF + 5=OFF) and no sound (4=OFF + 5=ON) DIP switch configuration, I would assume that the default is DP with sound. I may be wrong or reading it incorrectly.

I confess that I haven't has a need to think about or use DIP switch configuration settings in a long time. It does bring back memories of trouble shooting long gone by... thank goodness!

Just trying to help a fellow traveler and happy to oblige.

I think you are right. I read "Off" to be referring to the position of the DIP switches. I will try it. If it does not make a difference, it's on to a new monitor. Too much time being spent trying to debug this.

[ned]

I received my USB C cable and was able to connect the Mac Studio base model via USB C to display port cable to my NEC PA311d and display its native resolution of 4096x2160.

[TechTalk]

I expect that will be the case with most monitors with some unfortunate exceptions as we've seen. There are certainly a number of complaints online regarding what doesn't work, but that's the nature of online comments. Problems get reported online at a far higher rate than do things which are working.

Enjoy your new system!

[Chris L]

Hi, kinda related, but I have a NEC PA 241w monitor and will be trying to connect it to a new Mac Studio. I rebuilt my current 2010 Mac Pro to include a Radeon RX 580 graphics card and upgrade to Mojave and when I did I lost connection to my NEC display. I had to buy a new DVI cable that had a slightly different gold pin configuration. ( https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1029981-REG/kopul_hddv_a406_premium_series_hdmi_to.html ). I am wondering if this cable will work with the Mac Studio Max computer?