no, I am overactive as it is, you guys should open it and I'll chime in with more technical details if that's ok with you. :)

Hey @Resilient-max - thanks for the info! Glad that multiple display DDC works, tried to make it futureproof even though had to do it blind.

It's a shame that HDMI is still blocked. Why Apple does this is beyond my understanding.

Well the blind flight worked like a charm. Kudos 😃

I think they were too lazy to write a couple lines of code lol. If enough people report it, they may accept it as a bug and fix it.

Btw. it would be great to open a separate discussion for this and encourage others to report this issue both for MBP and the M1 mini. Hopefully this is not a hardware issue.

Would you mind going over the issue a bit? I understand that no DDC info can be obtained from the HDMI port, but is it something that can be fixed in software or is this a limitation of the MI and the HDMI lane?

Happy to also file a BR but want to make sure it's as specific and thorough as possible. Cheers.

We are not fully sure. The probable explanation is found here:

#750

There might be some hidden software method for control we did not figure out (after all even control over USB-C was something that the community figured out by accident after many trials and errors, Apple gave zero help). But probably the affected component (MCDP2900 DisplayPort 1.4a-to-HDMI 2.0b Converter) would need a firmware update or it might be that the issue is unfixable via software.

We are not fully sure. The probable explanation is found here:

#750

There might be some hidden software method for control we did not figure out (after all even control over USB-C was something that the community figured out by accident after many trials and errors, Apple gave zero help). But probably the affected component (MCDP2900 DisplayPort 1.4a-to-HDMI 2.0b Converter) would need a firmware update or it might be that the issue is unfixable via software.

Thanks that works. Filed. For anyone else that is interested and wants to add to the it, the BR#: FB9732085.

Hi @jajoho

This works well with most displays but depending on the brightness curve of the display there might be an effect near the transition point especially if the hardware and software brigthenss curves mismatch too much. You can try to adjust Combine dimming switchover point to define where exactly the transition point should be and also change the Scale mapping curve to adjust the hardware curve.

An other alternative is to disable Combine alltogether or enable Separate scales for combined hardware & software dimming under Keyboard to have two full OSD scales (this is for keyboard control).

Hi @waydabber

Thanks a lot, for the fast reply. I've changed the Combined dimming switchover point. Now it works perfectly.

Yes, you are right. Also, cmd+q should work in the menu. Can you add a feature request about it so it so it gets fixed? :) Thank you!

Of course: Issue #639

Hi @brendaneross - thanks for your feedback!

Can you please describe the setup you are using? Is this an issue regarding the built-in display of the Macbook Pro or an external display connected to it? If the latter, what is the model name of the display? Also please share a bit more info about your MacBook (year, model etc). Also could you please make a screenshot of the 'Displays' tab of the app Preferences?

Thank you for your help!

Hey @waydabber,

Not a problem! I love help making great software better.

So I'm using a 2017 15" MacBook Pro connected via Anker USB-C -> HDMI adapter to an LG 34UM95-C.
OS: Big Sur 11.2.3

The display that will not persist the change is the built-in MacBook Pro Retina display.

@waydabber It seems like I was just able to actually change the brightness and it stuck.... so we might not have an issue.
Maybe it was just a weird blip. So I'll keep you posted if I see it again.

Hi @brendaneross - the internal screen can brighten/darken itself depending changes in on ambient lighting conditions. The v4.0.0 version reflects this in the slider as well (you can try this - if you dim the display and then direct a LED light (of your phone for example or flaslight) at the sensor, the display will brighten quite significantly. If the monitorcontrol menu is open, then the slider will move as well. Maybe you experienced something like this.

An other factor might be if you play HDR video which messes up brightness sensor readings (Apple displays start doing some wizardry when HDR video is displayed - they increase the backlight, decrease contrast so the user do not see the whole screen brightening up, but the video area does not have this contrast inhibition so HDR video 'pops out').

If you enable 'Sync brightness changes from Built-in and Apple displays' in v4.0.0 then the ambient light sensor (and touch bar) induced changes should be carried over to the 34UM95 as well.

Heh, didn't expect this to promote such discussion 😇

I agree with @JoniVR with regards to text being default. The icons are nice but first and foremost, clarity should always trump aesthetics and having a list

I like the icon mockup on the one I thumbed upped (Sidecar, LG Display). The simpler gear does feel more suitable given the scale of the icon. Though I think mirroring the grid boxes to CC would be more ideal. Borrowing the overall design would also make it feel much more at home. Basically taking the Display and Sound blocks and applying them to MonitorControl:

I still feel the priority is a bit wonky given that quit is the first option (I think it should be last). Also I do think the icons would be clearer if you used the fill alts.

No matter which way you guys go, happy to have had a positive impact. If I have other usability suggestions, I'll make new posts so they are easier to track 🙏

Ok, I did reverse the order. How about this?

The circled gear icon cannot be used as that SF Symbol is not available on macOS11 only on macOS12 beta.

An other (maybe more logical) option would be this, but it would break the harmony of the two circled icons staying together.

Btw I made a fun looking rectangular style as well (which is quite hidden, it can be invoked by enabling tick marks in advanced - not too many ppl will do that):

An other (maybe more logical) option would be this, but it would break the harmony of the two circled icons staying together.

I like this, a lot, but I honestly think you nailed it using gearshape over my suggestion of the standard gear

But the layout already works so much better given quit should be tertiary.

Well, when the default audio device changes, the system sends a notification which is listened to by MonitorControl. MonitorControl then checks if the audio output is controllable and if it is, then assumes control for the volume keys. It might be that this notification was somehow not sent or captured due to a glitch in the matrix (?) but it should be a rare occurrence. Let me know if you encounter this again! Thank you!

Well, when the default audio device changes, the system sends a notification which is listened to by MonitorControl. MonitorControl then checks if the audio output is controllable and if it is, then assumes control for the volume keys. It might be that this notification was somehow not sent or captured due to a glitch in the matrix (?) but it should be a rare occurrence. Let me know if you encounter this again! Thank you!

I just wanted to let you know that it did indeed happen again. It seems to be a regular problem. Same story as above.

Does it happen with v3.1.1 as well?

Does it happen with v3.1.1 as well?

I'll switch back to it and let you know!

Does it happen with v3.1.1 as well?

I switched back to v3.1.1 and it hasn't happened yet. If it does come up again later I'll report back.

🤣

It's HDMI 2.0, not 2.1. and on HDMI DDC is blocked.
But on Thunderbolt ports it works like a charm, even with multiple monitors. Tried it with an LG34WK95-U and LG 27UL850-W (LG has horrible naming, no chance to ever remembering that.

Haven't got my hands on the new mbp yet since it's my work that'll get it for me… I can't wait 😆

Lucky you. :) I'd buy one but it just seems too expensive and I can't justify the expense.

I hope they did not just recycle the entire HDMI thing from the past two Mac Minis. If they did then we have a problem. Also, we'll see if even multi-monitor support via USB-C works as that is a new scenario on M1s as well.

I agree they cost a lot. I was waiting for a long time to replace the idiotic purchase of the 2017 i5 dual-core MBPro, it was underpowered from day one for my work's needs, especially with an external screen the, as soon as I connected anything with 4K or more the fans spooled up just having finder open. But the quad-cores back then were also extremely expensive.

Haven't got my hands on the new mbp yet since it's my work that'll get it for me… I can't wait 😆

That's how it should be. I think Apple intended it as a work machine. But it's hard to swallow for self-employed people.

I added a Q&A entry about the HDMI ports so users can easily be directed to it if they want an explanation. #750