Comment by GuB-42
5 days ago
I wonder why it hadn't been a built-in feature on some laptops.
No software, just a built-in hardware kvm exposing the screen, keyboard and pointing device to an external port.
A niche thing, but it shouldn't be expensive to implement, and the ports are already here (usb-c, hdmi).
> A niche thing, but it shouldn't be expensive to implement, and the ports are already here (usb-c, hdmi).
A Display Controller Board for driving a laptop screen from an external input is going to add at least $20 to the price of the laptop. Considerably more expensive than the $6 USB-HDMI capture devices which do the job (and have more utility).
The HDMI output port on your laptop (if you even have one, many only offer miniDP) can't just be run in reverse. The board would need to be updated to allow switching it between output and input, at considerable extra cost.
I owned an Alienware laptop (M17X R4) many years ago that had a dedicated HDMI input.
It was a strange laptop. MXM socketed GPU, 120Hz screen that came with Nvidia 3DVision shutter glasses, and the worst battery life I've ever experienced.
I saw a kind-of-laptop that did that.
I think this might be it?
https://gpdstore.net/blog/gpd-pocket-4-kvm-module-explained/
or there is a similar one. It was a tiny laptop, the kind that a devops/sysadmin would carry around in a server room.
I believe some alienware laptops used to do this https://youtu.be/Otln0Ao2z6M (Cathode Ray Dude video)