Dell Monitor KVM Control

[SZanlongo]

BetterDisplay has been great, and well worth the pro license.

I am now trying to configure BetterDisplay to control Dell monitor KVM features, specifically for:

1. Picture-by-Picture (PBP) Mode: Enabling the display of content from two different computers side by side.
2. USB Swapping: Allowing switching of USB peripherals between the two connected computers (whether in PBP or just swapping the entire display).

To achieve this functionality, it seems I need to:

1. Determine the correct DDC commands for Dell monitors (any other recommendations for getting the correct ddc commands?).
2. Find a way to enter those commands into BetterDisplay, potentially aided by the forthcoming resolution to issue Add ability to create and configure custom DDC controls (ranged, bool/toggle, command) #2300.

Questions for Discussion

• Do these steps make sense - and are any steps missing?
• Are there any existing tools or scripts that could assist in discovering the DDC commands?

[waydabber]

Yes, these steps are fine. You can configure custom controls and add them to DDC Features. These should appear under Hardware Controls in the app menu. You will need the latest version for that (currently available in pre-release).

[SZanlongo]

With the new custom DDC controls, is there a way to set a keyboard shortcut? I couldn't find an option under the shortcuts menu.

[waydabber]

Yes, I think you should be able to do that using macOS Shortcuts. You can reach the new custom controls via CLI as well.

[SZanlongo]

Thanks. I think the shortcut might be bugged? The app shortcut doesn't seem to set the correct value - might be the same issue as #4252?

ex:

1. Get PBP value (currently off, reports 0 - correct)

2. Set PBP on (sets 36, works correctly)

3. Get PBP value to confirm, correctly reports 36

4. Set PBP value off (0), screen flashes but nothing happens

5. Get PBP value to confirm, still reports 36 instead of the 0 that was attempted to be set

[waydabber]

Hmm. Shortcuts should have the same issue as CLI with the current Stable version. Did you upgrade to the latest internal pre-release where this issue is fixed?