Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Multi-Monitor Splitter - 4-Port MST Hub

You may have heard of MST hubs, and have been wondering what they are, and whether or not they will work in your setup. 

So what are MST hubs?  MST hubs are devices that take one DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort video connection, and go to many video connections, usually extra DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, DVI or HDMI connections.  This is accomplished through DisplayPort's MST, or Multi Stream Transport function.  MST hubs allow you to mirror / duplicate your monitors so the same window are shown on all of the monitors, or extend your desktop, so that you can have different window on each monitor.

So how can you tell if you can use a MST hub?  MST hubs require that the video card's DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort output support DP1.2 or greater, which supports MST.  Some MST hubs also specifically require HBR2, or High Bit Rate 2 support.  HBR2 allows for higher resolutions like 4K and up.  You can check whether or not a StarTech.com MST hub requires HBR2 on the individual product pages, under the Technical Specifications tab.

There are a few other important things to note.

• Video cards can technically support DP1.2, but not support MST or HBR2, so it is important to check with your video card manufacturer that your video card specifically supports DP1.2, MST, and HBR2 (if necessary).

Currently Mac OSX does not support MST hubs, regardless of whether or not the video card does.  This is an operating system restriction, so running Windows on an Apple computer through a program like Bootcamp will allow you to use MST hubs.

Recent versions of DisplayPort include the ability to split to multiple displays from one DisplayPort connection using Multi-Stream Transport (MST).

Although you will be able to connect the MST hub to the Mini DisplayPort (mDP) connection on your Mac, Mac OSX does not support MST for NVIDIA and Intel Graphics Processor Units (GPUs). This results in a mirrored image across the outputs of a MST hub and you will not be able to have multiple independent displays on your Mac.

The limitation of NVIDIA and Intel GPUs lies within Mac OSX. If a different operating system is used, such as Microsoft Windows via Bootcamp, you may be able to use the MST functionality of your Mac.

When you convert from DisplayPort to DVI or HDMI, it works best if you use passive video signal converters with StarTech.com MST hubs. The MST hub has the capability to convert a video signal DisplayPort to a DVI or HDMI video signal as long as a video signal converter is used to change the connection type. This is because DisplayPort 1.2 (DP 1.2) supports both MST (Multi-Stream Transport) and Dual Mode (DP++). For more information, refer to the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/displayport_converter_dp_multi_mode.

When you convert from DisplayPort to VGA, you must use an active adapter because DisplayPort uses a digital signal and VGA uses an analog signal, and the MST hub cannot convert from a digital signal to an analog signal.

Note: When you use a StarTech.com video signal converter to convert from DisplayPort to VGA, you should use the DP2VGA3. In certain circumstances, the DP2VGA2 has compatibility issues with certain VGA monitors.

Surface Dock

If you experience issues when you use a Surface Dock to connect passive video signal adapters to an MST hub, Microsoft recommends that you use active video signal converters instead. StarTech.com offers an active video signal converter for DVI monitors (DP2DVIS) and for HDMI monitors (DP2HD4KS).

Note: This issue does not apply to the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station.

Note: For information about Microsoft Surface tablets and MST, refer to the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/mst-hubs-microsoft-surface-tablet-compatibility.

Recent versions of DisplayPort include the ability to split to multiple displays from one DisplayPort connection using Multi-Stream Transport (MST).

Although you can connect the MST hub to any DisplayPort (DP) or Mini DisplayPort (mDP) connection, the graphics card in the computer must support MST to use a MST hub.

MST was added for DisplayPort 1.2 and includes support for High Bit Rate 2 (HBR2), which is required to operate MST. However, some manufacturers may not have implemented full support for MST.

If you are unsure if your computer supports MST, try the following:

• Research the technical specifications of the DisplayPort sources for MST.

• If no information is available for your product, contact the manufacturer for assistance.

• Use USB video adapters found on StarTech.com as an alternative method to obtain multiple displays.

On a system with MST compatibility, multiple monitors are detected when they are connected to the hub. Multiple monitors can be used in the following configurations:

• Extended: for separate, independent desktops/displays.

• Spanned: a large, wide resolution that spans or spreads across multiple displays.

• Duplicated: mirrored images on each display.

When a graphics card does not support MST, the hub will duplicate (mirror) the display across all three of the connections. Only one monitor will show in the displays configuration of your system.

You cannot use an MST hub to increase the maximum number of displays that a video card supports. For example, if your video card only supports up to three displays, your display limit will still be three displays even if you use an MST hub.

If you have multiple MST hubs connected to the same computer and are experiencing display issues, you should check your video card to make sure that it can support the number of displays that you are using in your setup.

If you use an MST hub in your setup, your video card also needs to be compatible with MST technology. For more information, refer to the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/mst-hubs-gpu-compatibility.

Although most Microsoft Surface tablets include Mini DisplayPort, the capabilities vary depending on the tablet model. For more information about MST hub compatibility, refer to the following table:

*The Surface Pro 4 does not work with an MST hub when the Surface Pro 4 is connected to the Surface Dock. If the Surface Pro 4 is directly connected, it will work with an MST hub.

In order to access the full functionality of the hub, you need to install the latest drivers provided by Microsoft Update.

Note: You cannot use an MST hub to increase the maximum number of displays that a video card supports. For example, if your video card only supports up to three displays, (as is the case with all of the Surface models listed above), your display limit will still be three displays even if you use an MST hub.