Mini display port on docking station

[tuchas]

If you are using a miniDP->HDMI cable, there is another issue to consider. The SP3 port probably supports DP++ (or dual-mode) which electrically turns the port into an HDMI port when you are using a passive HDMI cable. The port on the dock might not support DP++, in which case you will need to buy an "active" cable to handle the conversion for you.

Interesting. I returned the Belkin MDP to HDMI cable I mentioned in a previous post, and bought a $10 6ft Cable Matters MDP to HDMI cable from Amazon. This worked perfectly at half the price. Perhaps this one is an "active" cable. So if you are looking for something similar, check this one out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APLJ58M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[surfdock]

Tuchas, Some of the Belkin adapters available on ebay and even Amazon are actually cheap knock offs with inferior electronics. The genuine Belkin adapters are usually quite good. I've had rock solid results with the Surface brand adapters.

 

[tuchas]

Tuchas, Some of the Belkin adapters available on ebay and even Amazon are actually cheap knock offs with inferior electronics. The genuine Belkin adapters are usually quite good. I've had rock solid results with the Surface brand adapters.

This was a genuine Belkin cable I purchased at Best Buy. I'm not sure why but it did not work for me. In fact the connector on the mini display port side of the cable was always coming loose and falling out. The Cable Matters cable stayed in and works quite well. As far as the Surface branded cables, I do have the MDP to HDMI adapter, and yes, the quality is very good. But I use that when I go on the road and I wanted to keep it separate from my desktop setup.

 

[Antitoon]

My experience: my monitor behaves very bad if I connect it with a miniDP-to-DP cable from the docking station: the image appears, but after a few seconds it disappears and the screen is "undetected", then it is detected again and cycles. Plugging it to the Surface directly works. Using a miniDP-to-DVI adapter on the dock works perfectly, and this is how my monitor is now connected, however I am still a bit annoyed, as that adapter was meant to stay in my bag for me to carry around, not used for connecting two things for which no adapter should have been needed.