Mini DisplayPort on new docking station doesn't work

[RWerksman]

Add me to the list of folks this is not working correctly for. Multiple Dell monitors with multiple MiniDP to DP cables - nothing works.

Edit: @Kif recommended a cable that worked for him on a Dell monitor. I have that exact same cable, along with that Dell monitor and it is not working for me.

 

[agt499]

Add me to the list of folks this is not working correctly for. Multiple Dell monitors with multiple MiniDP to DP cables - nothing works.

Edit: @Kif recommended a cable that worked for him on a Dell monitor. I have that exact same cable, along with that Dell monitor and it is not working for me.

Hi - for clarity confirming does yours work OK with the Dell's direct from the SP3 mdp port (as opposed to the dock?).
I don't have a dock yet, (and am watching this carefully to see if I should bother), but have just taken delivery of a couple of Dell U2414H monitors, so have an interest in getting to the bottom of this.

To get these working straight out of the SP3:

• Connected using the Dell mdp to dp cables that came in the box

• To get the MST chaining working, I needed to enable displayport 1.2 in the monitor settings: Settings>Display Settings>DisplayPort 1.2>Enable
• When you set this the monitor OSD warns you to ensure your graphics card supports MST and DP 1.2

Given that you are referencing multiple mdp to dp cables - have you checked the 1.2 settings?

I'm wondering out loud if the mdp port on the dock doesn't fully support displayport 1.2 in the same way the one on the device does - especially when you read the table in this MS Surface blog post about external monitors http://blog.surface.com/2014/08/surfacepro3dock-canada-us/, which makes it sound like the one on the SP3 itself is somehow more capable...

...which in turn might mean that RWerksman and others experience with the dock not working might be if the monitor is set to 1.2 and the dock port is only 1.1?

 

[RWerksman]

It works great when connected directly to the tablet - on all monitors, with all cables that I've tried. I've yet to encounter a single combination of docks, cables, or monitors (regardless of settings) that work at all - prior to or post refreshing/resetting the tablet.

I'm no chaining, and there is no configuration setting on the monitor. It just flat out doesn't work.

 

[Spitnik]

The third post in this thread is relevant:
http://forums.wpcentral.com/microso...video-even-w-same-cables-worked-sp2-dock.html

 

[RWerksman]

The third post in this thread is relevant:
http://forums.wpcentral.com/microsoft-surface-pro-3/305711-[solved]-surface-pro-3-docking-station-wont-ouput-video-even-w-same-cables-worked-sp2-dock.html

I have one of the adaptors in that post on order right now, due in on Wednesday. I'll confirm if it works on not when I receive it.

FWIW, folks in the thread on answers.microsoft.com have stated repeatedly that active adaptors - specifically those made by Apple - do not work.

 

[agt499]

The third post in this thread is relevant:
http://forums.wpcentral.com/microsoft-surface-pro-3/305711-[solved]-surface-pro-3-docking-station-wont-ouput-video-even-w-same-cables-worked-sp2-dock.html

Interesting thanks Spitnik, but the tail of that thread about passive vs active doesn't gel with my understanding of plain (non adapter) MiniDP to DP connection, which is what I think RWerksman and others are trying to do.
Doesn't that just work as a plain cable? If there's no conversion to hdmi or dvi taking place, there's surely nothing to be active with?
I'm expecting a colleague's dock to arrive in the next day or so, so will report in on the direct map to DP connection in a setup that sounds very similar to RWerksman.

 

[mitchellvii]

As tempting as this dock is just having a hard time getting my head around paying $200 for a piece of plastic with some wires embedded in it and no moving parts. For $200 they should have added an adjustable hinge for extra viewing angles. For a tall person, 64 degrees is simply too steep. You'd think MS would have learned their lesson from the Surface Pro 1 kickstand disaster.

 

[mitchellvii]

It seems that the docking station is going to run into the same issues that docking stations relying only upon usb to output video run into: a one size fits all databus simply will never be as reliable for video output as a dedicated mini displayport. I mean you are outputting high speed usb to multiple devices, uHD video and receiving power all from the same connection? Just sounds like a problem waiting to happen to me.

 

[bluegrass]

So it looks like the consensus is, there is nothing wrong with the docking station, that it is compatibility issues with certain monitors and cable adapters.

This dock does not suffer from the same problems USB adapters have with the video not keeping up. Someone mentioned that the mini display port in the dock suffers from the same thing that USB adapters have. I believe the built in mini port display adapter works from the same buss that the dock works from.

 

[RWerksman]

So it looks like the consensus is, there is nothing wrong with the docking station, that it is compatibility issues with certain monitors and cable adapters.

This dock does not suffer from the same problems USB adapters have with the video not keeping up. Someone mentioned that the mini display port in the dock suffers from the same thing that USB adapters have. I believe the built in mini port display adapter works from the same buss that the dock works from.

I don't think that's the consensus at all. There have been conflicting reports of the same cables and monitors working on some Surfaces and not others. (i.e. myself and @Kif)

If I were to take a stab at a reason, it's either a manufacturing defect with the dock or a firmware issue periodically and inadvertently triggering power management or preventing initial discovery.

 

[malberttoo]

I don't think that's the consensus at all. There have been conflicting reports of the same cables and monitors working on some Surfaces and not others...

That's the perplexing part, some claiming success with a certain cable, and then others buying that same cable and no dice.

 

[Spitnik]

So it looks like the consensus is, there is nothing wrong with the docking station, that it is compatibility issues with certain monitors and cable adapters.

This dock does not suffer from the same problems USB adapters have with the video not keeping up. Someone mentioned that the mini display port in the dock suffers from the same thing that USB adapters have. I believe the built in mini port display adapter works from the same buss that the dock works from.

No, incorrect. Monitors and cables that work when plugged into the port on the device don't work on the docking station. The docking station has distinct requirements than the device itself.