MacBook Pro M3 Not recognising 1 of 2 external HP displays

Your equipment line says MacBook Pro with M3 PRO processor. Is it possible you have the M3 (plain) processor?

if M3 (plain) is correct, at this writing M3 (plain) only supports one external display and the built-in display as fully hardware accelerated displays. There was talk that Apple would soon release an update that allowed a second external when the built-in display was turned foot, but I do not think that has been issued yet.

If your work is only slow-to-change data like stock quotes, spreadsheets, and program listings, does NOT involve full-motion Video, and you do not need to use a mouse on the last display, You can create a 'fake' additional display using DisplayLink stunt-box and DisplayLink software (Both are required.)

The j5create stunt box is a knock-off 'fake' display that uses their own design and software, so they are not listed as an approved Vendor on the DisplayLink site.

beautifuluk Said:

"MacBook Pro M3 Not recognising 1 of 2 external HP displays: So here is the problem I am having. I have a MacBook Pro M3 running latest OS and it only detects 1 of the 2 external HP monitors I have at a time.[...]"

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Based on personal experience...

Getting Two or More External Displays:

The J5 USB-C Dual HDMI Docking Station allows for more than two extra monitors. How so? Well, plug in a display projector the Mac using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and then plug the J5 hub with 2 HDMI displays (one 4K), and then you'll have 3 external screens. It all mirrors and extends.

DisplayLink technology creates a "fake" display buffer in RAM, sends the data out over a slower interface to a stunt box with DisplayLink custom chips that put that data back onto a "legacy" interface. It is not a true "accelerated" display, and it can suffer from lagging. Just adding the DisplayLink Driver is not adequate to get a picture -- you need a DisplayLink "stunt-box" or a Dock that includes DisplayLink chips.

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It may be acceptable for a second display showing slow-to-change data such as computer program listings, stock quotes, or spreadsheets, but NOT for full motion Video, not for Video editing, and absolutely not for gaming. Mouse-tracking on that display can lag, and can make you feel queasy.

In a pinch, it may even play Internet videos (as one user put it) “without too many dropped frames".

If you are only doing program listings spreadsheets, stock quotes, and other slow to change data, DisplayLink can work for you, but requires you to make some strong compromises.

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It is really nice to know that you can use a DisplayLink display if you MUST have an additional display for some of the types of data I mentioned. But that is NOT the same as the computer supporting a second, built-in, Hardware-accelerated display.

These displays depend on DisplayLink software, and are at the whim of Apple when they make MacOS changes. There have been cases where MacOS changes completely disabled DisplayLink software, and it took some time for them to recover.

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I think the Big Surprise for a lot of Hub/Dock buyers is that they thought they were getting a "real" display, but actually got a DisplayLink "fake" Display. If you got what you expected in every case, I would not use such pejorative terms to describe DisplayLink.

An even bigger surprise for j5create buyers is that is a copy of a 'fake' display.

Grant Bennet-Alder Said:

“[…]The j5create stunt box is a knock-off 'fake' display that uses their own design and software, so they are not listed as an approved Vendor on the DisplayLink site.”

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A “Knock-Off”?

It works like a charm. Call it a “knock-off”, but it works. There’s no software that’s installed. And it’s Plug-&-Play. It’s an inexpensive solution, rather than going broke.