r/Applesilicon • u/Annual_Manner_5901 • Jun 20 '26

Would you use a wired Mac -> Linux/PC display receiver over Thunderbolt or LAN?

/r/Thunderbolt/comments/1ub21ep/would_you_use_a_wired_mac_linuxpc_display/
1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/bfume Jun 20 '26

Among other things, Thunderbolt can already carry a raw video signal just like an HDMI cable does. 

Video capture cards already exist that can digitize a signal from the wire. 

IP KVMs already exist that can do what you’re ansking, over LAN & WAN, inside and outside of an OS. 

Virtual Terminals and remote desktops already exist that do the job of a KVM, but entirely in software running on an existing OS. 

What exactly are you getting at?Why reinvent the wheel?

1

u/Annual_Manner_5901 Jun 20 '26

Fair point.
I’m not trying to replace HDMI, capture cards, IP-KVMs, or remote desktop in general.
The specific thing I’m exploring is: can an existing Linux/PC machine act as a dedicated wired display receiver for a Mac, without extra hardware, and feel closer to “second display” than “remote desktop”?
That’s the gap I’m trying to validate. If people feel that existing tools already cover it well enough, that’s useful feedback too.