Plugable Launches UD-4VPD, a USB4 Dual 4K HDMI Docking Station

[T0@st]

Vibrant and immersive visuals come standard with Plugable's USB4 Dual 4K HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD), one of the first docks on the market to support dual HDMI displays at up to 4K 120 Hz. But pristine display properties are only part of the proposition offered up by the UD-4VPD. In addition to the 11-port expansion, it supplies 100 W charging for your laptop and 20 W high-speed charging for your phone, tablet, or other USB-C peripherals.

Immersive Display Options
Leveraging the latest chipsets, the UD-4VPD delivers smooth and fluid images that are great for video editing, graphic rendering, gaming, and getting work done. The docking station can also support a single 8K display at 60 Hz to complement a wide range of professional and creative applications.




Prepare for Productivity
The USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station is designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. Whether users are focused on content creation, design, or general office applications, the UD-4VPD docking station offers improved performance and versatility. Its 11-in-1 expansion capabilities include:

• HDMI 2.1: Enjoy stunning visual clarity with support for dual 4K displays at 120 Hz or a single 8K display at 60 Hz
• USB4: Powered by the latest chipsets and leveraging the full potential of the USB4 standard to enable 40 Gbps bandwidth on USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 systems while providing backward compatibility for previous generations of USB-C systems
• 2.5 Gbps Ethernet: Stay connected with lightning-fast wired network connectivity
• Combination Audio Port: Conveniently connect headsets or external speakers
• SD/MicroSD Card Reader: Easily access and transfer files from memory cards
• Four USB ports: Connect peripherals and devices, including one USB Type-C port with 20 W power delivery for charging tablets and smartphones
• Safe Host Charging: Keep laptops charged with 100 W USB-C Power Delivery, featuring safe power negotiation for laptops requiring less power

Next-Generation Connectivity
The UD-4VPD docking station utilizes the benefits of USB4 technology to offer high-speed data transfer rates of up to 40 Gbps. It is also fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 systems, providing seamless connectivity across a wide range of devices. Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C hosts are also supported, though in some cases with reduced display mode options. Plug-and-play connection through a single 1 m USB4 Type-C cable (included), the UD-4VPD simplifies setup and reduces cable clutter.



The docking station is designed for Windows 10 and newer. While the UD-4VPD can also be used with Macs, the macOS does not support MST so only one display can be extended.

Buy the Plugable USB4 Dual Monitor Docking Station with 4K 120 Hz HDMI, 100 W Charging: List Price: $199.95

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Nanochip]

Does it support VRR?

 

[LabRat 891]

Update: Wow. Fast AF US-based support. Already got a reply.

Hi,

Thank you for contacting us, I am happy to help!

We do not support variable refresh rate, most compatible computers will have mixed Intel and NVIDA or AMD graphics controllers which do not normally support variable refresh rate through USB Type-C. Newer graphics controllers may add this feature but it has not been tested with this docking station. For variable refresh rate I recommend connecting the displays directly to the computer native HDMI or DisplayPort output ports.

Regarding maximum resolution and refresh rate, this is highly dependent on the host computer supporting the latest DisplayPort 1.4 with HBR3 and DSC (High Bit Rate 3 and Display Stream Compression ) standards. Due to limitations in our website template the maximum resolution and refresh rate listed is not accurate at this time, we are working to resolve this issue.

This is our first docking station to officially support higher refresh rate displays, the article that you mentioned is in the process of being updated and should be live shortly providing additional details as to why we normally only support 60Hz.

Here is a more detailed description of the UD-4VPD's display support capabilities with regard to common 4K displays here ( https://kb.plugable.com/en_US/usb-c-docks/what-are-the-display-output-capabilities-for-the-ud-4vpd ). 8K displays are still very rare and while this docking station can support a single 8K 60Hz, display, or dual 8K 30Hz displays, most notebook computers will have poor display performance with dual 8K displays, even when limited to 30Hz refresh rate. It may take a couple of generations of notebook processors and graphics updates to take advantage of 8K resolution without suffering from performance problems.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, or if you would like to let me know your computer's manufacturer name and model I can check to see if the system manufacturer specifies the USB Type-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode version and specifications to ensure compatibility with this docking station.

Thank you,


Pat
Plugable Technologies

Does it support VRR?

There's no direct-disclosure; safe to assume no.
https://kb.plugable.com/en_US/usb-c-docks/what-are-the-display-output-capabilities-for-the-ud-4vpd

• We do not officially support high refresh rate displays above 60Hz. (higher refresh rates under 4K resolution may be selected but performance and stability above 60Hz is not guaranteed)
• We do not support HDR (High Dynamic Range) or adaptive sync/variable refresh rate (such as AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync technologies)

Only 4K 120hz, and no 8K Resolutions are listed; something is fishy about this Hub.
IMO, this looks like some off-the-shelf solution with a firmware hack to support 4k 120hz, that's it.

I contacted the company; reply added at beginning of post.

 

[Nanochip]

Update: Wow. Fast AF US-based support. Already got a reply.





There's no direct-disclosure; safe to assume no.
https://kb.plugable.com/en_US/usb-c-docks/what-are-the-display-output-capabilities-for-the-ud-4vpd


Only 4K 120hz, and no 8K Resolutions are listed; something is fishy about this Hub.
IMO, this looks like some off-the-shelf solution with a firmware hack to support 4k 120hz, that's it.

I contacted the company; reply added at beginning of post.

Thanks! Still an interesting looking dock. But claiming hdmi 2.1 support with no VRR support is confusing to say the least. But that’s the fault of the HDMI Forum not Plugable.

Edit: I take that back. This dock doesn’t seem all that different than existing solutions on the market. At least some others have additional downstream thunderbolt ports, and can support multiple independent displays on macOS. This is a yawn.

 

[trsttte]

Thanks! Still an interesting looking dock. But claiming hdmi 2.1 support with no VRR support is confusing to say the least. But that’s the fault of the HDMI Forum not Plugable.

From the response posted by LabRat I think they might have made things worse off for themselves by using HDMI as an output because they need to convert from the display port naturally supported by thunderbolt/usb4/usb-c. If they used Displayport there would problably be no issues whatsoever, USB-C DP alt mode and thunderbolt both can support freesync/gsync without problems but having the PCON to HDMI outputs in the middle screwed it for them.

 

[Nanochip]

From the response posted by LabRat I think they might have made things worse off for themselves by using HDMI as an output because they need to convert from the display port naturally supported by thunderbolt/usb4/usb-c. If they used Displayport there would problably be no issues whatsoever, USB-C DP alt mode and thunderbolt both can support freesync/gsync without problems but having the PCON to HDMI outputs in the middle screwed it for them.

Agreed.

 

[Minus Infinity]

What's the Ethenet port for? What would I be connecting?

 

[n-ster]

What's the Ethernet port for? What would I be connecting?

To your network... like for internet, network drives etc...

 

[randomUser]

Of course we want a single usable USB-C port in such a massive (and probably super expensive) docking station.
Like... productivity ends with a single port...

Normal working day here means (besides mouse and keyboard, thats 2 USB-A) there are 2 to 4 USB-A extra devices connected, 2 to 3 USB-C devices connected at the same time.
Nowadays pretty much all usb-c devices come with usb-c to usb-c cables. So you can only connect a single one to this dock, and if you want a second one, you have to go and buy a new USB-A -> USB-C cable.

 

[Minus Infinity]

To your network... like for internet, network drives etc...

I plug them into my router. This device has no wifi, so how does it connect to my network even if I plug say my NAS into it?

 

[trsttte]

I plug them into my router. This device has no wifi, so how does it connect to my network even if I plug say my NAS into it?

Hmm did you miss something? It's a docking station, to "dock" a computer since laptop having suficient ports stoped being a thing, the dock plug into you router, your laptop connects to the dock through USB-C