ParsecVDA - Always Connected

Connects a Virtual Display to your PC
and allows for a headless operation -
no need for Dummy Plugs anymore!

ℹ About

This project is based on the "parsec-vdd" project from nomi-san. It adds a Virtual Display to your system by using the Parsec VDD Driver, without relying on the Parsec app.

With the newest release this application runs as a service in the background by using the Windows Service Wrapper winsw. The Virtual Display will stay connected until the next shutdown or restart even when disconnecting through remote apps like Parsec, which is an important feature of this project.

The latest update also allows the program to correctly handle sleep and hibernation events. Modern Standby is also supported.

With this application it is possible to run a PC completely headless without relying on Dummy Plugs.

Furthermore this program can be used in the Hyper-V environment in combination with GPU-Paravirtualization (see GPU-PV) where it is not possible to disconnect the Hyper-V-Monitor which leads to Parsec not automatically falling back to its Virtual Display. This program adds a Virtual Display nonetheless.

The Virtual Display Driver (VDD) is required to enable virtual displays on a Windows host. Virtual displays is a feature available for Teams and Warp customers that lets you add up to 3 additional virtual displays to the host while connecting to a machine you own through Parsec.

Parsec VDD is a perfect software driver developed by Parsec. It utilizes the IddCx API (Indirect Display Driver) to create virtual displays on Windows 10+. This virtual display is particularly useful in situations where a physical monitor may not be available or when additional screens are desired.

One of the notable features of Parsec VDD is its support for a wide range of resolutions and refresh rates, including up to 4K and 240 Hz. This makes it well-suited for gaming, as it can provide a high-quality visual experience. It enables users to simulate the presence of additional screens or work without a physical monitor, enhancing flexibility and customization in display management.

Steps to get it running:

1. Download the latest release and follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard.

That's all you have to do! A Virtual Display should be added to your system!

Notes:

• If you receive a Windows Defender Smartscreen prompt when executing the setup, click on "More info" and then on "Run anyway".
• You will hear a connect/disconnect sound at startup/shutdown and at sleep/hibernation events because the Virtual Display is added/removed at every start/shutdown or sleep/hibernation event.
• If you're using this program together with Parsec, you have to make sure that "Fallback to Virtual Display" in the Parsec App settings under Host is set to off.
• The program also creates a basic logfile in its working directory.
• If you used the application before version 1.2.0, please uninstall it before installing the new version.

Stopping the service:

If you want to stop the service, are encountering problems or if you want to remove the screen, type "Services" in the Windows search bar and open the application with the same name. Look for the service "ParsecVDA - Always Connected". After clicking on it options for stopping or restarting the service are in the left upper corner.

😥 Known Limitations

This list shows the known limitations of Parsec VDD.

1. HDR support

Parsec VDD does not support HDR on its displays (see the EDID below). Theoretically, you can unlock support by editing the EDID, then adding HDR metadata and setting 10-bit+ color depth. Unfortunately, you cannot flash its firmware like a physical device, or modify the registry value.

All IDDs have their own fixed EDID block inside the driver binary to initialize the monitor specs. So the solution is to modify this block in the driver DLL (mm.dll), then reinstall it with nefconw CLI (see Readme instructions in the project "parsec-vdd" from nomi-san).

2. Custom resolutions

Before connecting, the virtual display looks in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Parsec\vdd registry for additional preset resolutions. Currently this supports a maximum of 5 values.

SOFTWARE\Parsec\vdd
  key: 0 -> 5 | (width, height, hz)

To unlock this limit, you need to patch the driver DLL the same way as above, but 5 is enough for personal use.

😑 Known Bugs

This is a list of known issues when working with standalone Parsec VDD.

1. Incompatible with Parsec Privacy Mode

If you have enabled "Privacy Mode" in Parsec Host settings, please disable it and clear the connected display configruations in the following Registry path.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Connectivity

This option causes your main display to turn off when virtual displays are added, making it difficult to turn the display on and disrupting the remote desktop session.

🤔 Comparison with other IDDs

The table below shows a comparison with other popular Indirect Display Driver projects.

✅ - full support, 🆗 - limited support

Signed means that the driver files have a valid digital signature. H-Cursor means hardware cursor support, without it you will get double cursor on some remote desktop apps. Tweakable is the ability to customize display modes. Visit MSDN IddCx versions to check the minimum supported Windows version.

📘 Parsec VDD Specs

Preset display modes

All of the following display modes are set by driver default.

Notes:

• Low GPUs, e.g GTX 1650 will not support the highest DCI 4K.
• All resolutions are compatible with 60 Hz refresh rates.

Adapter info

• Name: Parsec Virtual Display Adapter
• Hardware ID: Root\Parsec\VDA
• Adapter GUID: {00b41627-04c4-429e-a26e-0265cf50c8fa}
• Class GUID: {4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}

Monitor info

• ID: PSCCDD0
• Name: ParsecVDA
• EDID:

00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00  42 63 D0 CD ED 5F 84 00
11 1E 01 04 A5 35 1E 78  3B 57 E0 A5 54 4F 9D 26
12 50 54 27 CF 00 71 4F  81 80 81 40 81 C0 81 00
95 00 B3 00 01 01 86 6F  80 A0 70 38 40 40 30 20
35 00 E0 0E 11 00 00 1A  00 00 00 FD 00 30 A5 C1
C1 29 01 0A 20 20 20 20  20 20 00 00 00 FC 00 50
61 72 73 65 63 56 44 41  0A 20 20 20 00 00 00 10
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 01 C6
02 03 10 00 4B 90 05 04  03 02 01 11 12 13 14 1F
8A 4D 80 A0 70 38 2C 40  30 20 35 00 E0 0E 11 00
00 1A FE 5B 80 A0 70 38  35 40 30 20 35 00 E0 0E
11 00 00 1A FC 7E 80 88  70 38 12 40 18 20 35 00
E0 0E 11 00 00 1E A4 9C  80 A0 70 38 59 40 30 20
35 00 E0 0E 11 00 00 1A  02 3A 80 18 71 38 2D 40
58 2C 45 00 E0 0E 11 00  00 1E 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 A6

Visit http://www.edidreader.com/ to view it online or use an advanced tool AW EDID Editor