Capture
ScreenCaptureKit captures the sender desktop or virtual extended display.
Technical explainer
What TargetBridge is doing under the hood.
TargetBridge is not native Target Display Mode. It captures a Mac desktop, encodes it, transports it to another Mac and presents it there as a low-latency software display workflow.
Pipeline
Capture → encode → transport → receive
This page explains the pipeline in plain language before readers dive into the source tree or implementation notes.
Encode
VideoToolbox handles the H.264 / HEVC encode path based on capability.
Transport
Thunderbolt Bridge is the primary low-latency lane, with Network Link available as an experimental addon.
Receive
The receiver app decodes, presents the stream and can join Dockstation roles such as audio or input relay.
Why it is not TDM
Target Display Mode was firmware-era display input.
Native Target Display Mode was an Apple-provided hardware and firmware behavior. The TargetBridge approach is a modern software bridge that streams a desktop from one Mac to another over a network path, usually Thunderbolt Bridge.
Why the distinction matters
Clear messaging reduces wrong expectations.
When users hear "use my iMac as a monitor", some expect a zero-software cable passthrough. This page prevents that confusion while still showing why the project is useful.
Deep docs
Read the docs when you want the implementation details.
Once the concept is clear, the GitHub docs cover builds, automation, addons and the rest of the deeper technical workflow.