2 x TripleHead2Go = 6 x monitors or not ?

[Nick1150]

Hi,

A quick question...

I have a desktop with Nvidia 9600 GT (PCI, 1GB) with dual output.

Can I install two Digital TripleHead2Go ? Meaning one in each output of the card, and connect totally 6 monitors in one desktop ?

Has anyone tried this ?

Thanks

;)

[ran56]

I've asked this question the Matrox support few years back.

The setup is not officially supported by Matrox, it is technically possible to do if you follow GXM (http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/home.php) guidelines. As this configuration is not officially supported you will need to test this setup on your own.

Now depended on what you want to echive, I would go with two VGA cards
and connect T2G on each one.
If 3D displays in play, I would go on high end VGA.

[Nick1150]

Thanks :D

Below is the info given by Matrox in FAQ of TripleHead2Go site


Can I connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units in one system?
Although it may be physically possible to connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units on the same system, Matrox does not recommend doing so. The included Matrox PowerDesk software supports a configuration of one unit per system. Adding more than one unit per system has not been tested.


On the other hand I have seen in youtube videos with 2x TripleHead2Go units :roll:

I would say that if one is going to get a second video card, then there is no need to get 2 x TripleHead2Go units. You already have 4 from the first card (3+1) plus 2 from the second card, which makes 6 monitors in total.

I would be really curious to hear if someone here has tried such a configuration, that is 2 x TripleHead2Go with one video card.

[BHawthorne]

Thanks :D

I would be really curious to hear if someone here has tried such a configuration, that is 2 x TripleHead2Go with one video card.

Yes, a few have documented it in the WSGF forums. Keep in mind that you can not exceed the maximum pixel width of your video card. 7-series and older nVidia 4096 and 8-series and newer nVidia cards no wider than 8192 pixels. This means you can use XP span mode and actually span 2 TH2G but only in the case of it being no wider resolution than I mention above. All the examples I've seen of 2 TH2G have vertical spanned them as 2 stacked rows of 3 displays.

I have personal experience with something similar. I have run 2 DH2G and horizontal-spanned them in XP for a total of 7680x1200 resolution with 4 24" LCDs. This might make the most sense instead of 2 TH2G, because you're pushing right at the pixel width limits available in cards today and you're getting 4 1920x1200 screens vs. 6 1680x1050 screens (7860x1200 vs. 5040x2100). Really depends on if you want to go taller or wider which configuration to use. IMHO, DH2G route is wider view and cheaper to build.

Keep in mind that span modes only exist in XP. Either way that is pushing A LOT of pixels. Use only the fastest single GPU card available. My suggestion would be the GTX260, GTX275, GTX280 or GTX285 cards. (Dual GPU nVidia cards can not be spanned so a GTX295 can't be used)

Yes, 2 DH2G or 2 TH2G are possible display configurations for doing the outside views of your sim. From an expense and configuration standpoint 2 DH2G is better imho.

[BW901]

Yes it's certainly possible. A couple of years ago I was running 6 monitors off a single Nvidia 8800 card quite successfully - upper 3 monitors for the external view (and overhead as needed) and lower 3 for instruments. It's also possible to mix widescreen and standard monitors through a TH2GO when displaying instrument panels. I must confess I didn't think about the technicalities of it, just gave it a go and fortunately it worked !!

I've attached a few pictures of my old setup, running Flight1's ATR, PMDG 737 and Rick Piper's superb freeware HS748 - oh how I would love to have the building skill and the guts to build a 748 pit, rather than chickening out and going with a 737NG :cry:

Jon

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll145/360shed/Cockpit/HS748.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll145/360shed/Cockpit/Atr72.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll145/360shed/Cockpit/737-800.jpg

[Geremy Britton]

Thanks for the pictures Jon, also welcome to the forum if you have not yet introduced yourself. From the pictures it appears there is no image compromise which is what i was thinking as i was reading through this post.

I may try out a TH2GO and a DH2GO that would give me 5 monitors which is what i need.

One thing i was thinking though one of these outputs is the large projector for the visuals would this 'use up' pixels and therefore ruin the other 3/4 monitors plugged in for the instruments?

[Nick1150]

That's exactly what I was going to say....

I need 5 x monitors + 1 x projector. Would that be a problem for the 2 x TH2GO ?

You said, just gave it a go and fortunately it worked. Can you please explain that ? When you say you gave it a go, you mean you just connected both TH2GO to the two outputs of the video card and installed the software and it worked ?

Thanks in advance

[BW901]

Thanks for the thanks Geremy.

I'm not a techie so if someone more knowledgeable wants to correct me, jump in please!

My understanding is that when a TH2Go box is attached to a video output your PC will recognise it as a 3840x1024 monitor. Two TH2Gos will be seen as 2 separate 3840x1024 monitors with your desktop spread across the 6 monitors.

The 3840 will be split equally across the 3 outputs from the TH2Go (each output will be 1280x1024). How you use that 3840 x 1024 is entirely up to you, and running FS in windows mode it is possible to put your external view across just 1 of the 3 screens and fill the other 2 with instruments. I presume if you hook up a beamer to one of the 3 outputs, and monitors on the other 2 it would work, but without borrowing a projector from work I couldn't be 100% certain. I would caution that the more graphically intensive the image (or combination) you run across the TH2Go, the more your graphics card will be challenged and the bigger the hit on frame rates. I was mainly using my setup flying virtual turboprops around a virtual Caribbean, so no really intensive scenery and my system coped well. However flying in Europe, with big airports full of AI-traffic etc. would probably have been too much.

The other output(s) from your graphics card(s) will function normally.

I'm running 6 monitors on my current set-up but I've now ditched one TH2Go and have gone down the road of having 2 graphics cards so the TH2GO runs 3 monitors for external view and the other 3 monitors running instruments are fed from separate outputs on the 2 cards. I've also pushed any other miscellaneous programmes - eg Active Sky onto a second older computer to ease workload and I will probably put my spare TH2Go onto that machine and shift my EICAS displays etc to take even more workload off my main PC.

I'm toying with a projector for external view, but I wouldn't consider hooking it up to the TH2GO, I would run it from a dedicated output, and if I need extra monitor capacity switch instrument displays onto the TH2GO.

I guess to sum up in a nutshell, yes 6 monitors running through 2 TH2Gos does work. It was great for getting me up and running for a couple of years, but as my cockpit has grown in complexity it's started to have performance limitations and much as I hate to say it I have to agree that the arguement about using a network to spread load is the best if maybe not the cheapest solution.

Cheers
Jon

[BHawthorne]

3840x1024 (19" regulars) is the old TH2G maximum resolution, not the new one which is 5040x1050 (22" widescreens) maximum resolution.

TH2G analog = 3820x1024
TH2G Digital = 5040x1050 widescreen
TH2G DP = 5040x1050 widescreen

[Nick1150]

Thanks guys for the help.

So it is do able.

But is it a straight forward setup or I will find problems in the way of installing drivers etc... for the second TH2GO unit ?

[BHawthorne]

Technically, all the TH2G drivers do is install a custom LCD driver that registers those large resolutions. Most of the time though your video card can already detect the resolution. It just makes sure it can. Also, be mindful of what nVidia driver version you use. Lately, some driver versions have issues with custom resolutions. I can guarantee 182.50 will work just fine with DH2G Digital and TH2G Digital, however 185.85 is a problem driver version. Matrox's taskbar utility is called Powerdesk-SE. The current version of Powerdesk-SE will detect and work just fine with multiple Matrox boxes.

[Nick1150]

Thanks BHawthorne

I will give it a try ;)

[BW901]

Nick,

BHawthorne's reply is more relevant as he's talking about the newer digital versions, I've only used the old analog boxes. From my side no extra work was needed for the second TH2Go, I just attached it to the second output on my video card and it was detected straight away.

Good luck with your setup, meanwhile I better update my gear, my old abacus can't count up to 5040 ;)

Cheers
Jon

[Glenn Weston]

Hi guys,

some interesting info there on the TH2G, Thanks for all the info.

I am currently working on expanding my projection system from 1 to 3 projectors using the TH2G & just about to start purchasing the unit & extra projectors.

I have been thinking whilst working on the screens if a full 180 deg FOV or greater could be acheived using either 1 x TH2G & 1 x DH2G (5 x Projectors) with a dual head Video card or possibly 2 x TH2G (6 x Projectors) for even more FOV.

I would be spanning horizontally of coarse.

This would be better frame rate wise than us trying to get 180deg using 5 seperate outside windowed views as discussed in another thread about the maximum FOV using the TH2G.

Has anybody been able to test this at all.

Cheers Glenn.

[BHawthorne]

The 8192 pixel width might be your hardware limit as I mentioned in an earlier post. My guess is that DirectX will error out if you go wider than that. If you use 8-series or newer nVidia cards, you should be safe under that total width. You can do 6 720p projectors wide without overstepping 8192. That's a lot of projection. If you went with separate slave computers to run some projectors anything is possible.

[Glenn Weston]

OK So it should be good then......

I may aim for that eventually, Obviously cost is the main factor.... I've got the room, I just didn't know whether or not this is possible.

I am running my BenQ PB6200 at native 1024 x 768 & on a 9800GT so that times five or six should stay within the limits......I better get the first set of three projectors going first, get the boss impressed & then try & explain how another three projectors would be even better !!!!

Cheers Glenn.

[Nick1150]

Hi,

Yesterday I purchased from my local shop 2 x TH2GO units. The first one is already installed, and works like a charm ;) Easy setup, straight forward, no problems at all.

For the second I cannot yet confirm that it works, since I have to get two more monitors to test it.

I will come back with more news in a couple of days.

Thanks again

Nick

:cool:

[Nick1150]

Yeap... now I know the answer... 2 x TripleHead2Go EQUALS 6 x monitors indeed :D

I've been using this layout almost 3 months now without any problems :wink:


Sorry for the quality of the pics, but were taken with my mobile.

PS1. Matrox does not support twin TH2GO but I tried it and it worked
PS2. As you see the two below screen are for the instruments, the 2 in the middle are for the external view and the one above for the overhead and the radio stack and I use it for FS navigator also.

Hope you like it. I know it is not such a big project, but it is my little project :cool:

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2191&d=1249899389

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2192&d=1249899389

:cool:

[GSalden]

Yeap... now I know the answer... 2 x TripleHead2Go EQUALS 6 x monitors indeed :D

I've been using this layout almost 3 months now without any problems :wink:



http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2191&d=1249899389

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2192&d=1249899389

:cool:


Have you tried to run it as one wide outside view ?

A friend of mine uses XP64 with 2 DualHead2Go boxes and 4 outside view monitors.
It works great, but has some downsides :
- 0.3 zoom is still not small enough
- The pc is brought to it's knees ( FSX ) , even when it is a high end pc

[Glenn Weston]

That answers my question then, I was thinking 6 screens for outside views but it doesn't sound like a very good idea.

Out of interest what resolution is he running the 4 outside views at ?

Cheers Glenn.

[zsy726]

I set up 5040x2100 60hz with 2 MV103-HDVE PRO in XP system.
I use Nvidia tools with span mode (vertical span).user can play video or game.

video card GTS250 with two dual link DVI.
six monitor are Samsung 2243.

here are some picture

http://mviewtech.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

[GSalden]

His resolution : 5140x1024
I just asked him. He is using four 19" ( 3:4 ) lcd screens.

[Jarod]

Always nice with some great views!!

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/album.php?albumid=96

Also take a look in the "How far can I go with 1 PC and 6 screens ?" thread..

More info about the technology and the card here. NB! Google translated page:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.pcpop.com/doc/0/458/458240.shtml&rurl=translate.google.com