9
2
I'm using the following splitter here:
I've got two monitors connected. I have my desktop extending to them but, it shows the same 'extension'. Is is possible to have the two screens be different instead of the same?
Freesnöw
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 836
39
--UPDATE oct/17 Display port has become very popular within the last 12 months and most motherboards with an Intel Graphics can support up to 4 HD displays using Daisy Chaining (monitors require this feature) But if your monitor does NOT support daisy chaining there are devices that will give you 4 seperate outputs called MST Hubs.
--UPDATE nov/12
Revealed at CES 2012 MSI developed a thunderbolt external GPU called GUS-II. Mostly Macintosh users will benefit from this at the time, but Intel MB should be shipping this interface soon.
Piotr Kula
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 3 538
3WOW. Pumpkin pulled out ALL The stops on this answer. HoF right there baby. – OG Chuck Low – 2011-12-16T16:17:06.980
6Awesome answer. I'd just add that my nvidia has a VGA and a dvi socket and sees them as separate. OP may need a DVI->VGA adaptor – Wudang – 2011-12-16T17:24:50.333
1The difference between the splitter in the question and the splitter above is that the first is a "duplicator" not a splitter because that's all a single VGA connector can do: show one screen's worth of info, and the second is a splitter run off either a proprietary connector or a DMS-59 (which usually only handles 2 screens in one connector) connector. – music2myear – 2011-12-16T17:26:28.427
@music2myear since a normal DVI digital plug consists of two link channels each equivalent to an HDMI1.3 (or earlier) video connection, I'd think it'd be possible to run 4 monitors at up to 1920x1200 off a DMS-59 if the card itself supported the configuration. – Dan is Fiddling by Firelight – 2011-12-16T18:23:32.337
The 4-to-1 connector pictured above is not a splitter in the sense that most people are used to. That card looks to be an older generator Matrox, and I forget the exact connector but the newer ones use a KX-20 connector. That is NOT DVI (nor DMS-59) on the right side. – Shinrai – 2011-12-16T18:25:37.400
And yeah, +1 for a good answer. I was too lazy to add pictures! <3 – Shinrai – 2011-12-16T18:26:38.740
It's possible, I've only used (seen) 2 connectors off of a DMS-59. – music2myear – 2011-12-16T18:29:04.637
What, no listing for a single card with 6 outputs? ;-) Still gets my +1!
– afrazier – 2011-12-16T19:17:43.7572Most ATI cards can support 3 monitors with a single card. And as @afrazier pointed out there are 6 monitor versions. – Jeff Atwood – 2011-12-16T19:44:59.967
If Displayport hubs are available now the most recent generation of ATI cards has models capable of connecting as many as 8 monitors. (The hubs weren't available when the cards launched.) – Dan is Fiddling by Firelight – 2011-12-16T19:53:08.570
That last image is hench :) – Jonathan. – 2011-12-16T22:27:16.173
10
No, that splitter will always show the same image on both monitors. What you need is a video card with dual outputs (which is pretty much standard these days).
You may have seen a similar-looking splitter on other machines, but that is because either they are using a video card with a DVI port that supports dual monitors, or the card has a proprietary connector which requires the dongle. The splitter in your picture is just a standard VGA signal splitter.
Brian
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 1 009
5
No, not with a splitter like this - it's just sending the same signal out twice.
Ideally, you'd use two separate video outputs for this - that is, a video card with two independent outputs (or, worst case, a USB video adapter). There are some products, like the Matrox DualHead2Go, which will fool the system into thinking you have one very large monitor connected and then split the signal down the middle.
Shinrai
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 18 051
4
Short answer: No.
This is only capable of sending the same analog signal to both screens.
Jamiro14
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 161
3
Nope, not with a splitter. You are stuck with a mirror as the PC/video card sees both monitors as one.
Supercereal
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 8 643
2
I'm going to go against everyone else and say YES! (Theoretically)
I say theoretically because I know it can be done I just don't know of any software that will allow you to do it. And caveats apply.
First you need to emulate two screens in your OS. Trick it into thinking there really are two screens.
After that's working you need colour shift the output of these emulated screens and combine them. For example, make the left screen output only blue and the right so it's only red and green.
This combined output will be sent to both monitors through the splitter. You can then modify your monitor settings so that the left monitor doesn't display any red or green and the right doesn't display any blue.
This solution will work if you are not doing colour sensitive work and need to use the splitter that you asked about.
AnnanFay
Posted 2011-12-16T15:31:52.033
Reputation: 626
2Clever, if impractical. :) – Nathan Long – 2011-12-16T18:59:13.003
OK I gots MAD issues with this answer LOL... Issue 1) "first you need to emulate two screens in your OS. Trick it into thinking there are really two screens"... um... yeah... and HOW exactly would one go about this? – OG Chuck Low – 2011-12-16T20:13:04.880
If you can actually explain the HOW's of any of this crazy stuff I will happily de-neg ya. – OG Chuck Low – 2011-12-16T20:13:58.247
1@Annan, +1 What an amazing idea. I'm a software designer so I may be able to cook up a quick application to do this! It will take some work but I think it is definitively possible! If I get it to work, you will be the answer :D – Freesnöw – 2011-12-16T20:41:33.193
1@OGChuckLow The original question was OS agnostic. Multiple X screens can be easily added in Linux by editing the xorg.conf file. The X screens will be there though the output won't be sent anywhere until you specify where to send it. So that's your answer! ;) Though I don't know enough about Xorg to know how to do the combining nor colour processing. – AnnanFay – 2011-12-16T20:56:25.683
@DalexL I wish you luck! :) – AnnanFay – 2011-12-16T20:58:06.397
1Damn... I have to owe you a rep then cuz it's locked neg in :( But you explained. On a side note... I respect and admire the creativity of your answer but still feel it's kinda... well... awful. Who needs 2 screens but doesn't care AT ALL about the color? LOL. Aside from that, Very creative and I may have just learned something :) – OG Chuck Low – 2011-12-16T21:34:40.143
4The problem is that the computer only "sees" one output for display, so it pushes one image out that pipe. The fact that you later split it and send it two places doesn't change that. You need the computer to "know" to send multiple images. – Nathan Long – 2011-12-16T19:00:19.930