Quad output video

ddrueding

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What I want is a triple-head GPU from ATI or nVidia. I can only seem to get video overlay acceleration to one card or the other, and I would like all 3 screens to support it.
 

Chewy509

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My first reaction is: Matrox is still in business?

Yep, very big in medical imaging due to solid 10bit per channel colour support, and in the financial industry due to the solid multi-monitor support.

nVidia only introduced 10bit per channel colour with the G80's, and AMD I believe only 2 generations ago as well, and both multi-monitor support is crap above 2 displays.

They're a niche player, but very strong in those niche's which they do support.
 

Bozo

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In the article they mention you could get 4 monitors on the dual output card with splitter cables. On the 'Plus' cards.
On the lower priced cards, I wonder if the color rendition (correctness?) is any better than your standard ATI or NVidia cards.

Bozo :joker:
 

Stereodude

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In the article they mention you could get 4 monitors on the dual output card with splitter cables. On the 'Plus' cards.
Yes, but only via analog. Whoopteedoo! :p

Only the most expensive one can drive 4 displays via digital.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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The couple people I know who do any kind of digital content production both still use large Sony CRTs in preference to LCDs for their main display.

Although that might have more to do with not wanting to move a 90lb. monitor than any issue related to the quality of any particular LCD.
 

Stereodude

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The couple people I know who do any kind of digital content production both still use large Sony CRTs in preference to LCDs for their main display.

Although that might have more to do with not wanting to move a 90lb. monitor than any issue related to the quality of any particular LCD.
You might be able to fit 4 LCDs on a desk. I'm not sure about 4 behemoth 100lb CRTs though.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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I'm sort of contemplating two 40" panels on my gaming PC. They will just fit across the desk space of my loft, though I'll have to attach them to the wall.

The 27" monitor I have right now isn't really very good for watching from in bed or Wii Fit-ing.
 

DrunkenBastard

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Interesting timing. Designing a new 24*7 ops center and will prob go with the Dell 27" 1920*1200 screens, two each per operator. And then a wall of 50" flat panels on the wall a further distance away. Need as many digital outputs as can be crammed into a few workstations.
 

sechs

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The couple people I know who do any kind of digital content production both still use large Sony CRTs in preference to LCDs for their main display.

Although that might have more to do with not wanting to move a 90lb. monitor than any issue related to the quality of any particular LCD.

CRTs have better colour rendition. It's difficult to even tune an LCD.
 

udaman

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CRTs have better colour rendition. It's difficult to even tune an LCD.

Not true, you're repeating standard SF ignorance, behind the times in years. There have been capable LED backlit screens in smaller sizes for a number of years, they just cost a lot. But that's relative (cost) to pros also, I think I still have that late 1990's Macworld issue I posted the ads from about $2k SCSI drives, should have been a few advertising professional CRT monitors from the now defunct Radius company, all of those sold for $1.6k or more IIRC, packaged w/calibration software $2k+.

See my post in this thread for larger, accurate, calibration Dreamworks co developed LCD from HP...would be substantially beyond the capability of the old Sony CRT's Merc is referring to.

http://www.storageforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6997

Maltrox had long been in the lead for multi-monitor support for pro apps, everyone here is now wanting low cost versions for personal or budget minded business uses. Matrox boards have been used in the video production field for many years where they are well known...just SF readers are unaware, just like SR members.



Would love to go with 30" 2560*1200 but the pixel pitch will be too small for the older operators without 20/20 vision.

Not true, repeating another myth/misconception/inaccuracy; would only apply to very high pixel densities and people with vision impairment worse than 20/40 or even 20/70 such that they have to take a driving test to prove they can safely operate a motor vehicle (not so say that far more people with 20/20 don't cause the majority of accidents due to their regular daily horridly unsafe driving behaviors).

http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2006/02/13/high-end-large-scale-pc-lcd-futures-unfold
^^^article makes some good points, but is now over 2yrs old.

The couple people I know who do any kind of digital content production both still use large Sony CRTs in preference to LCDs for their main display.

Although that might have more to do with not wanting to move a 90lb. monitor than any issue related to the quality of any particular LCD.

More 'old school' behind the times, low budget content people.

http://www.storageforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7112

see this thread^^^ for examples going back 6yrs! Depends on what kind of digital content you are dealing with. Color finishing for a major studio movie release, you're not going to use an Apple notebook for that... currently, but for other types of digital editing needs they work just fine...for real pros ;).
 

Santilli

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If anybody wants it, I've got one of the Matrox cables, but, IIRC, it's DVI to dual analog, and that was part of this article, as well.

The Matrox 750 and 650, with a 100 dollar software upgrade, and that cable, would support 3 screens. Didn't work real well, since putting monitors side by side gives a bit of electrical field problems.
 

sechs

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See my post in this thread for larger, accurate, calibration Dreamworks co developed LCD from HP...would be substantially beyond the capability of the old Sony CRT's Merc is referring to.
Obviously, I made the mistake of actually reading your response. More of the "udaman can't read, but loves to see his own typing."

I can reasonably tune a computer CRT by eye with a free utility. Can't do that with an LCD. Game over.
 

Santilli

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It took a lot longer, but, my 21" Hitachi just died, and, I'm pretty sure it was from being so close to the other monitor. There is a warning, and, I ignored it...I WAS WRONG!
 

DrunkenBastard

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uda: The pixel pitch of the 27" 1920*1200 is considerably larger than the 30" 2560*1600 screen.

We are talking 0.303 vs 0.25mm

Just about to order ten 52" Aquos displays for the vid wall, amazing how low the price has dropped in the last few years.
 

MaxBurn

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uda: The pixel pitch of the 27" 1920*1200 is considerably larger than the 30" 2560*1600 screen.

We are talking 0.303 vs 0.25mm

Just about to order ten 52" Aquos displays for the vid wall, amazing how low the price has dropped in the last few years.


So that's nine monitors arranged in a square for a big 153" screen plus one for the break room right?

I'm thinking about getting on of the 40 something aquos's but the whole HDDVD/bluecrap war took most of my home theater interest and flushed it.

Still I eventually want something bigger for the computer, haven't talked myself into it yet.
 

Mercutio

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Here's a nice idea:
Get a big LCD. I prefer 1080p but it's easier to see 720p if you're 10 feet away.
Hook it to a computer in your living room.
Optionally, add a receiver.
Optionally, add an HD drive of some sort.
Buy a Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard for Playstation, and a USB Bluetooth adapter.
Optionally, add a Logitech Harmony remote.

Learn the joy of bittorrent for most of your movie watching needs.

What you end up with is a basically brain dead video on demand home theater setup. You can enjoy legal content from Hulu, iTunes or Netflix, less-legal content from Veoh or alluc.org, along with whatever you can snag from your torrent site of choice, and whatever disc formats your drive happens to support.

Spiffy, no?
 

ddrueding

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Here's a nice idea:
Get a big LCD. I prefer 1080p but it's easier to see 720p if you're 10 feet away.
Hook it to a computer in your living room.
Optionally, add a receiver.
Optionally, add an HD drive of some sort.
Buy a Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard for Playstation, and a USB Bluetooth adapter.
Optionally, add a Logitech Harmony remote.

Learn the joy of bittorrent for most of your movie watching needs.

What you end up with is a basically brain dead video on demand home theater setup. You can enjoy legal content from Hulu, iTunes or Netflix, less-legal content from Veoh or alluc.org, along with whatever you can snag from your torrent site of choice, and whatever disc formats your drive happens to support.

Spiffy, no?

Seconded. Though with the lower resolution of stuff viewed over the web (Netflix, etc), I would suggest a projector instead; it is lower resolution, but it is still better than the online stuff.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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1080p Projectors have become surprisingly affordable. I've seen $2000 1080p projectors and sub-$1000 720p models.
 

DrunkenBastard

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So that's nine monitors arranged in a square for a big 153" screen plus one for the break room right?

I'm thinking about getting on of the 40 something aquos's but the whole HDDVD/bluecrap war took most of my home theater interest and flushed it.

Still I eventually want something bigger for the computer, haven't talked myself into it yet.

9 for the break room, one for the ops monitoring ;)

Actually it's a 5*2 array, not sure if we are going to go with a matrix controller for the setup or just run it with a couple of workstations. Was looking at projectors but in a 24*7 environment the bulb cost can be a significant expense. I'm sure in a couple of years the array will be replaced with a couple of 4K projectors but this will do for now.
 
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