Dual monitor visualizations?

[Mr Bob]

I have a 6600GT card and want to know if there are any dual monitor visualizations that I can get?

I am only able to put windows media player in full screen on ONE monitor, are there any programs that can do this stuff on two monitors?

 

[Peter]

Not with this card. Reason: It has only one so-called overlay surface, which can't span monitors. Thus, 3D rendering and media replay are limited to one screen.

Other NVidia cards are no different, neither are ATI's.

 

[Mr Bob]

What do you mean can't span monitors? This card has support for two monitors.

"Thus, 3D rendering and media replay are limited to one screen."
- Actually they are done on both screens....

 

[Peter]

Please read carefully what I said above. One media overlay window only, located on either screen.

 

[Mr Bob]

Then I don't understand what you mean, can you explain a bit?

 

[Mr Bob]

bump

 

[Peter]

I explained already. Video replay goes into a special buffer, the overlay, which is then merged into the main output of ONE monitor. Graphics engines that have only one overlay buffer (like the NVidia you're using) cannot replay more than one such content at any given time, and also cannot output content from their one overlay buffer onto more than one monitor.

 

[Mr Bob]

If I didn'tunderstand what you said above, what makes you think I am going to understand your explanation with buffers and overlays?

If anyone else can help explain, that would be great.

 

[rbV5]

Pick horizontal span mode in nView and span WMP across both monitors.

should be able to use some kind of Clone mode as well?

 

[Mr Bob]

So I should download and install http://www.nvidia.com/object/feature_nview.html ?

 

[rbV5]

Nview is included with the Forceware drivers, its been a while since I used a Nvidia card, but I recall the documentation shows how to enable nview multi-monitor support including span modes. Should be easy.

I did a test since I don't usually use span mode because my multi-displays are size/type mis-matched. I was able to span across both monitors and WMP visualizations and video media display in both monitors with Catalyst drivers, Forceware should be the same with your Nvidia card.

Forceware and Catalyst drivers most definately support span modes, and media playback can definately playback spanned across both monitors, or seperately on either monitor, or simultaneously on both in clone mode.

 

[Peter]

That is only true for media players that render to the primary display surface, not the media overlay like they're supposed to. The drawback is that the former can't use the graphics engine's deinterlacers, scalers and filters - hence, CPU load is massively higher.

 

[ZobarStyl]

You can't really run two seperate instances of a program (such as WMP viz on one and a full screen game on the other) however you can have one thing span bother monitors, should it support that. I know that Tripex (a WinAmp Viz plugin) cannot span both my monitors but Doom3 and UT can be spanned across both (with Doom3 you have to modify the FOV accordingly). So the answer is, maybe, if you find some different software. From what I've seen, only games typically do well spanning whereas viz programs tend not to.

 

[rbV5]

He was mentioning specifically WMP visualizations for both displays, which is definately possible, and supported with his card.

However, the overlay is not the "way they're supposed to" display media, it is "one" way to display media. Windows supports video playback using several methods, overlay being but one method. VMR rendering is now the "prefered" method and replaces the video renderer and Overlay Mixer methods in most cases (VPE's are an exception) DX7 introduced VMR7 which uses direct draw (like the overlay), and VMR9 uses D3D.

I'm not sure I understand your comment "The drawback is that the former can't use the graphics engine's deinterlacers, scalers and filters - hence, CPU load is massively higher." what are you refering to as "the former"? maybe you could elaborate?

 

[rbV5]

You can't really run two seperate instances of a program (such as WMP viz on one and a full screen game on the other)

Of course you can. Here is a shot I just took Doom + MPC It shows Doom3 playing full screen at 1024x768 in monitor#1, and MPC playing a DVR-MS recording in MPC full screen in monitor #2 at 1280x1024.

Rig in the sig, both monitors connected to X800XL Catalyst drivers, Surround View disabled

 

[rbV5]

Here's another shot with Doom3 on #1 and WMP visualizations on #2 Doom3 + WMP visualization

WMP goes to #1 full screen, so it is in a window on #2 however.

 

[Mr Bob]

Great stuff. It seems like it is only possible with games and then an instance of WMP. rbV5, can you confirm that there is no way to get dual WMP screens playing, one on each screen?

 

[xtknight]

Limitation of WMP, not your hardware. For some reason a lot of Microsoft's products won't run in multiple instances, mostly just to piss you off. I'll see if I can get multiple instances of it to start somehow.

 

[xtknight]

Never mind. I originally just misread your post.

All you need to do is WMP fullscreen then clone I think.

 

[Mr Bob]

how do I do "clone" after it is in fullscreen?

 

[rbV5]

rbV5, can you confirm that there is no way to get dual WMP screens playing,

Sorry, I cannot confirm that. (WMP visualization Clone mode) I was listening to a little blues instrumental I recorded awhile back Link

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: Mr Bob
how do I do "clone" after it is in fullscreen?

Clone the display prior.

 

[Mr Bob]

Thanks rbV5, but how is that done? I took at look through the display settings and couldn't find anything about "clone" same with WMP.

 

[rbV5]

You'll have to check the nview documentation to get the details, but it looks like The Display Configuration control panel makes it easy to switch the display modes, and I see both clone and Horizontal span modes on that screenshot.

 

[Mr Bob]

For some reason I don't have nView installed. Maybe it isn't for the 6600gt?