Hi /diy. this is my first post and i have one simple question : Would it be possible to get (let's say) 4 pc screen; and to assemble them into a bigger screen.
The problem is the multiple controller cards; and how to wire it. I don't want to buy multiple pc monitors, and i can get screens like pic related for nothing.
Any idea is welcome!
>>915858
you would need a controller like the commercial systems use to be able to split the signal 4 ways to display on 4 monitors
>>915954
what? No you don't. NVidia and ATI both do it.
http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/eyefinity#
AMD pushes it more/
Windows has done this since windows 95 for normal applications.
If you can get old laptop screens for cheap or free, you can buy controller cards for them from eBay (assuming it isn't some rare type of screen).
I did this for a laptop screen and the controller board was only AU$20 inc. shipping. It had a VGA input and HDMI input on it, and some buttons to control the screen menus (brightness etc).
This way of doing it would mean one output on a video card = one screen.
If you could get a single controller board for multiple monitors that would be pretty cool, but probably more expensive.
This way of doing it would mean that one output on a video card = multiple screens.
Keep in mind that the screens may look like crap if they aren't very closely related - the colours may be a bit off, or the brightness might not be able to be matched etc.
>>916074
Forgot to add:
To find the eBay screen controller, look at the screen you have and do a search on a model number or brand, along with the display size - 15", 17" etc.
>>915963
>>915954
To do it for extremely cheap, get a Quadro card, and use the bundled drivers. Done.
The card presents Windows with what looks like one large monitor, and does all the mojo itself. This means you can use it as one big monitor, without having apps maximise to a quarter of the screen.
Alternatively, there's really nothing wrong with telling Windows it has four monitors that're arranged in a box, save that if you want to fullscreen something, it needs to do the "backbuffer into maximised window" thing that all modern games do, and you need to manually span the window across the four monitors.
Windows itself has no hassle whatsoever running multiple monitors - used to run a 4x4 in NT - where it goes wrong (usually..), is video overlay (ie, fullscreen video spanning every monitor). All of those mentioned so far as cheap-n-easy solutions (Quadro, yfinity) 'claim to' support video overlay - your mileage may vary, especially in a 2x2, from maximising to only one screen, to not working in general.
As said tho, thats all only if you want fullscreen video across multiple screens (which, lets face it, you do) - normal PC use, etc. is no bother otherwise.
Find a prog called ultrramon (if its still being made) - has various multi-monitor adjustments, invaluable prog - can also ebay an old matrox 4-head card for cheap, need a PCI slot tho, and make sure you get the cable with it.
You get video running?, you may need to adjust for the bezel (monitor edges) - just set these so the picture would be where the gap is, brain fills in the rest. As said, PC+any multihead card, your fine, just, fullscreen video is problematic, srs. And I have no idea why, I have 20+ year old cards where video overlay over multiple monitors works flawlessly, its maybe a patent thing or something, I dunno.
Oh and, dont bother even trying to mix videocards and makers and slots in attempt to get more outputs. Eg, Nvidia in AGP, Matrox/AMD in PCI? - forget it. Multiple monitor setup will only work if all cards are using same driver, ie, same make, and designed to do this.
>>916119
Nothing does overlay anymore anyway.
Nowadays (i.e. Windows 2000 and later) it's DirectShow outputting to Direct3D.
This has the advantage over overlay that it's the exact same path the regular desktop and applications use, so it just works.
>>916119
>>916119
>Oh and, dont bother even trying to mix videocards and makers and slots in attempt to get more outputs. Eg, Nvidia in AGP, Matrox/AMD in PCI? - forget it. Multiple monitor setup will only work if all cards are using same driver, ie, same make, and designed to do this.
This is absolute rubbish.
The whole point of video drivers is to make this work, and guess what? They do.
My old desktop ran the exact configuration you said could never ever ever possibly work: Main head Nvidia, second head a Matrox Mystique PCI that was bought new circa 1997 and still kicking around in my loft.
Everything worked fine.
Everything.
You could even leave videos dangling across the gap between the two monitors.
>>916133
..and that (DirectNoShow) is exacty what I am trying to tell you probably *wont* work in a 2x2, and fucking 10 times not in a 4x4 setup or something - have you ever tried?!
And for a technology that hasn't been used for the last 15 years (..) video overly seems to be a regularly-advertised feature of some, lets say, slightly newer multihead cards, f' some odd reason. Except, it doesnt usually work as advertised either.
Not having a go, but fullscreen video, is fullscreen video, is video overlay - DirectShow, once you get beyond 2 monitors (and even then) is a crock-o-shoit, which is exactly why Im going on about 25 year old systems that actually did fucking work, but, ner'mind.
As said, all just if you want video, otherwise, no hassle. And if you get perfect multi-monitor video from DirectShow, I bow down to you, and congratulate you on your luck. Because, no one else ever did..
>>916134
- yeah, it will work mixing two cards on two monitors, but it wont work, showing fullscreen over 4, as requested, etc.
If you wish to post me a photo of *your own* multi-monitor (4+ monitors) setup running fullscreen video (?), I'd be most interested, as they say. And admit, I was entirely wrong ;)
>>916138
All you do is slap a quad anywhere on the desktop, render into it, and Bob's your proverbial. Video isn't rocket surgery, and DirectX has had it pretty-much solved since 7.
I'm not even sure where you're going with this? Are you trying to convince me that my PC didn't work?
The enterprise cards boast about overlay support, because enterprise customers with applications written for Windows 95 need it.
Everyone else just gets a regular video surface (which, thanks to WDM, works even if the surface is on a different card to the video), and makes it the full size of the screen.
>4 pc screen; and to assemble them into a bigger screen
you'll need to get a special box(s) to do that
Thanks for the many answers
I'll see about the matrox card+software and about Eyefinity; since I want to use it as a computer screen
Oh and I'll try to mix videocard "at worst"
>>916154
I wonder if the sheer size of that setup would make up for the black lines
>>917148
(dedicated) videowall controllers (as pictured) have usually got an overscan adjustment - basically, you adjust the picture to be slightly bigger than the individual monitor, so that the bezels (rim of the screens) are 'covering' the bits you cant see.
Basically, like a window frame effect. Sounds stupid, but, the brain actually does compensate and fills in the missing information - if you dont do this, it really does look stupid, even if you were using it as a PC or whatever - you then have visual 'mouse jumps' every time you cross a bezel. Ideal is, use monitors wih thinnest bezels you can find, or go projectors/fresnels, where you can fill the whole screen.
>>917240
AMD and NVidia cards also do this...
>>917249
..which is why I was mentioning it.. in the absence of scaling adjustments on the monitors themselves, either, the vc driver may have usable adjustments, if not, try a 3rd party prog like ultramon, which allows fucking with near every setting, ocassionaly with 'interesting' results - not every card supported tho.
I'd Ebay the screens then buy monitors with the money. Never forget that very useful conversion option! It's not hardware hacky, but it does work nicely!
>>915858
Just buy a 4k display, there's no reason to try and cobble together 4 displays since you'll still have a line between them
