Dual Monitor Video Playback

[Joerg]

I have 2 17" lcds and a geforce 4 ti4200 and i would love to play a video widescreen accross both monitors but it always cuts it off and puts the video on just one monitor. Is there a way to fix this?

 

[Peter]

The usual graphics card has only one so-called hardware overlay, which, as it happens, cannot span displays.

If you put your viewer software into a software-rendered mode, it'll do what you want - at the expense of much higher CPU load and bus traffic.

 

[Joerg]

Thanks peter that about what i was afraid of. Are there video cards out there with 2 overlays? I guess it isnt that important though. I will have to see what i can figure out.

 

[Peter]

Two overlays won't help you if you want to stretch one stream over two displays. Software mode it is for you. (But yes, there are chips that support one overlay per head, not just one total. I _think_ the SiS Xabre (aka XGItech now) engines have that.

 

[Juice Box]

Originally posted by: Peter
The usual graphics card has only one so-called hardware overlay, which, as it happens, cannot span displays.

If you put your viewer software into a software-rendered mode, it'll do what you want - at the expense of much higher CPU load and bus traffic.

can you give examples of some software that have that option? CHances are...if you are using both monitors to watch a movie...you wont need CPU for anything else.

 

[HDTVdesignteam]

With a Nvidia Quadro FX3400 I pull the window over both monitors for either video playback (any program) or edit in Photoshop. I didn't know it was a problem in XP pro.
GT