Working with 3 monitor screens? Anyone?

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:35 pm

I have my PowerPC G5 using 2 monitors with DP 5.12.

I'd like to be able to send a feed to an LCD screen in my iso booth (about 25 feet away) for overdubs and visual cues.

First off ... is this possible? Second off ... how do I do this?
Do I split the signal? Do I need another video card?

thanks for the replies in advance.

Tripi · Post by **Tripi** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:55 pm

Works great for me. I have a G5 Quad running three displays. I had to get an extra PCI video card (exact same one the G5 comes with). It was a little tricky, because the one and only card you can use comes from Apple. It needs to be the PCIe one also. If you have an older PCIx (i think it's called that) G5, they do not make a video card for it. So, now I actually have four video outs, all DVI. I looked into a video splitter a while ago for an overhead monitor, but they are mostly for VGA outputs. The DVI ones were considerably more at the time. Not to mention the cost of a long DVI cable. I was able to find a 20' (!) DVI cable for sale on Amazon Used for $20 (!). I know that if you have a newer Intel Mac, you have quite a few other options for a second video card.

Hope that helps,
tripi

This is a quick shot of my screens (giga monitor from pc is to the left):

and this is a composite shot of my DP realestate:

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:59 pm

wow. killer setup.

my G5 in my studio is first Gen G5 (powerpc dual 2.0) with one video card (2 outputs).
So, are you saying i'm hardpressed to find another video card?

Also ... since I'm sending one of the screens into the booth, can I mirror ONE screen and one screen only?

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:16 pm

You may be interested in this .

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/s ... c/home.php

You do not need a second video card with this box .

Aramis

wonder wrote:wow. killer setup.

my G5 in my studio is first Gen G5 (powerpc dual 2.0) with one video card (2 outputs).
So, are you saying i'm hardpressed to find another video card?

Also ... since I'm sending one of the screens into the booth, can I mirror ONE screen and one screen only?

Tripi · Post by **Tripi** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:22 pm

Thats awesome. Looks like a great solution. I don't know how you would mirror more than one screen at a time, but if you have Leopard, spaces might be an option.

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:25 pm

looks good. I just need to mirror my main monitor and send the Tracks overview or Sequence Overview to the booth for the singer/VO talent to see the visual cues.

i suppose this link will get the job done rather than buying another card?

i also need to go about 25 feet ... do I need some type of booster or amp to keep the signal strong?

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:40 pm

might be an idiotic question ... but will i need the analog or digital head2head?

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:03 pm

It depends on the kind of connections/monitors you have !

Aramis

wonder wrote:might be an idiotic question ... but will i need the analog or digital head2head?

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:05 pm

I have 2 Samsung 17inch SyncMasters and will be buying an LCD (maybe Philips).

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:07 pm

http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/4520-3174 ... 369-1.html

You see both kind of connectors in this page

Aramis

wonder wrote:I have 2 Samsung 17inch SyncMasters and will be buying an LCD (maybe Philips).

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:12 am

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/cav.jsp

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:40 am

http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/ ... ?id=191967

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:12 pm

A word of warning: be sure to check the connectors on all monitors, cards, and expanders. There can be quite a variation in DV connectors, and even fairly recent Apple monitors (like the 23" Cinema Display from 2002) are not compatible with the video connectors on the current Intel Macs. The adapter can cost a couple-hundred dollars. If you do a quick look, you're liable to think it's all the same. Take a closer look, and you'll see a lot of differences. Here are some examples:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••DVI.......to....DVI-D••••••••••••••••••••••••
(I think this is correct, but the site where I got it had the labels reversed. If the chart below is accurate, I think my labels are probably the right ones. If anyone can confirm or contradict this information, please do! Good info is hard to come by!)

And here is a portrayal of probably most of the DVI type connectors:

As you can see, there are a lot of them, and the differences are subtle. I've known people who sent monitors back 3 or 4 times, and eventually had to order from another vendor, because the sales people could not identify the connectors accurately! Do your research! Get accurate information!

Shooshie

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:32 pm

Very good advice ! Shooshie

Aramis

Shooshie wrote:A word of warning: be sure to check the connectors on all monitors, cards, and expanders. There can be quite a variation in DV connectors, and even fairly recent Apple monitors (like the 23" Cinema Display from 2002) are not compatible with the video connectors on the current Intel Macs. The adapter can cost a couple-hundred dollars. If you do a quick look, you're liable to think it's all the same. Take a closer look, and you'll see a lot of differences. Here are some examples:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••DVI.......to....DVI-D••••••••••••••••••••••••
(I think this is correct, but the site where I got it had the labels reversed. If the chart below is accurate, I think my labels are probably the right ones. If anyone can confirm or contradict this information, please do! Good info is hard to come by!)

And here is a portrayal of probably most of the DVI type connectors:

As you can see, there are a lot of them, and the differences are subtle. I've known people who sent monitors back 3 or 4 times, and eventually had to order from another vendor, because the sales people could not identify the connectors accurately! Do your research! Get accurate information!

Shooshie

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:58 pm

Giving you guys an update ... this is what I received from Matrox when I wrote them asking them a question about their head2head product.
Their response is at the top ... my original email is at the bottom.

Hello Dallas,

Thank you for contacting Matrox.

Our internal add-in cards do support the clone feature however our GXM products such as the DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go do not support this specific feature. The reason being is that when the two or three monitors are connected to the device, the system views the monitors as one large extended desktop. Our internal graphics cards do not have Mac drivers therefore if you would like to investigate further on which internal graphics card would be best suited for your set-up you would consequently have to switch to a PC. If your set-up is versatile and you can switch to PC, can you provide me with the following information: the types of applications you will be working with, the available expansion slots on your PC, and the required resolution of your monitors. This will allow me to make a solid product recommendation.

To learn more about our Matrox add-in boards please visit the following site: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/corpo ... s/home.php

I look forward to your reply.

Kind regards,

Anna MariaKounougeris
Inbound Sales Representative
Matrox Graphics Inc.

Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 8:23 PM
To: Caroline Injoyan; insales@matrox.com; Bhavesh Patel; Lori Smordin; Michel Boulianne
Subject: Product info request - United States - Media Creation and Editing

The following information has been submitted:
Request Product: DualHead2Go Digital Edition,TripleHead2Go Digital Edition

Message: I have a PowerPC Dual 2.0 first generation MAC G5. I have the original video card installed and running 2-17" monitors. I have a recording studio and would like to mirror one of the monitors and send that feed to an LCD inside the vocal isolation booth (about 30feet away). First off ... is this possible? Second off ... what product should I be looking at to purchase? thanks! dallas