Dual Screen Question

**DClayton** · 10-26-2012, 06:07 AM

Hi all. I am building a Car PC to be installed in my van (VanPC/Vanputer

). What i would like to do is have a 7" touchscreen display in the cab and a 10" touchscreen display in the back for the kids.

The board I am using only has a single video output. I was looking into USB screens for the second one (probably the 7" cab). Are there any problems with using these devices?

I am probably going to use Windows 8 as the OS. What i dont know is how well this will work with two screens. E.g. can the screens be independant, how easy is it to move apps from one screen to another (as they are not next to each other), what is the quality of the USB screens like.

Its early days for my project so I would really appreciate any advice from anyone who has done similar. I guess the usage of the screens will be GPS, audio control on the front, dvd and games in the back. Obviously we will be fighting over the audio but i'll worry about that later.

**settra** · 10-26-2012, 07:26 AM

As long as you don't use a VGA splitter, but they get the signals, from different sources (USB and VGA) i THINK they will be independent. although i haven't tried it yet! (I'm also planing to use 2 LCD, and planing to do so with a VGA card with 2 outputs.. but if you make it work with USB , some Feedback would be appreciated !! )
As for the movement of windows it wont be a prob. when you have 2 different size screes, windows 8, allow you to set the EXACT position of the smaller one, around the bigger, so imo, moving wont be a prob!

**david69leonard** · 10-26-2012, 01:13 PM

I am running a Lilliput USB monitor in my set-up, I love it and I am Installing Win8 today, the only problem I see with what you want to do, I could have been misinformed but with Win8 you can only run a single app at a time

**DClayton** · 10-29-2012, 05:16 AM

Originally Posted by david69leonard

I am running a Lilliput USB monitor in my set-up, I love it and I am Installing Win8 today, the only problem I see with what you want to do, I could have been misinformed but with Win8 you can only run a single app at a time

I would be supprised if Win8 only allows one app to be run at a time. If you think about the desktop PC market, you would want your email open, possible word, excel etc. The surface version of Windows 8 may be restrictive but that is not available to the general public. They will only be releasing that to device manufacturers. I will be installing Win 8 Pro and applying the Media Centre pack (which is currently free but will be chargeable after January). Let me know how you get on.

With regards to moving apps from one screen to another, it will be difficult as one screen will be in the dash, the other in the back. I will probably have both screens set to mirror each other. E.g. only a primary screen and not two independant ones.