Additional screen?

mangus580 · 10-05-2007, 10:27 AM

Ok... Heres the deal. I want to put a screen in the back of the burb for the kids to watch videos. My T30 laptop I am using has S-video out. Is it possible for me to use the S-video screen for video in the rear, and maintain standard SD function in the front?

strohj · 10-07-2007, 09:29 PM

streetdeck does support multiple monitors..you have to add the 2nd screen to the S-video output in your laptop and then in windows.. activate the screen and set it to "extend your desktop to the screen"

then you can go into streetdeck options and under general.. display settings.. you can click on multiple monitors..
this will then give you the 2nd monitor support

mangus580 · 10-08-2007, 07:06 AM

Agreed..... but when I try multiple monitors here on my trial version on my desk.... I cant see how it works, as I dont have a touch screen here. I cant bring the message up anymore, as my trial has expired here.... but it led me to believe that both screens needed to be touch?

strohj · 10-08-2007, 08:12 AM

the 2nd screen has to be the touch screen for this to work.. so in windows.. in the display properties.. you have to set the TV screen(s) to be the primary display...

this is a very annoying thing for me.. cos it causes my shortcuts for windows to be on the rear screens and I want the rear screens to be lank unless I sent video, etc to them from my main screen

mangus580 · 10-08-2007, 08:15 AM

WTF.... this is more than annoying..... so you have to have your taskbar and everything on the TV screen???? thats just plain STUPID!!

RickCain · 10-08-2007, 08:27 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by mangus580

WTF.... this is more than annoying..... so you have to have your taskbar and everything on the TV screen???? thats just plain STUPID!!

Can't you just set windows taskbar to "auto hide"?

mangus580 · 10-08-2007, 08:32 AM

its not that.... if its on the TV screen.... When I do need it... its USELESS. I would need to carry a mouse with me... and even then, you would NEVER be able to read the screen.....

The more I use SD the more disappointed I am that I bothered to spend the $$$

BlueF · 10-08-2007, 12:00 PM

The current SD multiple monitor "implementation" does leave much to be desired.... not sure why it was set where the 2nd monitor has to be a touchscreen?! Only thing I can think of is that it was does this way at the recommendation of a lawyer....

Here's hoping useful multi-monitor support in high on the dev team's list of features!

In the mean time, I'd recommend checking out Centrafuse. It's multi-monitor implementation is near perfect (AV source configurable by media type). They are even adding gesture support shortly... Sadly, despite a well thought-out/implemented feature list, I find the Centrafuse user interface far too clunky and counter-intuitive to be useful in a car environment. I'll be sticking by StreetDeck for a while longer, despite this obvious flaw. : )

strohj · 10-08-2007, 03:45 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BlueF

The current SD multiple monitor "implementation" does leave much to be desired.... not sure why it was set where the 2nd monitor has to be a touchscreen?! Only thing I can think of is that it was does this way at the recommendation of a lawyer....

Here's hoping useful multi-monitor support in high on the dev team's list of features!

In the mean time, I'd recommend checking out Centrafuse. It's multi-monitor implementation is near perfect (AV source configurable by media type). They are even adding gesture support shortly... Sadly, despite a well thought-out/implemented feature list, I find the Centrafuse user interface far too clunky and counter-intuitive to be useful in a car environment. I'll be sticking by StreetDeck for a while longer, despite this obvious flaw. : )

having the tskbar on the tv screen is very annoying.. but I think it might have more to do with some direct3d limitations instead and how you have to play the video output on the primary screen ...

thats my educated guess.. im prolly wrong....
it would be nice to have streetdeck just switch the 2 screen when you run it.. it it HAS to be that way...

strohj · 10-09-2007, 08:17 AM

I actually just had a customer tell me to forget about us putting screens in the back of his car because of this... he really doesn't want his windows desktop to how on the rear screens...

mangus580 · 10-09-2007, 08:23 AM

Well I can say at this point I will probably not suggest SD to anyone again. The only reason I went with it in the first place was the gestures.

BTW.... wonder if we will ever get any actual SD Team response here......

RedGTiVR6 · 10-09-2007, 08:49 AM

I'm sorry you feel jaded by the fact that multi monitor support isn't how you would like it. It's being worked on but it's not at the top of the list of priorities.

However, I'm not really sure what you want a SD team member to say that would make you feel any better?

strohj · 10-09-2007, 08:56 AM

multi-monitor mode works... I mean when you look at it.. it works..it might not work HOW we like it to.. but it works, so I can totally understand why its not a top priority

mangus580 · 10-09-2007, 09:51 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

However, I'm not really sure what you want a SD team member to say that would make you feel any better?

How about an answer to my original question?

Or maybe a reason as to why its like that?

We are really hashing this out here, and there has been nothing. And its not like there is many other topics on it... I went looking.

mangus580 · 10-09-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by strohj

multi-monitor mode works... I mean when you look at it.. it works..it might not work HOW we like it to.. but it works, so I can totally understand why its not a top priority

Agreed that it works... but IMO in a totally useless manner.