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What is Multi-Monitor?
The existence of multiple display devices on a single system allows for a number of possible configuration options. For example, two devices can be driven independently with different content, resolutions, and color depth to increase desktop space. Another possible configuration sends the same content to different monitors to give a presentation to a large audience.
Multi-Monitor Support on the Intel® 82915G Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Microsoft Windows* 2000 and Windows* XP operating systems have enabled support for multi-monitor display. Since the Intel® 82915G Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) has several ports available for its two pipes, it can support up to two images on different display devices. Timings and resolutions for these two images may be different. The Intel® 82915G Express Chipset Family supports Dual Display Clone, Dual Display Twin, and Extended Desktop.
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An Advanced Digital Display 2 (ADD2) card must be installed as an additional display adapter for dual monitor capabilities. The GMCH graphics engine is incapable of operating in parallel with an external PCI Express* graphics device. The GMCH graphics engine can, however, work in conjunction with a PCI graphics adapter. | |
Multi-Monitor Option: Intel® Dual Display Twin Intel Dual Display Twin utilizes one of the display pipes to drive the same content at the same resolution, color depth, and refresh rates on each display.
Multi-Monitor Option: Intel® Dual Display Clone
- Intel Dual Display Clone is used to drive multiple displays with the same content. Each display device can be configured independently, allowing each to have a different refresh rate, color depth, and resolution for optimum display on each device.
- Intel Dual Display Clone is beneficial when using displays of various types and sizes, such as one pipe driving a standard Monitor plugged into the VGA port while the other pipe drives an overhead projector that may only support specific resolutions and refresh rates.
- To activate Dual Display Clone, click the Intel® Dual Display Clone icon on the Devices tab of the Intel® 82915G Express Chipset Family Properties window. Select the Primary Device and the Secondary Device and click Apply.
Figure 1: Intel® Dual Display Clone as seen in Windows* XP Advanced Display Properties Intel® Graphics Devices tab.
Multi-Monitor Option: Extended Desktop
- Extended Desktop refers to the ability of a single adapter with at least two display pipes to support multiple monitor configurations.
- One important use for multi-monitor is to allow for a large Windows* desktop that spans multiple displays, creating more screen real estate than a single display provides.
- The Display applet in Control Panel or the Devices tab in the Intel® 82915G Express Chipset Family Properties window can be used to configure the size and relative position of each monitor. (Fig. 2)
- Applications can be moved from one monitor to another, or can be on more than one monitor simultaneously.
- To activate Extended Desktop, click on the Extended Desktop icon on the Devices tab of the Intel® 82915G Express Chipset Family Properties window. Choose which device will be the Primary Device and which one will be the Secondary Device and click Apply.
Figure 2: Extended Desktop as seen in Windows* XP Advanced Display Properties Intel® Graphics Devices tab.
- Display options may also be enabled right from the Desktop. Right-click on the Desktop to access the Graphics Option menu. The output options will be listed. (Fig. 3)
Figure 3: Display options as seen on the Windows* XP Desktop.
- Applications may behave differently in a multi-monitor configuration depending on their implementation:
- Standard Windows applications that use the GDI (Graphics Device Interface) will clip the window to each display and accelerate the images separately using the display hardware.
- Applications that span multiple monitors and use DirectX*, Direct3D*, or DirectDraw*, will be software accelerated.
- OpenGL* applications may exit unexpectedly, hardware accelerate one display with unknown results on the other, or be software accelerated.
- A full screen command prompt or MS-DOS* application will only function on the Primary Device.
Multi-Monitor Option: Dual-Pipe Panning
- Panning is enabled when a display resolution is larger than the display type (like LFP or TV which supports only a fixed/limited max resolution).
- Dual-Pipe Panning allows a high-resolution display on a larger screen, while viewing a zoomed-in version on a smaller screen.
- The view on the smaller screen is tied to mouse cursor movement. Since the screens are different sizes, the mouse cursor may be at different positions on either screen.
- While it is within the zoomed-in area of the smaller screen, the cursor acts as normal. As the cursor moves near the edge of the smaller screen, the view pans toward the cursor until the edge of the full screen is reached. This does not affect the view on the larger screen, which stays the same regardless of the activity of the smaller (panned) screen.
- Dual-Pipe Panning is used in conjunction with Intel Dual Display Clone or Multi. To use Dual-Pipe Panning, first enable Intel Dual Display Clone or Multi, then set the cloned display devices to a larger resolution than one of the cloned displays supports and click Apply. The device that cannot support the full resolution will be panned.
System Requirements for Multi-Monitor
- System based on integrated Intel 82915G Express Chipset Family that has dual pipe enabled by the system manufacturer.
- An Advanced Digital Display 2 (ADD2) card.
- Two or more display devices (e.g. LVDS, DVI-I, DVI-D, HDTV, TV-out, CRT, Flat Panel, etc.).
- Windows* 2000, or Windows XP.
- Current graphics driver for the Intel 82915G Express Chipset Family.
Operating System:
| Windows 2000*, Windows XP Professional*, Windows XP Home Edition* |
This applies to:
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