The Wave Pool > How did you configure your monitors on the projection system?
I have configured my system so that it works really well for SSP and PowerPoint, but I have found that some less sophisticated software fails with my configuration. The problem is that a lot of programs want to run on the console display; depending on the program, sometimes I can drag it over to the projector (it is ugly but works) other programs get locked on the console and I cannot project them.
I am considering a change, but wanted to hear some thoughts before I start monkeying around with it.
Currently, we have two graphics cards, each capable of driving two displays, but my problem also exists with a single, dual head graphics card.
My setup:
Display 1: this is my console, it is where windows boots, where the start menu is and where I run the SSP console.
Display 2: Stage Monitor
Display 3: Primary Projection Display (this has a graphics card to itself)
Display 4: unused
But whether I put the Primary Display on display 2 or 3, my problem is the same – stupid software wants to run on display 1.
The thing I like about my configuration is that the congregation never sees anything I don’t want them to see (except when I drag a window onto the protection display). The desktop is black and there are no icons on it. Even if PowerPoint were to crash, all they see is the screen go blank.
My problem, for example, is the software that came with our VBS program locked itself onto display 1 and could not be moved. Rather than fool around with the projection system, we brought a laptop in and ran VBS on that. I am not sure if the VBS software locked onto display 1 because it was the first display on the system, or because it was configured, in Windows, as the ‘primary monitor,’ e.g., windows will put the start bar on 1, 2, etc., it doesn’t matter, it goes on the monitor that is defined as the ‘primary monitor’ in the Windows Display Properties setup. I haven't tried changing that and then rerunning the VBS software yet.
Has anyone had this problem, and how have you resolved it?
I suspect I could rearrange things so that I project Display 1 and set it up in windows as the primary (and make the corresponding, opposite changes to the SSP configuration) and every software product (no matter how primitive) would project, but I really don’t want the church seeing me go after the start menu – that would be completely distracting.
I too need to make a change on the projection PC. I currently have only one card that controls the Consol (Primary- Portrait) and Projector (secondary-landscape). I have a video editing program that locks onto display one. It does not like the max width of 1024, but LOVES the 1280 vertical space.
I have not considered what to do with this, but this post has me thinking. First, I could change Primary and Secondary in the display setting, but I wouldn't like using that smaller monitor. Next would be to add another card, but I am not sure if I have an extra PCIe-16 slot. If I did, I would put the Card 1 Primary to lanscape. It would then become a reference/working display. Card 1 Secondary could be the Portrait Consol, and Card 2 Primary would be the projector. Card 2 Secondary would then be unused until I run new cabling for stage monitors. Right now the stage monitors have the same thing as the projector, from a DA.
Question for the Developers. If I have to run a PCI card, and use it for the Consol, will it impact the PCIe-16 used for projection? Basically, does SSP reduce it's capabilities to the least powerful viceo card? I once had that problem when stage monitor first came out, and I added a non-DirectX 9 PCI card for the stage monitor. BOY!!! Did SSP hate that.
Posted By Gary Presley on 04 Aug 2012 12:53 PM
Question for the Developers. If I have to run a PCI card, and use it for the Consol, will it impact the PCIe-16 used for projection? Basically, does SSP reduce it's capabilities to the least powerful viceo card? I once had that problem when stage monitor first came out, and I added a non-DirectX 9 PCI card for the stage monitor. BOY!!! Did SSP hate that.
The answer is no, SSP does not reduce its capabilities to the least powerful video card. I also don't understand what you are referring to regarding the non-DirectX 9 PCI card for the stage monitor. The stage monitor doesn't use DirectX so I don't know why that would have mattered to SSP.
Posted By Doug Reece on 04 Aug 2012 01:15 PM
Posted By Gary Presley on 04 Aug 2012 12:53 PM
Question for the Developers. If I have to run a PCI card, and use it for the Consol, will it impact the PCIe-16 used for projection? Basically, does SSP reduce it's capabilities to the least powerful viceo card? I once had that problem when stage monitor first came out, and I added a non-DirectX 9 PCI card for the stage monitor. BOY!!! Did SSP hate that.
The answer is no, SSP does not reduce its capabilities to the least powerful video card. I also don't understand what you are referring to regarding the non-DirectX 9 PCI card for the stage monitor. The stage monitor doesn't use DirectX so I don't know why that would have mattered to SSP.
When Stage Monitor first became available, I had a Dell GX270 with an AGP slot as my workstation. I think I was running a Radion video Card at the time. To test the new (at the time) Stage Monitor feature, I installed an old Jaton (IIRC) video card that did not support DirectX 9. When I fired up SSP, it reported no issues. When I went to edit a SSB, nothing would display in the SSB edit area. All I had were the slide titles on the left. When I moved my mouse over the display/edit area, I had a pointer w/ hour-glass. Having experienced that before on a laptop with a video chip that didn't support directx 9, I did the following to restore the display/edit area of SSB.
Click the Display menu
Click Change Settings...
Select the Graphics tab
Uncheck "Enable full graphics mode features (use DirectX)"
When I removed that old video card, I was able to check the above mentioned box and sue SSB normally.
If I don't have an extra PCIe-16 slot, I will see if I have a decent PCI video card to test how it works.
I sit in the balcony and my projector is right next to the projection PC. The projector has two VGA inputs, I use one and I have left a cable hanging off the second input so guests can bring their mac or whatever and plug in. (That is what we did for VBS due to the unsophisticated software)
I am going to run my display 1, VGA out cable (this is the display that stupid software invariably wants to use) into a (new) VGA splitter. One output will go to my console monitor, the other will be left empty most of the time.
When I am in a situation where I need to display something locked on display 1, I will plug the projector's second input into the other output of the splitter and switch the input on the projector so that display 1 is projecting.
I could just leave it plugged in and unplug when a guest comes or we need to use a mac (or whatever). The problem is, we sometimes allow other groups to use our sanctuary, and they sometimes want to project and I am not always there to help. Several times I have come in on Sunday morning and found our computer in various states of disassemble or reassembled incorrectly. That is why I have locked the PC into place and left a VGA cable (and a network cable) for others to plug into when using their own PC. Now, visiting groups are give strict instructions not to unplug anything; so I want to keep that cable available and free -- I don't want to muddy the instructions by saying, "You can only unplug this one cable."