Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > TV/Video Cards > [Solved] Dual desktop TV/monitor
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codyo   02-26-2009 at 08:54:51 AM

Hi, I am currently building a new PC and I had a question about how to set up dual display. I want to be able to run a full screen movie on my TV and still be able to browse the web and such from my monitor. Can I do this? and if so what hardware will I need to set it up? Thanks for you time!

CodyO

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Best answer from Zenthar
HTPC stands for Home Theater PC; they are usually oriented toward smaller size and "looks" for integration into a living room multimedia cabinet.

HDCP, is a data-encryption mechanism used for HD content. It can be present only on digital transmission (DVI, HDMI) and HD content might not play (or in degraded state (ex: 480p instead of 1080p) if both TV and "emitting device" (Blu-Ray player, console, PC) aren't HDCP compliant.
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Zenthar   02-26-2009 at 06:03:10 PM

What kind of inputs does your TV have?

Your PC needs to have 2 outputs (most now have 2xDVI outputs). If your TV doen't have a DVI input or your video doesn't have a HDMI output, you will need a "DVI to HDMI" dongle or cable.

Plug your monitor in your video card, plug your TV in the 2nd output port (with dongle/cable if necessary), enable dual-screen in Windows display settings ... as easy as that.

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codyo   02-27-2009 at 08:17:32 AM

Zenthar wrote :

What kind of inputs does your TV have?

Your PC needs to have 2 outputs (most now have 2xDVI outputs). If your TV doen't have a DVI input or your video doesn't have a HDMI output, you will need a "DVI to HDMI" dongle or cable.

Plug your monitor in your video card, plug your TV in the 2nd output port (with dongle/cable if necessary), enable dual-screen in Windows display settings ... as easy as that.



My TV has every input imaginable from VGA, DVI, HDMI, S video, and component. I have a friend who has dual monitors set up just like this but if he is running a full screen movie on one monitor, and then clicks on anything on the other monitor, the movie will exit full screen mode. That is what i was trying to avoid. Is that something that can be fixed within the video program? Or does it need set up differently?

The board I currently have is an ASUS M4A78 PRO, with Onboard Video Chipset ATI Radeon HD 3200, Video Ports D-Sub + DVI and 1 x HDMI. I am not currently running any video card. Would I even need one? Or can I use the DVI out and the HDMI out from the motherboard. I don't do much gaming, the only reason I was looking into an upgraded video card was to be able to play Blueray movies to my TV and still be able to browse the web on my monitor.

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Zenthar   02-27-2009 at 12:39:01 PM

I'll check about the full-screen thing (got dual-screen at work) and get back to you.

Your MB's on-board video is quite decent, my only concern is the impact of you doing something else while the video in full screen on a 2nd output (if the on-board support dual-output at all). If Not supported by the on-board GPU, a simple 25-35$ 4630 could probably be more than enough anyway.

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
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DiscoDuck   02-27-2009 at 03:25:47 PM

My HTPC has dual dvi output (nvidia dual display) and I can run a movie fullscreen on the lcd tv and also do something else on the monitor, analog crt via dvi-to vga. Works great.

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Zenthar   02-27-2009 at 03:32:49 PM

I just tested using WinXP and WMP10 and the movie does leave full-screen mode when I do something else on my main screen. I don't know how other players would behave (like the ones bundled with CCCP).

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
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Ignatowski   02-27-2009 at 11:18:29 PM

VLC doesnt exit full screen when i work on the other monitor. i havent tried seeing if it makes a difference whether the monitor is primary or secondary. i use the secondary monitor for video.

you may run across issues when dealing with HDCP when using a tv or playing bluray/HDDvd movies.

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codyo   02-28-2009 at 05:34:49 AM

Sorry, you will have to excuse my ignorance for a moment. What exactly is HTPC and HDCP?

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Zenthar   03-01-2009 at 02:02:55 PM
Best answer

HTPC stands for Home Theater PC; they are usually oriented toward smaller size and "looks" for integration into a living room multimedia cabinet.

HDCP, is a data-encryption mechanism used for HD content. It can be present only on digital transmission (DVI, HDMI) and HD content might not play (or in degraded state (ex: 480p instead of 1080p) if both TV and "emitting device" (Blu-Ray player, console, PC) aren't HDCP compliant.

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/600609.png
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