Radeon hd 6800 Sapphire Need 3rd Monitor "TV"

[lemonaden]

I love my graphics card, but I am having trouble figuring out how to do something that I need set up ASAP.

I currently have a 42" Samsung TV hooked up as my primary HDMI monitor. I have a secondary smaller computer monitor hooked up to that so I can watch TV in my office.

What I am trying to do is figure out how to add a second TV as a 3rd monitor through the Displayport. The other TV is 25' away in my livingroom, and is a 50" Samsung TV. I want to hook it up so that I can webcam with my family through my livingroom TV. Already have the webcam attached, just not sure how to get the 3rd monitor set up using displayport. I have a 25' HDMI cable to hook, not sure if they make a good displayport adapter, with audio?

Thanks!

 

[borisof007]

Hmmm, that's an interesting one.

Here's a quote from the Displayport page on Wikipedia:

"DisplayPort can emit HDMI video and audio using passive adapters connected to Dual-mode ports, and supports HDCP content protection used in the HDMI standard."

This means you could use a passive displayport to HDMI adapter and still get your Audio/Video feed to your TV in the living room.

Here's the problem:

If you already have two monitors, and you're looking to make that the 3rd one, Eyefinity will want you to have an ACTIVE displayport adapter, vs a passive one. Since the Wiki Entry says that this will work off of a passive adapter, one could only assume that it would also work off of an active adapter, but it still doesn't explicitly state it.

You could try buying an active adapter and see if it works. IF you have more than one Displayport adapter on the back of your GPU, then you could be OK as you could use one active adapter for the monitor closest to you, and then a passive one for the living room and then you'd be all set.

 

[lemonaden]

Wow. Alright. I will look on Amazon. I was so confused as to the difference between active and passive, but I will buy an active one just to be sure.

Also, what is eyefinity? Is it something I need to install to make 3 monitors work?

Thanks so much for the help

 

[lemonaden]

Hmm. Looking on Amazon, i can't seem to find one thats an active female displayport adaptor. Do you know if they make an active adaptor that allows displayport female on one end of it, and displayport male on the other end? this would allow me to use only my displayport, as the other two are being used by HDMI and the standard monitor adaptor.

 

[borisof007]

EDIT: Wait, that was backwards. I posted the wrong way, I accidentally linked HDMI IN to Displayport OUT, when I need it the other way around. Let me find another one.

Eyefinity is the technology that allows for more than 2 monitors to be engaged off of one video card at the same time. Eyefinity technology can support up to 6 monitors at once depending on your GPU configuration and how many outputs you have.

Which specific video card do you have? You mentioned 6800 series, but which?

Also, the difference between ACTIVE and PASSIVE is that Active converters require a separate power source, passive converters do not.

 

[lemonaden]

The card I have is this one:

Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1 GB GDDR5 VGA/DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/Display Port PCI-Express Video Card 100315L

It has 2 DVI ports, 1 HDMI, and 1 Displayport. For some reason I had problems when trying to hook up a second DVI port as a 3rd monitor.. not sure If I did something wrong.

Would these two products work to help me set it up with displayport the way I need it to?:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999030&cm_re=active_displayport_adapter-_-14-999-030-_-Product

&

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VILL62

Thanks again

 

[borisof007]

So, MUCH easier solution just came to mind. I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier.

You will have problems if you don't use your displayport for any one of your 3rd monitors, but I just had a "AHA" moment.

This is what you are going to do:

Buy an ACTIVE displayport adapter to convert the displayport signal to DVI, and use that connection to go to the monitor you use for TV in your office.

Keep your 42" that you use as your primary monitor on your HDMI.

THEN, use one of your DVI ports and just get a DVI > HDMI converter for the TV in your living room, it's a simple little dongle, and most 6xxx series cards came with one so chances are you already have one! If not, they're pretty cheap and you can buy one online. They look nearly identical to what you would see on a DVI > VGA adapter, except instead of VGA, it's an HDMI end.

I'm suggesting this because I just remembered that DVI standards now support Audio and Video over DVI, even if you convert the signal from HDMI to the DVI port on the back of your GPU.


You have to have an ACTIVE displayport adapter converting the signal for your 3rd monitor as it's a requirement of the eyefinity technology, supporting more than 2 monitors at once off the same GPU. This is why when you tried to connect your 3rd monitor to your 2nd DVI port, making it a 2 DVI and 1 HDMI configuration, the 3rd monitor didn't work : )

I'm sorry for the HUGE long explanation but I just wanted to detail out the instructions.

 

[lemonaden]

Lol, sounds confusing, but I think I understand it. Would this adapter work you think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ve_displayport_adapter-_-14-999-030-_-Product

 

[borisof007]

You got it sir!

So to recap:

Display Port: Active displayport converter to DVI, DVI connected to TV for office
HDMI: Computer monitor in office, 42"
DVI: DVI to HDMI dongle converter, connected to 50" in Living Room via HDMI cable

With this setup, you should be OK.

 

[lemonaden]

Alright man! I am heading to MicroCenter in a little while. I doubt they will have the active displayport adaptor though. Ill probably end up ordering it online. Thanks so much