triplehead done in software called "softTH"

[G3]

#### software only version of 3 screen gaming #####3 screens gaming using 2 video cards.

 

many of you will know that before i got my matrox triplehead2go i was desperately trying to get lockon and other games working across 3 screens using 2 videocards and various software apps like maxivista etc to achieve the 3 wide view.

until now it was basically very difficult to get the 3rd screen to render the in game view.

it now looks as though some clever guy has overcome this with an app called softTH.

 

i stumbled across a youtube video of a guy using a software only version of the triplehead to go.

 

for the record, and it is a broken one :), i am a very proud owner of the triplehead2go unit. th2go is indeed a wonderful thing, once discovered there is no going back.

just like a hotas, trackir, and touchbuddy etc.

 

this software does the same job as a th2go unit, using your main powerful videocard and a second not so powerful card, as all the hard work is apparently done by the main videocard the second card can be lower spec.

pci-e is recommended but not essential, agp + pci also works but may not perform as well.

 

here's a link to the video on youtube:

 

and here is a link to the site where a beta version is ready to download:

http://www.kegetys.net/SoftTH/

 

hopefully some more of you will get to try out 3screen gaming using this great program.

i think the 3 monitors can be mismatched for resolution as it says it scales the side screens :)

 

would love to hear from anyone who gives this a go, cheers.:thumbup:

[S77th-RYKE]

nice....

 

he's using 2 PCI E cards , is he using them both on same computer ?

[S77th-RYKE]

I was thinking if it was possible to "shave" the sides of the monitors to crop the view a little closer and make this even more real looking , came across this thread of some guy doing just that on 3 x 19" flat screens

 

here is the thread

http://www.overclock.net/monitors-displays/146391-monitor-disassemble-updated.html

 

and the step by step dissambly/reassembly

http://www.mikevanelst.com/monitorproject/

 

it seems he managed to shave off more than half the space between the monitors ..

 

sweet :thumbup:

 

anyone ever opened a regular monitor (CRT I guess it's called ) ? I wonder how "shavable" the older monitors are , cause I have a recycling place near here where I can get a 24" crt for $150 ....

[G3]

nice....

 

he's using 2 PCI E cards , is he using them both on same computer ?

 

both in the same pc.

 

Great! Now I gotta pick up 2 more 27" monitors. :D

 

straight after you get that third overlay i guess :)

 

I was thinking if it was possible to "shave" the sides of the monitors to crop the view a little closer and make this even more real looking , came across this thread of some guy doing just that on 3 x 19" flat screens

 

here is the thread

http://www.overclock.net/monitors-displays/146391-monitor-disassemble-updated.html

 

and the step by step dissambly/reassembly

http://www.mikevanelst.com/monitorproject/

 

it seems he managed to shave off more than half the space between the monitors ..

 

sweet :thumbup:

 

anyone ever opened a regular monitor (CRT I guess it's called ) ? I wonder how "shavable" the older monitors are , cause I have a recycling place near here where I can get a 24" crt for $150 ....

 

i followed that thread to his images and it is a significant gain or reduction if you like, still a gap but definately better.

 

as for the crt's i think the outer edges of the tubes would be rounded, like a square under pressure :)

[EscCtrl]

I was thinking if it was possible to "shave" the sides of the monitors to crop the view a little closer and make this even more real looking , came across this thread of some guy doing just that on 3 x 19" flat screens

 

here is the thread

http://www.overclock.net/monitors-displays/146391-monitor-disassemble-updated.html

 

and the step by step dissambly/reassembly

http://www.mikevanelst.com/monitorproject/

 

it seems he managed to shave off more than half the space between the monitors ..

 

sweet :thumbup:

 

anyone ever opened a regular monitor (CRT I guess it's called ) ? I wonder how "shavable" the older monitors are , cause I have a recycling place near here where I can get a 24" crt for $150 ....

 

If you can afford it you can get good TFTs with a tiny edge - my 19" has about half an inch around the edge. Cost 150pounds though which is about $300.

[CoNa]

I was looking at this a couple of months ago but realized that I need to upgrade my pc first to get this working.

It looks very nice, and as I can understand it, you can have different resolutions on the outer monitors than the mid one.

Does any one know the limit of the resolution? TH2G is limited to 3840 x 1024, but I would ike to have 1600x1200 in the middle and perhaps as low as 1024x768 on the sides.

I think one of the gratest benefits of using 3 monitors is that your field of view get filled, thus creating an even better "VR feeling" than with "only" TIR.

I'm not willing to scrap my 21" CRT yet, but adding two 19" TFTs on each side would not hurt a bit....more than my wallet....

[EscCtrl]

I hate to say this, but I fear that two 17's is enough. :cry:

 

Of course it isn't - until your flying an F15/Su27 its not enough :P

[G3]

Great! Now I gotta pick up 2 more 27" monitors. :D

 

straight after you get that third overlay i guess :)

 

I hate to say this, but I fear that two 17's is enough. :cry:

 

was j/k. about the extra touchscreen, and i must say its looking sweet now as you have it set up.

love the no keyboard :)

 

something to note about the softTH:

i read there is still a horizontal resolution limit.

[LawnDart]

Thanks for the info on SoftTH!

 

Too bad LOMAC doesn't give you the option for a "true" panoramic view though! (Same as with widescreens, it only gives you a marginal addition in horizontal FOV, while cropping A LOT off the top and bottom of the view). For this reason, you're just as well off buying a large LCD or projector, since essentially three screens is doing the same thing. Note how big the HUD is in the video link and compare to your normal display. You don't gain anything in horizontal FOV with TripleHead, it only appears you do!

 

Now for other games such as FSX and FS2004 you actually widen your horizontal FOV substancially, but with LOMAC... sadly no!

 

Still cool, just wish ED would build in support for widescreens and multiple monitors so it doesn't project the view across the monitors, but actually widens the FOV with more screens.

[G3]

lawndart, you are most welcome.

 

i think what you describe above about the fov issue is what we kind of fixed with some edits of config and lua files.

 

this is a pic of the original view zoomed out as far as it could go.

 

and below is the end result of some collective thinking from the community. (no BS pun intended :))

 

you can find the whole thread here:

http://forum.lockon.ru/showthread.php?t=17306&highlight=triplehead

no sure if it works for all planes but it sorts the eagle out.

 

disclaimer:

the two images above are with the th2go unit not softTH, simply to inicate that altering the horizontal field of view is possible in lockon with some editing.

unfortunately the unseeen portitions of the view are apparently still being drawn so the further you zoom out/back the more of a performance hit you suffer.

 

i have not personally tried softTH and have no idea of either its 1. performance or 2. usability.

 

1. performance will be system dependant, as running 3 screens from one pc stretches things somewhat, even on a decent pc.

2. usability might depend on the individual :D

 

now that's all said and done, i really hope 'some' of us or at least 'someone' will get 'something' out of this, softTH looks to be compatible with several popular game titles.

its by far a more economical way to enter the triple screen arena.

[CoNa]

I just saw this at Matrox...Digital dualhead2go

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/dh2go/digital/home.php

 

Higher resolution possible with this one.

And dvi contacts :thumbup:

Resolution Refresh Rates

2048 x 768(2x 1024 x 768) 60Hz

2560 x 1024 (2x 1280 x 1024) 60Hz

2720 x 768 (2x 1360 x 768**) 60Hz

2880 x 900 (2x 1440 x 900)** 60Hz

3200 x 1200 (2x 1600 x 1200) 60Hz

3360 x 1050 (2x 1680 x 1050)** 60Hz

3840 x 1080 (2x 1920 x 1080)** 60Hz

3840 x 1200 (2x 1920 x 1200) 60Hz

 

 

 

So, the next question...when is Digital th2g comming? :pilotfly:

[Prophet]

The problem with dual, is the black bar from the bevels will be down the middle.

[Cosmonaut]

Of course it isn't - until your flying an F15/Su27 its not enough :P

 

LOL ..:thumbup:

 

Just one question.. Are you sure the guy in the video has his hand on his joystick :matrix: .

[G3]

I just saw this at Matrox...Digital dualhead2go

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/dh2go/digital/home.php

 

Higher resolution possible with this one.

And dvi contacts :thumbup:

Resolution Refresh Rates

2048 x 768(2x 1024 x 768) 60Hz

2560 x 1024 (2x 1280 x 1024) 60Hz

2720 x 768 (2x 1360 x 768**) 60Hz

2880 x 900 (2x 1440 x 900)** 60Hz

3200 x 1200 (2x 1600 x 1200) 60Hz

3360 x 1050 (2x 1680 x 1050)** 60Hz

3840 x 1080 (2x 1920 x 1080)** 60Hz

3840 x 1200 (2x 1920 x 1200) 60Hz

 

 

 

So, the next question...when is Digital th2g comming? :pilotfly:

 

interesting news there, i wonder if there is a limit to how wide it can go, because i could imagine 3x1920x1200 might look nice :)

 

5760x1200 dvi th2go, now that would be good.

one thing i find with running 3x19" @ 3840x1024 is that it could do with being bigger to provide a larger radius or arc, with bigger lcd's the view would wrap around you more, i think this would be one desireable improvement that a higher resolution unit would provide.

 

time will tell wether its achievable, so while we are waiting who's going to try this softTH ?

[S77th-RYKE]

ggg87 I see from that other forum thread you posted that you already have a triplehead to go ..

 

I was wondering what made you want to look over other options , are you disapointed in triplehead to go ?

 

that softTh thing with no additional hardware to buy other than monitors and cards sounds great , hope it works Ok as I would like to try it myself when I build a new system .

[TheProphet]

Sounds great, now I only have to get another video card and two monitors:P

 

I wonder if both of the video cards are rendering the graphics or only the main one does, and the other just passing the image to the screen, do you know?

[G3]

ggg87 I see from that other forum thread you posted that you already have a triplehead to go ..

 

I was wondering what made you want to look over other options , are you disapointed in triplehead to go ?

 

that softTh thing with no additional hardware to buy other than monitors and cards sounds great , hope it works Ok as I would like to try it myself when I build a new system .

 

yes i already have a th2go and love it so, disappointed, not for a minute :) .

i stumbled across this software version and felt it worth sharing so that others might get to experience the same with less financial outlay.

 

Sounds great, now I only have to get another video card and two monitors:P

I wonder if both of the video cards are rendering the graphics or only the main one does, and the other just passing the image to the screen, do you know?

 

don't quote me on it,

from what i understood it sounds as thought it is in fact all rendered with the main card, and as you suggested, somehow just passed to the secondary card.

as they did mention that the secondary card could be somewhat lower end.

but the recommended bus was pci-e for bandwidth, although agp+pci may work, but might

suffer with performance.

 

from the little video, the results look exactly the same as the th2go.

 

if no one tries it out i may find the time to give it a go myself and compare, no promises, i've

learned to avoid making those :)

[Kuky]

I would like to try it but I'm not gonna get a second good video card and 2 more monitors just to try it... that would be quite an expensive tryout... not to mention I'd kill myself if in the end it doesn't work the way I like it, or doesn't work at all... that would be a real something :rolleyes:

 

So unless you have the required hardware...it's no expense to download software and just test.

[CoNa]

interesting news there, i wonder if there is a limit to how wide it can go, because i could imagine 3x1920x1200 might look nice :)

 

5760x1200 dvi th2go, now that would be good.

one thing i find with running 3x19" @ 3840x1024 is that it could do with being bigger to provide a larger radius or arc, with bigger lcd's the view would wrap around you more, i think this would be one desireable improvement that a higher resolution unit would provide.

 

time will tell wether its achievable, so while we are waiting who's going to try this softTH ?

 

Some news regarding the new TripleHead2Go digital.

 

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38077

 

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/th2go/digital/home.php

 

Unfortunatly 5760x1200 is still a ......NoGo :megalol:

Being able to use the DVI ports instead of VGA on TFTs will probably enhance it a bit though.

[dodger42]

The problem with dual, is the black bar from the bevels will be down the middle.

 

True, but it would make one helluva TB setup (line in the middle is not so critical) if you put them below your 1080p LCD screen and added touch-screen overlays. Like a glass cockpit :)

 

But the ultimate would be something like this:

 

 

Check it here:

http://www.digitaltigers.com/zenview-powerscape-ultrahd.shtml

[dodger42]

Although 5k is still a fair chunk of change, I thought this display setup would be more like 15k. Gotta love commoditisation.

[VMFA-Blaze]

Well this is the ultimate but.. You really need some big bucks to do something like this ... maybe close to 5,000 USD will enable you to get this into your gaming rig but you'll still need a killer Video card set up as well ... IMHO it will take a very strong video signal to capture all of the graphics and push the signal out too all of those pixels...

 

 

~S~

 

 

Blaze

[LawnDart]

lawndart, you are most welcome.

 

i think what you describe above about the fov issue is what we kind of fixed with some edits of config and lua files.

 

 

 

and below is the end result of some collective thinking from the community. (no BS pun intended :))

 

you can find the whole thread here:

http://forum.lockon.ru/showthread.php?t=17306&highlight=triplehead

no sure if it works for all planes but it sorts the eagle out.

 

Thanks ggg87, that's some very useful info in your response!!!

[dodger42]

Well this is the ultimate but.. You really need some big bucks to do something like this ... maybe close to 5,000 USD will enable you to get this into your gaming rig but you'll still need a killer Video card set up as well ... IMHO it will take a very strong video signal to capture all of the graphics and push the signal out too all of those pixels...

 

 

~S~

 

 

Blaze

 

Well again, it aint exactly cheap, but it's not so bad. For example, on their site:

 

Stratosphere Express

Triple-slot PCI Express graphics

Support for 2 to 6 screens

Intel Pentium 4 or Pentium D processor

Aluminum-clad chassis with covered drives

Starting at $1,999

 

Obviously you would also need the three PCI Express video cards. So thats like another 1500. So say $3500 for the computer, + 5k for the screens. 8.5k and probably $500,000 in labour figuring out how to make the damn thing work with lockon :)

 

It also comes with a pretty cool looking multi monitor management utility: http://www.digitaltigers.com/zenview-manager.shtml

[Meyvn]

For that, I will choose a Head-wearing Display with TrackIR support, cheaper, no frame and where you look at is actually where you look at.