External LCD on m1330

Sure, just connect the other display and press Fn+F8 until just the external display is active.

Message Edited by Aerundel on 01-20-2008 09:11 PM

Yes.

Is it possible to use the External LCD as a 2nd display to stretch my desktop onto?

is it through the HDMI port?

Yes, you just connect it like you would any other display. HDMI works just like DVI, and can in fact be turned into a DVI port using an adapter. Not that you need it to do what you're asking.

Maybe someone here can help me out.

 

Background: I use my current (Asus) notebook mostly as a "portable desktop replacement."  Most of the time, I use the Asus with an external keyboard and mouse, and with 2 external monitors (currently two 19" LCDs). Yes, I have two monitors, an Asus power brick, a keyboard, and a mouse in my home office, and an identical set in my office at work. I can quickly and easily move between the two setups, using using "Hibernate" in XP. And no, I don't use a docking station.

The notebook itself remains closed while I am working at my desk, although I use the built-in screen and keyboard when "on the road".

I currently use my notebook with 2 external monitors: one monitor is attached to the VGA output, and the other monitor is attached to a "USB to VGA" device from Tritton. This device works OK for a "secondary screen", but the display is a little fuzzy, and is very sluggish when running at 1280x1024 with 16 bit color (this is about the maximum the USB->VGA can support).

I am hoping that the one of the XPS models supports 2 external monitors: one on the VGA port, and the other on the HDMI port (or, perhaps, using just the HDMI and splitting it into two DVI ports?).  I am not interested in watching movies with HDMI -- I use this machine for software development, and want 2 large, clear displays. I currently use two 19" LCD monitors at 1280x1024, but would be happy to go with higher resolutions!

So, I guess my questions for the forums are:

1. Does the XPS M1330 support the use of 2 external monitors -- one on the VGA port, and the other on the HDMI port?  Or, perhaps, using the HDMI to drive 2 monitors?
2. If so, at what pixel and color resolutions?
3. How about with XP?

Note: it is OK for me if the built-in LCD cannot be used when driving the 2 external monitors.

Other ideas:

 

I would rather avoid a Matrix dual-head (or even triple-head) product, as they are expensive and/or bulky.  Just more hassle.

 

I have been hoping that some manufacturer will come up with an ExpressCard video adapter, but so far I haven't see one. I would think that an ExpressCard video card would perform *much* better than a USB 2.0 product, as the ExpressCard bus has much more bandwidth than USB.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated!

johnradams

 

 You might think about going with a latitude or precision workstation, both will use a Ddock which makes it really simple to do what you want.

Jimmy P --

Thanks for the idea.  I actually had a Dell, complete with two port replicators, prior to my current Asus.  I understand the D-Dock actually provides true expansion, though, and not just the ease of connect/disconnect provided by the replicator.

 

These days, I find connecting my gear to the notebook is pretty easy: 2 video cables, power cord, and a single USB (which goes to a hub, with the keybaord, mouse, etc. attached to the hub).  Takes about 5 seconds to hook up, and doesn't require the extra footprint of the dock/replicator.  Two D-Docks is another $600 bucks, and just seems like more "stuff" to break, or at least end up in a landfill one day.

 

I really prefer for the "dual external video" solution to be part of the notebook; this way, I can create my dual external monitor environment pretty much anywhere.  Through another forum, I have found that the Asus U6S does support dual external monitors, as it has both a VGA and an HDMI port.  Apparently, the "integrated graphics" drives the internal LCD (or VGA), and the "discrete" graphics card drives the HDMI port.

 

Anybody have any other insights or ideas?   AtDhVaAnNkCsE  (that's "thanks in advance" -- get it?)

Jimmy

 

I have the exact same question as John but I can't seem to find an answer. Like John I want to connect two LCD screens to a XPS M1330 - one to the VGA port and one to the HDMI port. Given that the graphics card can drive the lap top panel and a separate screen, I would have thought that it would be able to drive two external screens - with the laptop panel switched off.

 

There may though be technical reasons why the output connections can only drive one image.

 

Any help that you can give would be great as this is one of the main factors in my buying decision.

 

Thanks

 

GDV

GDV,

 

I have yet to buy a new notebook, as I finally gave up on my quest for a fairly powerful notebook with a modest built-in screen (for ease of mobility) but with the capability of driving two largish external LCD monitors.  Glad to hear that I am not the only person seeking this environment, although I still find it amazing that so few people seem to desire this configuration!

 

Some good news from the USB2VGA converter world: the folks at Tritton technologies (www.trittontechnologies.com) report that their See2 Xtreme product is now shipping.  The See2Xtreme is a USB (2.0 of course) to DVI adapter.  My understanding is that this adapter will provide better/cleaner/faster support for resolutions above 1280 by 1024.  Use of the DVI interface will presumably provide a cleaner image than driving the LCD via the monitor's VGA port -- although I have not actually tried the See2Xtreme product yet.

 

The current Tritton USB2VGA device actually does a pretty decent job at 1680 x 1050 at 16 bit, which I am currently achieving using a beta copy of their latest driver.  Which, by the way, they claim will soon support multiple devices, thus overcoming the old limit of "one USB2VGA device per system".   Using 2 (or 3!?!) See2Xtreme devices (with DVI) may well be the "best" way to support multiple (and large) LCD monitors.  Naturally, you will want your "primary" screen to be driven from a VGA/DVI/HDMI port on the notebook (using its internal graphics card) for best performance.  As I noted elsewhere, the USB-based video device are good for lots of things, but are sluggish for your "primary" monitor.

 

Anybody got any better/different ideas?  I suppose the only good news about waiting to upgrade my notebook is (a) SSD drives are only getting cheaper, and (b) I defer the dreaded task of migrating all of my stuff from my current system to a new one.  I can only tolerate doing this every 2 or 3 years; when I do make a migration, I want to be mighty pleased with the new setup!

In case you're still curious, I have exactly this setup, with a 2408WFP and an old 17" Dell, both hooked up to my m1330. There can be hiccups when connecting/disconnecting, but in general, it works fabulously.

John,

 

I'd suggest getting UltraMon, which adds a one-click way to maximize an application to both screens and to restore the window.  I don't personally ever find much of any usefulness of expanding an application to both screens, especially given that video can only play on one, but it's a neat trick (and I suppose helpful for checking the extreme cases of web design).

 

UltraMon also does tons of other great things and I highly recommend it.

 

I've noticed that my processor usage is higher with both monitors plugged in. Has anyone else noticed this? It could perhaps be something else going on...

Scott,

 

Thanks for the feedback.  I just now tried to extend a window across both screens, to create a "super-wide" window.  And lo and behold, this time the window "lines up" across the 2 monitors!  With narrow bezels on the monitors, this gives me a really wide window for those times when it is handy.

 

Whoo-hoo!   Not sure what changed; perhaps a few reboots did the trick.  After all, this is a Microsoft OS, where regular reboots are expected. :-)

It appears to have a plethora of HotKey possibilties -- including ones to move apps from one window to the other.  Check out this screenshot:

 

Thanks for the pointer to (and info on) UltraMon.  Actually, I happened across UltraMon while trying to resolve the problem I was having until this evening.  The UltraMon software seemed a little stale, but I see that they just (today) released a new beta.

 

My M4400 has an nVidia card, and comes complete with the apparently full-featured nVidia Control Panel and nVidia "Desktop Manager".    Looks to me like the nVidia Desktop Manager is intended to do msotly what the UltraMon product does.  Although I generally like to support independent software vendors, I'll stick with the nVidia tools that came with my M4400, mostly to avoid hassles, enjoy the support for my Dell using teh as-provided software, etc.

 

BTW, when doing software development there are times when it is really nice to have an extra-wide window.  For example, looking at data in really wide tables, looking at logfiles, looking at HTML source, etc.  In these cases, allowing line wraps is certainly a tolerable work-around, but sometimes it is just easier to get the big picture when you have ... a big picture :-)