There are tho methods for sending the pictures to a dual projector setup from a PC, from connecting the projectors directly at the back of the PC (usually, one DVI plug per projector, but Hdmi or Display Ports also works. You can plug directly or through adapters but you should avoid mixing different types of outputs or it can cause driver bugs not being able to sync the displays properly (use either dual DVI or dual Display ports with identical adapters if needed).
-The Traditional method from the professional world : (Nvidia Quadro or ATi Firepro recommended)
-The 2x1 single large surface method "Eyefinity hack" : (the method I use)
The Traditional method from the professional world :
Set your projectors as extended desktops, you absolutely must have only 2 displays active at the same time (if you use a tertiary monitor you need to disable it before starting stereo3D applications or you will get conflicts in some software)
The application you are using must be designed to support dual-projectors this way, all you need to do is to tell the application to use the dual projectors mode and it will automatically send the left eye to one of the projectors and the right eye to the other projector (usually display #1 and #2) If the left and right eye views are reversed, most applications provide a way to switch them, otherwise, you can still switch the plugs at the back of your PC.
This system is GPU agnostic, it works on both ATi and Nvidia, however it uses independent outputs which causes sync lags. The only way to avoid this is to lock the outputs using frame locking : a feature only available on professional cards like Nvidia Quadro and ATi Firepro.
You can still use consumer cards but without frame locking, I find the sync lags too much of a pain to be able to play games in this mode (nicknamed "the 1-frame lag")
For videos you can use Stereoscopic player
For games both DDD Tridef and iZ3D (rip) support it.
Some games also natively support it like Avatar the game (it's right there in the graphics menu) and Crysis 2 (has to be activated manually in the config file)
The 2x1 single large surface method "Eyefinity hack" :
I found this method while trying to avoid the 1-frame lag caused by the traditional way of doing dual-projectors.
Set your desktop as a horizontal spanned single large surface with the two displays side by side. Don't use extended desktops : Windows and DirectX must believe you have only one single giant screen. Since Windows believes you have only one screen, it will refresh both projectors as one and the projectors will be perfectly synchronized.
Then all you need to do is to provide a full screened side by side picture. In essence, this mode is very close to the side by side mode used by 3DTVs, except it's full-resolution and full aspect ratio, ie 3840x1080 for 1080p projectors).
If connecting the projectors directly to the PC, the only Graphics cards that allow this method is ATI using their Eyefinity feature. Nvidia could technically make it work but for some reason, nVidia mandates the use of triple screens to enable their surround mode so you cannot do a 2x1 single large surface desktop. In theory there should be a GPU agnostic way to make it work using Matrox Dualhead2go or Triplehead2go to create the single spanned desktop, but so far I haven't found any report of people testing it, so i do not know if it works or not.
Be extra careful to provide absolutely identical settings for both projectors, the ATi drivers are very picky about it : if it finds a single difference between the outputs it will either break V-sync or will de-synchronize them (resolution, framerate, bit depth, AND, output plug, converter, projector model). ATi claims they have fixed this problem in a recent driver update, I haven't tested it, but even if it worked It's a very sensitive thing that might break at the next driver version/ next card model. So I'll just stick to identical outputs all the way through.
For videos you can use Stereoscopic player, if your video is stored as a side by side video you can also use any 2D video player with the ability to ignore the aspect ratio and stretch the picture to full screen (example: MPC-HC)
For games DDD Tridef supports it using side by side mode, just enable the spanned desktop before launching the Tridef control panel so that Tridef detects the spanned desktop resolution
iZ3D had support in alpha stage, you had to activate it by tweaking the config files : see
this page at iZ3D forums for details
Some games also natively support this mode like Trine 2, Sonic Generations (although that's an accident from the 3DTV Side by Side mode forcing 16:9 rendering aspect ratio), Trackmania Nations (FREE) (lots of bugs, hide the interface with the keypad * key), Trackmania² Canyon (still lots of menu bugs but the latest version fixes many issues so the game is playable and looks really good with the interface on)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
motorman45 
Here is our latest offering with the kits. the GeoBox G-501 video processor, 3D demultiplexor with screen warping ability as well as many other functions in one box. perfect match for the Omega DD3D passive system.
Hello Motorman,
I am still looking for an answer to my critical question.
I havee been waiting for a very long time for a demultiplexor box that can do frame-packing 1080p 60Hz at full resolution. (using DisplayPort's 3D mode or Hdmi 1.4a full 3GHz bandwidth instead of the usual 1080p24 minimum spec).
The specs don't claim it but there's a DisplayPort input on it so I'm really curious.
Is the Geobox my dream box ?
Edited by BlackShark - 9/2/12 at 8:50am
