Can you have a 2nd monitor in "Portrait" (rotated) with FSX? How?

I've been hearing/seeing people using 2 or 3 monitors and it got me interested (all of a sudden, yes). Please advise:

I have a 27" ASUS PB278Q, no matter how big you always have a problem with far-right part of the VC cockpit.

I want to add a 2nd monitor on the right but I don't want another big one. I want a small monitor which will match the height of my present 27" monitor when (the small one) is rotated 90 degrees to vertical-layout. Is this doable?

Also, what size do I need? (19-20-22"...) whose screen length in vertical/portrait layout matches up the height of a 27" monitor?

do you plan to stretch the VC onto both monitors, and do you have a Nvidia GPU? If so, see here :

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2504168/nvidia-surround-screen-rotation.html

For your 2nd question: I suggest using a ruler, measure your screens vertical size and find a rotating screen of a suitable horizontal size. Pythargoras helps too. ;o)

But mind the resolution, NV surround may need to scale if resolutions do not match, resulting in a blurred image. Example: 2 screens with 1920x1080, one landscape one portrait. If NV surround agrees, it will give you 3000x1080. On the rotated screen, the now vertical resolution of 1920 will be scaled down to 1080 to match the not-rotated-screen (surround always uses the smallest common denominator)

I had 3 screens where resolutions didn't match, all in landscape though. For a long time I lived with the slightly blurred situation, then I bought 3 identical screens - what a difference! Should have done it right from the beginning.

Hi alex,

As a first step and regardless of any other consideration make sure the monitor you're considering supports portrait mode. Most do not.

Also, you may want to consider creating a "camera" in the co-pilots location as an alternative.

Jim F.

>do you plan to stretch the VC onto both monitors, and do you have a Nvidia GPU?

Yes, would like a VC on both monitors. I have GTX 970 and ASUS PB278Q for monitor.

My second monitor will be ASUS VE198TL:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236308

Will this do? The resolution ofcourse may not match but that's not a priority issue, I must make sure I can have my VC on both displays, and so far I see no NV SURROUND option in the display options... I just added an old Samsung 226BW as a 2nd monitor and I can't set it up to display full VC, I can only duplicate the view.

>As a first step and regardless of any other consideration make sure the monitor you're considering supports portrait mode. Most do not.

The ASUS VE198TL I plan to add is a rotating monitor, I assume they all (rotatable ones) have a portrait option?

I am worrying about that NV option mentioned, I hope I can handle it...

NV surround is in the Nvidia control center. You can try it right now with the screens you have, shouldn't be a problem. You can also check, if you can rotate one of them in Nvidia Control. I don't think a physically rotating screen is really necessary (except for the fact that it stands right from the start). Don't underestimate the resolution problem, please try it out first with what you have! A scaled picture can look really dreadful. Oh and keep in mind that you will lose FPS by doing this. Not too many, but some.

You could also try TrackIr instead, maybe it suits your needs already.

-Pv-

ok guys step by step, I figured what you said - enabled 2 monitors and enabled NV surround. Now I have my desktop stretched to fit 2 monitors. Sounds like a progress, but:

1. the desktop as mentioned is stretched, my understanding is it should be displayed the same way as seen on a single monitor, with a wider area captured, but not stretched.

2. the applications (including FSX) are not displayed on both monitors when in full mode view. The only way to have it on both screens is to "window" it and physically stretch it. But stretching is not a solution (it's ugly). What do we do next?

You can use the zoom keys to change the aspect ratio which is what I think you are complaining about. To prevent having to change this aspect every time manually, you can save a flight with these things set and load the flight each time.

If you are complaining that previous to dual screen you were seeing the world through a port hole, and now that you are seeing the world through a bay window the same porthole scenery area has been "stretched" to fit your whole wall, when what you really want is to see more of the world not the same world. Aspect ratio partly solves this, but not completely because a "View" area is fixed. It will always have limits forced upon it. The work around is to create additional views and divide these up among your monitors which overlap a bit. This will let you see more of the world at once. No matter how you do it, there will ALWAYS be some distortion of one kind or another because you are trying to display a 3D world on one or more 2D displays. You can dress up a cat to look a bit like a dog, but it will always be a cat.

Another feature of aspect is FS calculates the world based on available pixels on the display. Since you cannot tell FS that your monitor is twice as large as its firmware tells FS it is, you have to artificially massage the display using various aspect ratio tools both inside FS and even possibly using your display adapter's desktop tools.

-Pv-

Creating a new view is also a problem, I tried moving an FMS(MCDU) to a 2nd monitor and it doesn't let me, all FSX subwindows / subviews are staying on the same screen.

This is not what I see on youtube, I see FSX on multiple monitors, not stretched but wider area-covered, sometimes with subviews on a different monitor.

Gotta try IrTrack, I actually have it (bought it together with computer parts), but had a problem setting it up, lost patience and threw it away ;-))))) Another thing that bothered me is that you have to sit like a soldier, if your nose or the back of a head is itching and you wan to rub it you have to keep your head straight otherwise you'll see the on-screen picture jumping ridiculously. Will have to get used to it.

ok guys step by step, I figured what you said - enabled 2 monitors and enabled NV surround. Now I have my desktop stretched to fit 2 monitors. Sounds like a progress, but:

 

1. the desktop as mentioned is stretched, my understanding is it should be displayed the same way as seen on a single monitor, with a wider area captured, but not stretched.

 

2. the applications (including FSX) are not displayed on both monitors when in full mode view. The only way to have it on both screens is to "window" it and physically stretch it. But stretching is not a solution (it's ugly). What do we do next?

Something is wrong.

1. Only the desktop background image should be stretched (it has a fixed size...). Not the icons though. Which resolution does Surround give you? It should correspond to the added pixel count of both monitors (but see what is written above)

2. Did you set up FSX to use the new resolution yielded by Surround? When Surround and FSX are set up correctly, the picture covers both screens as if they were one. You need to change the zoom level, and probably set wideviewaspect=true in FSX cfg

TrackIR "jumping" - that is just how it is, it is a head tracker after all. If you are the only one looking at the screen, it doesn't matter - when you sneeze in the real world the picture that your eyes see jumps too... Get a good profile for TrackIR or dial down sensitivity a bit - it is trial and error.

Better get used to that with all things FSX. Nothing works right out of the box. ;o)

Greetings All,

TrackIR "jumping" - that is just how it is, it is a head tracker after all. If you are the only one looking at the screen, it doesn't matter - when you sneeze in the real world the picture that your eyes see jumps too... Get a good profile for TrackIR or dial down sensitivity a bit - it is trial and error.

Additionally, one can always program a yoke/joystick button for the TrackIr Pause function (default PF9) to disable the thing while scratching body parts! :)

Brian

>Which resolution does Surround give you?

it was 3000 something by 1600 or 1800 approx.

>Did you set up FSX to use the new resolution yielded by Surround?

I had wideviewaspect=True, the problem is it is still displayed on a single either monitor unless I "window" it and physically drag the edges to fit the 2 screens. Is this normal? Anyway, so far I used the second monitor to display FSCommander, MCDUs and autopilots of aircraft like PMDG J41 and QW Avro which are otherwise difficult to reach in flight. Having these on a 2nd monitor is awesome, makes the life so easier I love it.

As for the TrackIR, it got me dizzy and seasick! -))))))

There is one other problem I haven't brought up: every 5 to 10 seconds it shifts the view way up and left or elsewhere down the ar*e and I have to shake my head to get the view back and face forward, very annoying.

Are there profiles I can download and install? It will take me forever getting this to work.

it was 3000 something by 1600 or 1800 approx.

every 5 to 10 seconds it shifts the view way up and left or elsewhere down the ar*e and I have to shake my head to get the view back and face forward, very annoying.

I'm not going to get into detail because you haven't really given enough precise information about what you have done. However, I would guess you do not have 2D Surround set up correctly - your 2D Surround display should appear to Windows apps (FSX included) as a single display and behave as such. This means you should be able to set the full-screen resolution to span the two monitors (you should know precisely what the resolution is, approximate figures are useless). You should also be able to drag 2D panels to the other monitor in full-screen mode.

WideViewAspect is irrelevant. Your TrackIR problems will not be solved by a profile, you have the camera set up wrongly or you have bright spots (or hot spots) in its line of sight. If you turn on the 'camera' view in the TrackIR application you will see where they are.

What Mark said.

If you have two HD screens (1920x1080) NV Surround combines those two to a single desktop with 3840 x 1080. This is the resolution you need to set in your FSX display options or you won't be able to go completely full screen. If this is set up correctly, full screen (alt+enter) will cover both screens - no need to fiddle with windows. I have FSX using three 24'' HD monitors full screen VC (zoom level 1.00 - 1.15) and I'm using TrackIR all the time. Can't abide no 2D panels, they just kill it for me.

TrackIR: strange. For me it worked right away. You have to make sure that no strong light is falling on the sensor (like LED spotlights etc) and that no bright spots are behind you (like windows). There is an alternative FSX profile on the TrackIR website somewhere.

ok, the resolution I have with NV Surround enabled is 3360x1050.

Native max resolution of monitor 1 - 2560x1440.

Native max resolution of monitor 2 - 1680x1050 (it's 7 years old tech).

When I do Alt+enter (full screening the FSX), it takes up only one screen - screen 2, and screen 1 looses the signal and turns black. When I undo the full screen, FSX takes up screen 1 and screen 2 goes to desktop.

ok, the resolution I have with NV Surround enabled is 3360x1050.

Native max resolution of monitor 1 - 2560x1440.

Native max resolution of monitor 2 - 1680x1050 (it's 7 years old tech).

 

When I do Alt+enter (full screening the FSX), it takes up only one screen - screen 2, and screen 1 looses the signal and turns black. When I undo the full screen, FSX takes up screen 1 and screen 2 goes to desktop.

And did you set up FSX to use the 3360x1050 resolution? BTW which version of the NVidia driver is this?

ok, the resolution I have with NV Surround enabled is 3360x1050.

Native max resolution of monitor 1 - 2560x1440.

Native max resolution of monitor 2 - 1680x1050 (it's 7 years old tech).

 

When I do Alt+enter (full screening the FSX), it takes up only one screen - screen 2, and screen 1 looses the signal and turns black. When I undo the full screen, FSX takes up screen 1 and screen 2 goes to desktop.

Okay, so maybe you have set up 2D Surround correctly as evidently your bigger monitor has defaulted to the same resolution as the smaller one. (Which probably means your original intention isn't going to work.) Have you set the full-screen resolution to 3360x1050 on the first tab of options/settings/display in FSX?

Yes guys the resolution in FSX is set to the same 3360x1050.

NVidia drivers 344.75, early december 2014.

What I'm thinking is special hardware/connectors... I have two white DVIs from the video card to each monitor.

As for TrackIR, seems like it is best to have in the basement. I just tried it now that it is evening and it works much better. My apartment has huge windows facing the sun (the room with computer), and behind it is a huge glass cabinet with 1/400 models, plenty of light in the room from 11 to 6pm.

There are other issues there that are easier to solve:

1. I need to figure out how to tone down the sensitivity so I don't get dizzy of it.

2. When TrackIR is active, the keyboard keys are not - I can't adjust the height of the seat which is too high, I can't see the bottom of my EFIS displays. Shift+enter and shift+backspace don't work, TrackIR doesn't let it.

Yes guys the resolution in FSX is set to the same 3360x1050.

NVidia drivers 344.75, early december 2014.

What I'm thinking is special hardware/connectors... I have two white DVIs from the video card to each monitor.

 

As for TrackIR, seems like it is best to have in the basement. I just tried it now that it is evening and it works much better. My apartment has huge windows facing the sun (the room with computer), and behind it is a huge glass cabinet with 1/400 models, plenty of light in the room from 11 to 6pm.

There are other issues there that are easier to solve:

1. I need to figure out how to tone down the sensitivity so I don't get dizzy of it.

2. When TrackIR is active, the keyboard keys are not - I can't adjust the height of the seat which is too high, I can't see the bottom of my EFIS displays. Shift+enter and shift+backspace don't work, TrackIR doesn't let it.

You could play around with the resolutions in Surround, test some other options. But your monitors are very different indeed, and it could be that Surround doesn't like that. I was lucky that my first three monitors worked pretty well (1 Eizo FullHD and 2 Samsungs Not-Full-HD), but as the resolutions didn't fit natively, I ended up with the scaled image looking slightly blurry. So I bought three identical monitors and all was well. Doesn't bode well for your landscape/portrait plans though.

As for TrackIR: I suggest getting EZDok camera to go with it. The complete freedom of movement and easy setup in EZDok studio are well worth it.

I'll settle down for a single monitor for VC view and a secondary portrait for FSCommaner and other stuff, my 27" is a huge improvement and I'm happy with this being a big step up. Three monitors, too much for me, playing FSX occasionally. Even when I have time for it and I fly two (or ever three) flights in one day, I get tired and computer-sick.

I believe you are right about the new portrait monitor unlikely to provide for extended VC view and let it be so (it might take 2 portraits one on each side, but the resolution on 19" portraits is very low anyway).

EZDok camera I do have, again dew to limited available time I had to gave up on it. Will try it with TrackIR.