Chris Pirillo » dvi

How to Add Even More Screens to Your Notebook Computer

Chris — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:39:37 +0000

How to Add Even More Screens to Your Notebook Computer is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Let’s say for argument’s sake you want to add two external monitors to a computer that has only one video port. You need a way to connect via another port, such as a USB port. You would need something like the ViBook.

ViBook is an innovative graphics USB–DVI cable; the simplest way to add additional displays to any computer system, desktop or laptop. Several monitors can be connected using more ViBooks, even through a hub.

You can easily connect an external monitor by using your empty USB port. It’s honestly as simple as that. Heck, you can connect more than one monitor, even if you don’t have enough ports. Just check out the ViDock. ViDock Gfx is the ultimate graphics expansion for notebook computers taking advantage of the powerful ExpressCard expansion slot of modern systems, enabling additional displays to connect to your laptop portable computer.

If you’re looking to expand what you already have – and are limited in budget, space and means – these are the options for you. Take advantage of what you already have (USB ports) and expand your lifestyle and video options.

If you’ve never operated with more than one screen at a time, you’re missing out. Your productivity would go through the roof, seriously! Imagine if the largest screen resoluation you have is 1024×768… why not expand by grabbing an old monitor and hooking it up? It’s an extremely valuable solution for just about anyone.

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USB Display Adapter for VGA or DVI Monitors

Chris — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:40:42 +0000

USB Display Adapter for VGA or DVI Monitors is a post from Chris Pirillo

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We’ve talked before about having more than one monitor. If you have two monitors, but only one video card… it can get quite expensive to buy another card. Well, now you don’t have to!

Lewis wrote to me from SewellDirect. They have a device that can save you money, and make use of any available USB port on your computer! With the USB to DVI External Video Card, you can easily connect more than one monitor, while having only one onboard video card.

The USB to DVI supports up to six simultaneous displays, including widescreen displays, extending your desktop and your horizons. Adding a quality DVI or VGA high resolution display through your USB port used to be science fiction. It is now science fact with the USB to DVI-I adapter. With onboard memory and video processor, it is really an external video card you attach to your computer with a USB cable.It used to be that you could add a display via a USB port, but the refresh rate and video quality was lacking. With this USB to DVI display adapter, complete with VGA adapter, you can add either a DVI or VGA display that behaves just like a monitor connected to a standard video card. It operates at a high resolution of 1600 x 1200.

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LCD Monitor Questions and Answers

Chris — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 01:37:38 +0000

LCD Monitor Questions and Answers is a post from Chris Pirillo

On my two 30″ monitors, Jirvin Loh from Malaysia asks:

Should I have to have a multi-GPU machine (NVIDIA SLI) if I am willing to have two 23” LCD monitor operate at NVIDIA Dual-view mode with 1600×1200 resolution?
I don’t have a multi-GPU (NVIDIA SLI) machine yet, what I currently have are two 19” LCD running at Dual-view with 1280×1024 resolution. Video signal are all coming out from VGA and DVI that are from a single video card.
Here I was a bit confused, as I search through your archived blog, I’d never seen you mention that much about the dual-monitor configurations that is in particular the video card; what kind of the configuration you actually have for your current dual-30” LCD? Are they (the signal) coming out from a DVI that is from single video card or from DVI that is from two separate video cards?

My PC has two NVIDIA 7900 GTX cards, which each sport dual-link DVI capable ports. Just one dual-link DVI port is necessary to run a single 30″ monitor at a full 2560×1600. I happen to have the two monitors plugged into a single card at the moment.

You shouldn’t need SLI or multiple GPUs to support two LCDs (even at that resolution), so long as your current GPU isn’t from the bargain bin. I’m assuming your video card has two ports, however. If those 23″ monitors in question don’t require anything special, you should be okay. If your resolution requirements weren’t so high, I might have suggested a Matrox DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go.

And while we’re on the subject of monitors seen in my live and recorded videos on YouTube, John C. Adamson put a smile on my sponsor’s face this morning:

I just bought a $600.00 Dell 2407WFP-HC 24-inch monitor because of one of your YouTube videos. The video had an overlay saying that you used this monitor thanks to Dell. (I also see the Dell logo on your videos.)
Anyway, I decided that if it was good enough for you, and looked that good, it had to be OK. I went to the site, saw it was on sale and bought it today.
Question: I want to send a note to Dell telling them they sold a monitor because I saw it sponsored on one of your old videos. I came across you and your site by accident – love it – and appreciate the fact that Dell helps keep you on. Who should I write/e-mail to?
I don’t know how you track your viewers and readers. You might be surprised at the range in your demo. I’m a month away from 60 and about as non-tech as you can get. You are very welcome to forward this note to someone at Dell if you’d like.

Our approach to content sponsorship works like a charm… and I don’t think I could have found better proof for past, present, or future partners!

DVI vs VGA

Chris — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:30:56 +0000

DVI vs VGA is a post from Chris Pirillo

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Quill in the chat room wants to know if there's a way to convert a DVI connection to VGA or, failing that, a way to convert an S-Video port to VGA.

First, don't bother trying to convert S-Video to VGA: it's just not going to be a good experience for you.

If you need to convert DVI to VGA, just pick up a DVI-to-VGA adapter. They're generally pretty cheap – so cheap that most video cards come with a free adapter.

What's the difference between DVI and VGA? DVI is a digital connection, whereas VGA is an analog signal, so you get a slightly higher quality signal with DVI than with VGA.

Generally, you'll find DVI connections on LCD monitors as they handle the video signal in pure digital form, while CRT monitors will use VGA because the video signal remains analog through the entire monitor.

Do you have any recommendations for a good DVI-to-VGA adapter?

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Dual Monitor Duel: DVI Divinity

Chris — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:45:41 +0000

Dual Monitor Duel: DVI Divinity is a post from Chris Pirillo

My love affair with resolution started with my first 14″ CRT monitor – I pushed that sucker to 1024×768 (interlaced) with 256 colors in Windows 3.11. Anything less than that was simply uncivilized. It took years for most users to catch up to that screen size, but I’ve been flying higher than that for quite some time. I only tolerated resolutions smaller than 1600×1200 on laptops.

My desktop is finally alive with a perfect amount of pixels. You might remember a few weeks ago, I was debating LCD monitor choices. Most people informally “voted” for the latest Dell series (3007WFP-HC), which seemed like it would fit the bill (especially with the USB hub and integrated removable media bay).

Given that my readership was largely impressed with what Dell had to offer in terms of LCD screens, I approached them to see if they’d sponsor that part of my videos moving forward. Hey, if we’re going to be filming a high definition tech show in my home office, it’s gotta look the part – right? :) They obliged, and that makes at least three relatively large sponsors for our produced media moving forward: AMD, GoDaddy, and Dell. I’d like to convert TechSmith and Microsoft to an ongoing series, too (but haven’t yet perfected the pitch).

You have no idea what this looks like in real life. Ponzi says: “You have to sit in front of them for it to have total impact. You look like a 2yr old when you sit in front of those screens!” She’s right. These things are larger than life:

If you do the math, that’s 2560×1600 times two. Depending on how we set up the cameras, I may have to move the secondary screen to the left of my primary one (which I may end up doing, anyway – if only for better balance). I’ll have to update this post after Ponzi picks up the video camera to film my graphical giddiness. Thank you, Dell, for supporting our cause!

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.