What is your opinion about this request? (quite long)

[Mikko]

Hi!

I just sent a request to Matrox Sales Department about adding a feature to the Parhelia display drivers,
that would give you an option for using the third monitor as a primary display in WinXP/2000.
It would improve the situation regarding the "banding" issue with analog monitors.

What's your opinion about this?



"Dear Sirs,

We had a little conversation with Haig and RichieG at Matrox Tech Support
Forums regarding on playing games on monitor #3 while in TripleHead:

http://forum.matrox.com/mgaforum/Forum10/HTML/005312.html

and

http://forum.matrox.com/mgaforum/Forum8/HTML/001777.html

I would kindly ask you to implement a possibility of using the third monitor
as a primary display on WinXP/2000 into the Parhelia display drivers. Haig
has already confirmed that it can be done, but currently there is no code
and proper escape calls for this feature in the drivers. For the most, I
wish this could be done at least for multi-display modes like "TripleHead
stretched" and "DualHead + TV-out". A switch in the PowerDesk software would
be very nice, but I would also be satisfied, if I could edit some
Windows-registry entries manually!

The reason for this request: It would make the interference issue (so
called "banding") with Parhelia in 3D-applications a lot less annoying.
Because I have noticed that monitor #3 doesn't have that "banding" effect
(because of the external RAMDAC), I have already changed my monitor sequence
using PowerDesk's "Re-order displays" feature. After that, I have also
swapped the monitor cables on monitors #1 and #3. Now, when I play games
using Surround Gaming resolutions, I have that "banding-free" display #3 in
the middle, while the left/right displays (#1 and #2) still have that
"banding" effect. However, it doesn't matter too much, because obviously you
look at the middle display almost all the time.

I can also play SingleHead-games on that very same "banding-free" middle
screen, as long as they could be run in a windowed mode. If the game won't
start in a window, it will jump into the monitor #1 (witch I actually have
on the left now instead of middle) and there's that "banding" again. This is
the reason for asking this feature from you. If the Windows operation system
would recognise the third monitor as a primary display, the games would
start in full screen in the middle display and the image would be crystal
clear without any "banding".

This feature might not work for those, who have a digital screen as a
monitor #1, but it certainly would help many Parhelia users with analog
monitors only!



Yours faithfully,

Mikko Lahtinen, a home-user from Finland

P.S. You can reach me also at Matrox Tech Support Forum on those threads
mentioned above (nickname MatroxRulez)..."

[3dfx]

Well if it is possible then GREAT! Though since it is an external dac will you loose any quality ?? but if it got rid of banding I'd definatley support it tbh

[borat]

i whole heartedly support this. any noticable downside?

[Mikko]

Can't think of any. However, I'm not so sure how far you can pump up the resolution and refresh rates on monitor #3.

[DGhost]

not all that high. I believe 1600x1200 is the max theoretical out of the 3rd DAC and you can't run gigacolor on it iirc.

the way it was designed may not allow for more than 1280x1024 on that head though.