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Screen Spanning Doctor Questions

ITASOR

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
Hello everyone, I want to get a few questions cleared up before I decide if I want to use Screen Spanning Doctor on my iBook G4 when it comes. :D

First of all, I understand zapping the PRAM erases the hack, which is good.

Second, can it only span, or will it enable the iBook to mirror to an external LCD at 1280x1024? This is what I really want it to do.

I know spanning cuts your VRAM in half. Is this true with mirroring as well or no? I would think not. In that case, I would really like to be able to mirror to an LCD at 1280x1024. :(

Thanks!
 
C

Cfg5

macrumors regular
Nov 27, 2003
203
0
California
I don't think you'll be able to mirror it at 1280x1024, because I'm pretty sure it would just mirror the resolution on your ibook which is 1024x768. If you use the spanning though you will be able to drive the other display at 1280x1024.
 
ITASOR

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
Cfg5 said:
I don't think you'll be able to mirror it at 1280x1024, because I'm pretty sure it would just mirror the resolution on your ibook which is 1024x768. If you use the spanning though you will be able to drive the other display at 1280x1024.
Click to expand...

Darn, can't PB's mirror like I described though?
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
ITASOR said:
Darn, can't PB's mirror like I described though?
Click to expand...

No, I don't think so. :(

By definition, when you mirror, both of the screens have the same resolution.... So no. Well, a powerbook that can do 1280x1024 (interpolated) on its internal screen can mirror both at 1280x1024. But you can't mirror with different resolutions on the two screens, AFAIK, with any hardware. Without a res-independent UI, how would that even work? What would you be mirroring? :(
 
Mechcozmo

Mechcozmo

macrumors 603
Jul 17, 2004
5,215
2
ITASOR said:
Hello everyone, I want to get a few questions cleared up before I decide if I want to use Screen Spanning Doctor on my iBook G4 when it comes. :D

First of all, I understand zapping the PRAM erases the hack, which is good.

Second, can it only span, or will it enable the iBook to mirror to an external LCD at 1280x1024? This is what I really want it to do.

I know spanning cuts your VRAM in half. Is this true with mirroring as well or no? I would think not. In that case, I would really like to be able to mirror to an LCD at 1280x1024. :(

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Your iBook can mirror natively, so I think it would work despite the higher resolution. The hack will enable you to span, and then use the larger LCD as your primary display.

Well, it just dedicates half your VRAM to each monitor-- but at 1024x768 with Millions of colors, you're using ~4MB of VRAM. That's what I remember... don't know how to figure it out. hehehe...

Mirroring doesn't. It just sends the same command to both outputs possible. No dicing of VRAM required. :D




edit: Well, I certainly type slow when distracted.... :rolleyes:
 
ITASOR

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
Maybe I will sell this LCD (would hate to, it's SO nice) and get one whose native resolution is 1024x768.

Right now it's hooked up to my quicksilver. When I change the resolution to 1024x768....ew....it looks so blurry and horrible, because it's native res. is 1280x1024, hence the point of this thread: to see how I can possible do this.

1024x768 @ millions uses ~4mb? What about when you start doing photoshop though or play a game, doesn't it start using much more. Of course, if I only played it on the one screen, I'm sure it would only use more VRAM on that screen and leave the other one alone.

I guess I could set my ibook on my iCurve next to the LCD and use the hack to span using the LCD as the main display. I'm just worried about overworking the graphics card. :eek:

Decisions decisions...
 
ITASOR

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
I just plugged my dad's laptop from work (toshiba) into my LCD and it let me mirror at a higher resolution than the main one.....

Maybe I'll just use the 12" screen and get used to it, how does that sound!

Does anyone know how spanning from the iBook screen to my 17" LCD @ 1280x1024 will work? Like will exposé be choppy or anything? Dashboard? Simple games (ahhem...Reckless Drivin')?
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
ITASOR said:
I just plugged my dad's laptop from work (toshiba) into my LCD and it let me mirror at a higher resolution than the main one.....
Click to expand...

Any chance you can post a photo or explain what that looks like? I mean... either there has to be missing / blank space on one of the two screens, or one of them has to extend off the bottom or side of the screen. I don't understand how this would work? They're both showing the same screen, but they're at different resolutions? :eek:
 
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