MBA with Dual Monitors - What's changed?

[nc11]

So I got my new 13" MBA connected to 2 Dell monitors, using a Matrox DP adapter. With 10.8 I've used the matrox software the extend the display across the 2 screens and managed the positioning of the windows between the two.

I've upgraded to 10.9 DP3 hoping I'll be able to use the 2 monitors as two separate displays, where I can drag a window to one, expand its view to full-screen and continue that with other windows, swapping between those with a swipe.

I'm baffled as to how that would work though! everything I've tried so far does not yield the right result. The only thing I can do is mirror the display on the two monitors. Coming to OSX from windows this is quite frustrating...

Does anyone has any ideas? Am I missing a trick here? I know that I can probably get this to work if I'll swap the monitors to TB ones, but that's not an option.

Thx,

NC

 

[ilkhan4]

The problem is likely the Matrox DP adapter. Which model do you have? Are you still running the Matrox software on 10.9?

 

[nc11]

Its the dualhead2go running on 10.9 dp3

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Oh and the MBA is of course in clamshell mode...

 

[jdechko]

The Matrox DualHead & TripleHead products don't work that way.

Creates a stretched desktop of 3840x1200 (2x1920x1200) across two displays

You have 2 monitors, but the computer only sees it as a single monitor. So when you tell an app to go "Full screen" on the external screens, for all the computer knows, there is a single 3840x1200 display.

You will need some window resizing utility (like Moom) to manage the windows in the way you are asking.

 

[nc11]

So there's no way to create 2 separate external displays? is there any other product that will enable that? Seems like a big miss if that's the case!

 

[jdechko]

So there's no way to create 2 separate external displays? is there any other product that will enable that? Seems like a big miss if that's the case!

Not that I know of while using the Matrox. It's a limitation inherent to the product's design. As far as options:

1) Continue using your setup. Buy a license for Moom and set it up so that there are commands to expand the window to half a display each (half of the combined monitors equals 1 full monitor). Abandon the idea of using built-in fullscreen modes

2) Buy a TB-DVI adapter and a USB display link adapter. Upside is 2 independent monitors that you already own. You can use the built-in fullscreen mode. Downside is the Matrox is now
useless and you "waste" a USB port on a second monitor.

2b) Buy the USB Display link adapter. Hook it up to one monitor and continue using the Matrox for the other monitor. Upside is the same as (2) plus you are using the Matrox. Downside is the "wasted" USB port.

3) Buy 2 thunderbolt displays. Abandon all of your existing equipment.

 

[JoeyCloverfield]

So there's no way to create 2 separate external displays? is there any other product that will enable that? Seems like a big miss if that's the case!

What you need is a thunderbolt hub that has two different video outputs. Unfortunately, all the hubs I know about are all "Coming Soon" and relatively expensive. Something like this where you can use the second thunderbolt port as a mini-displayport.

You can also try USB to HDMI, but I hear that comes with performance issues.

 

[nc11]

OK, have ordered a USB > DVI adapter and will try and connect as suggest. Will report back once it's done...

 

[nc11]

A quick update on this... Bought a displaylink hdmi > usb 3 adapter.

Current setup is:

MBA in clamshell mode
Dell p2110 dvi --> tb
Dell p2110 dvi --> usb3

Both monitors are identified and working. The tb one is great, but the usb adapter degrades the performance significantly and there's a noticeable lag in everything, especially mouse movements. For me that's unusable.

Back to square 1 I guess. Any other suggestions?

Cheers,

NC

 

[Inconsequential]

A quick update on this... Bought a displaylink hdmi > usb 3 adapter.

Current setup is:

MBA in clamshell mode
Dell p2110 dvi --> tb
Dell p2110 dvi --> usb3

Both monitors are identified and working. The tb one is great, but the usb adapter degrades the performance significantly and there's a noticeable lag in everything, especially mouse movements. For me that's unusable.

Back to square 1 I guess. Any other suggestions?

Cheers,

NC

jdechko has listed your options.

The MBA wasn't designed to do what your doing bar via Thunderbolt.

 

[jdechko]

There is another, slightly cheaper alternative than buying 2 thunderbolt displays. Given the way that thunderbolt handles multiplexing (is that the right term) data and video signals, you need something to repeat/recreate the video signal once it's been stripped out.

I think I've read that something like this will work:

MBA -> TBD -> Any other thunderbolt device -> MDP monitor.

I'll see if I can find a source.

EDIT: It was anandtech, just like I thought: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4832/the-apple-thunderbolt-display-review/8

However, if you connect another Thunderbolt device that uses Light Ridge you can split any additional DisplayPort signals out of the chain. In other words, if you connect the Thunderbolt Display to a Promise Pegasus you can then chain on another DP panel. If you own a 27-inch Cinema Display and were hoping to add the Thunderbolt Display to it on the same Thunderbolt chain, you will need another TB device in between.

Still requires spending some cash, but not as much as buying 2xTBD