Large LCD TV vs. Triple Monitor Display

[Guest dabesq]

I am interested in possibly using a 37"+ LCD TV for my primary display on an FSX rig. While I appreciate the resolution is only 1920 x 1080 and you would have to be around 4' from the screen to avoid seeing individual pixels, it seems to me that this would be more immersive than a shorter triple monitor system, especially if used with Track IR. Is anyone flying with this sort of setup? How do you like it? DAB

[january 19]

I am interested in possibly using a 37"+ LCD TV for my primary display on an FSX rig. While I appreciate the resolution is only 1920 x 1080 and you would have to be around 4' from the screen to avoid seeing individual pixels, it seems to me that this would be more immersive than a shorter triple monitor system, especially if used with Track IR. Is anyone flying with this sort of setup? How do you like it? DAB[/quoteDab- Awhile back I experimented a bit with my triple monitor system to see what might be accomplished with an LCD TV as you have proposed. The attached pic shows how you could pack a lot of Sim onto such a screen- in this case triple views AND both Captain & FO panels neatly integrated. My reaction was, not a bad approach- if you have a fairly powerful computer. (While it flew not badly for me, my 6 yr. old AMD 1.8 really wasn't up to the job. The two panels combined soak up a lot of horsepower. And I run FS9 for the same reason.)PMDG 747 aloft near CYVR (Black rectangles are inactive monitors 2 & 3 for this experiment.) You refer to "immersion". From playing with multiple views for some 8 years now, I think I'm pretty safe in saying that immersion comes from the FS display filling one's entire peripheral view- typically close to 180

[Guest dabesq]

Thanks for the great information. I really appreciate hearing from others who have struggled with the same issue. DAB

[Crewecut 1]

Completely agree with january. Running FSX on similar setup, three wide-screen monitors at 4080 x 768. Using Tripple Head2Go Digital Edition (three-way splitter), single high-end graphics accelerator. Using TrackIR in virtual cockpit, never fly 2D, got buttons and leavers programmed. Doesn

[boris4356 4]

I am interested in possibly using a 37"+ LCD TV for my primary display on an FSX rig. While I appreciate the resolution is only 1920 x 1080 and you would have to be around 4' from the screen to avoid seeing individual pixels, it seems to me that this would be more immersive than a shorter triple monitor system, especially if used with Track IR. Is anyone flying with this sort of setup? How do you like it? DAB

I went with a 42" lcd tv instead of a triple monitor system. TH2Go gives you the same field of view width wise as a large wide screen TV, but it lacks in the height department. I sit about 2 feet away from the screen in an enclosed home cockpit, and it gives me total immersion, and I cant see any pixels sitting that close. Others have also noted this as well. The only problem is 1920x1080 makes the gauges in the VC a bit hard to read, I overcome this by using a 24" @ 1920x1200 underneath the 42" to display a 2D gauge panel.The only way a triple monitor system would be better in my opinion would be if you had three separate window views: forward, forward left and forward right, such as January has. This would kill your FPS in FSX though. You would need a few networked PC's to avoid a slide show. I tried it with just one extra 3D window, and it brought performance to a crawl.Bill

[january 19]

I went with a 42" lcd tv instead of a triple monitor system. TH2Go gives you the same field of view width wise as a large wide screen TV, but it lacks in the height department. I sit about 2 feet away from the screen in an enclosed home cockpit, and it gives me total immersion, and I cant see any pixels sitting that close. Others have also noted this as well. The only problem is 1920x1080 makes the gauges in the VC a bit hard to read, I overcome this by using a 24" @ 1920x1200 underneath the 42" to display a 2D gauge panel.The only way a triple monitor system would be better in my opinion would be if you had three separate window views: forward, forward left and forward right, such as January has. This would kill your FPS in FSX though. You would need a few networked PC's to avoid a slide show. I tried it with just one extra 3D window, and it brought performance to a crawl.Bill

Bill- if you drive triple monitors via two video cards, I'm not sure that triple views (LFwd,Fwd,RFwd) will necessarily kill FPS performance. Something strange happens with this configuration: since there is only one CPU, only one monitor/view can be updated at any moment. That means the other two views are static- or if you wish, they have an infinitely high frame rate at that moment. When the three views have been correctly integrated into a single view via bezel adjustment, your eyes & brain only see one very smooth pic. So while the FPS display shows a low number, the whole thing is amazingly smooth. Anything over 12-14 FPS triple mons is just as smooth as 24-30+ single mon on my FS9 setup!!! I have also seen triple mon FSX in operation- looked OK to me.Alex Reid

[Guest MOC]

This is an intersting thought.. I have a 56" screen that I've been trying to work out a way to use as my main display, and then use my 19" LCD underneath it to act as my instrument panel... I have 2 issues, the first being fairly minor in that I need to elevate my 56" display about 18" to get it to the right height. That I can figure out. What I cant seem to figure out is some kind of furniture to hold the 19" monitor, as well as my yoke and throttle quadrant, and then also the keyboard and mouse. If anyone has experimented with this, or has any images of similar setups I would be appreciative! Thanks - See you in the skies!

[january 19]

This is an intersting thought.. I have a 56" screen that I've been trying to work out a way to use as my main display, and then use my 19" LCD underneath it to act as my instrument panel... I have 2 issues, the first being fairly minor in that I need to elevate my 56" display about 18" to get it to the right height. That I can figure out. What I cant seem to figure out is some kind of furniture to hold the 19" monitor, as well as my yoke and throttle quadrant, and then also the keyboard and mouse. If anyone has experimented with this, or has any images of similar setups I would be appreciative! Thanks - See you in the skies!

My computer desk is an interior slab door mounted on steel, utility, folding table legs. The keyboard rests on a plexiglas (could be thin ply) shelf beside the yoke & can be instantly lifted off and placed on a normal slideout KB tray below the yoke for coventional usage. The plexi shelf is mounted to the underside of the "desk" with steel angle brackets bent backwards about 25

[boris4356 4]

Bill- if you drive triple monitors via two video cards, I'm not sure that triple views (LFwd,Fwd,RFwd) will necessarily kill FPS performance. Something strange happens with this configuration: since there is only one CPU, only one monitor/view can be updated at any moment. That means the other two views are static- or if you wish, they have an infinitely high frame rate at that moment. When the three views have been correctly integrated into a single view via bezel adjustment, your eyes & brain only see one very smooth pic. So while the FPS display shows a low number, the whole thing is amazingly smooth. Anything over 12-14 FPS triple mons is just as smooth as 24-30+ single mon on my FS9 setup!!! I have also seen triple mon FSX in operation- looked OK to me.Alex Reid

Hi Alex,I'll have to play around with that concept, as I do have two video cards. It never occured to me to try to incorporate the three views on one large TV screen.Bill

[boris4356 4]

This is an intersting thought.. I have a 56" screen that I've been trying to work out a way to use as my main display, and then use my 19" LCD underneath it to act as my instrument panel... I have 2 issues, the first being fairly minor in that I need to elevate my 56" display about 18" to get it to the right height. That I can figure out. What I cant seem to figure out is some kind of furniture to hold the 19" monitor, as well as my yoke and throttle quadrant, and then also the keyboard and mouse. If anyone has experimented with this, or has any images of similar setups I would be appreciative! Thanks - See you in the skies!

I have my 42" mounted on the wall with brackets at eye level when sitting. I built three stands from MDF that custom fit my three lower monitors, and then bolted them together. The monitors are at a thirty degree angle. On top of the stand I built a glareshield, also from MDF, which is about four inches high. It is five feet long. The stand sits directly below the widescreen.The stand was simple to make. It is basically just 2 sides with a top shelf, and a shelf in the middle that the monitor sits on. I cut the bottoms of the sides at a 30 degree angle instead of 90 degrees. I drilled holes in the middle shelf for ventilation for the two outer CRT's, as I removed the stands from the monitors, and they sit flat on the shelf. The centre monitor is a 24" LCD, and I also removed the stand, and built a retaining frame on the stand that holds it in.By removing the monitor stands, along with the 30 degree angle, it allows you to be able to have your main screen at a more comfortable eye level, and not too high to accomodate the lower monitors.I will try to get some pictures for you.Bill

[january 19]

Hi Alex,I'll have to play around with that concept, as I do have two video cards. It never occured to me to try to incorporate the three views on one large TV screen.Bill

Bill- be aware that triple views on one large screen will probably require some computer horsepower as now the CPU has to render all 3 views per frame.There is a further limitation due to some optical quirks. With separate monitors, you angle the outer mons toward you, so that all three are being viewed at right angles to their center points. In effect then, we have the equivalent of a large horizontally concave monitor. This has the miraculous optical effect of maintaining the horizon as one long straight line as the aircraft rolls! (Sorry- since their are no vertically concave monitors, we have to live with horizon bending in pitch up/down!)So a single large TV with 3 views displayed will experiece "horizon twist" in aircraft roll and pitch modes. Perhaps a projector onto a curved screen would solve the roll aspect. Why not have your very own IMAX ??And I'm pretty sure that a projector onto a "compound" curved screen would solve both roll and pitch alignment problems. (Compound meaning concave in both horizontal and vertical axes. After all that's how we are able, in the real world, to see an airplane overhead. We see the real world as if it were projected onto the inside of a gigantic weather balloon!!!)Alex Reid

[boris4356 4]

Bill- be aware that triple views on one large screen will probably require some computer horsepower as now the CPU has to render all 3 views per frame.There is a further limitation due to some optical quirks. With separate monitors, you angle the outer mons toward you, so that all three are being viewed at right angles to their center points. In effect then, we have the equivalent of a large horizontally concave monitor. This has the miraculous optical effect of maintaining the horizon as one long straight line as the aircraft rolls! (Sorry- since their are no vertically concave monitors, we have to live with horizon bending in pitch up/down!)So a single large TV with 3 views displayed will experiece "horizon twist" in aircraft roll and pitch modes. Perhaps a projector onto a curved screen would solve the roll aspect. Why not have your very own IMAX ??And I'm pretty sure that a projector onto a "compound" curved screen would solve both roll and pitch alignment problems. (Compound meaning concave in both horizontal and vertical axes. After all that's how we are able, in the real world, to see an airplane overhead. We see the real world as if it were projected onto the inside of a gigantic weather balloon!!!)Alex Reid

Hi Alex,Thanks for the info. I do have a pretty powerful computer, but you are right, it would probably bring it to its knees with 3 views on one screen. I also agree with your theory about 3 monitors and proper angling. I still might play around with it somtime just to see what it looks like.Bill

[betelgeuse 41]

AlexI always envy your setup but it doesn't quite fit in with the way I run things at the moment. I have three screens and run FS9. The centre one is widescreen hires for cockpit views, the outer two are ancient CRTs 4x3. I use the Right outer screen for Navigraph charts, ASA weather (via Wide FS) etc. I can switch the view on this screen to another networked PC for IVAO/VATSIM online flying with Teamspeak. The left outer screen is for undocking ATC, FMCs, FSNav, AI views, etc - whatever takes my fancy at the time. The time has past when I need to replace these bulky, rapidly fading CRTs. My question is: Should I replace them with wide screens, bearing in mind that I might go to your type of three mon wide view, and also bearing in mind that FSX has a widescreen capability? Which are the most important monitor specs for flight sim? Resolution? Screen refresh rate? Is there a discernable difference between 2/sec and 5/sec when running FS9/FSX? Thanks for your help. John

[FlightLevel180 0]

I went with a 42" lcd tv instead of a triple monitor system. TH2Go gives you the same field of view width wise as a large wide screen TV, but it lacks in the height department. I sit about 2 feet away from the screen in an enclosed home cockpit, and it gives me total immersion, and I cant see any pixels sitting that close. Others have also noted this as well. The only problem is 1920x1080 makes the gauges in the VC a bit hard to read, I overcome this by using a 24" @ 1920x1200 underneath the 42" to display a 2D gauge panel.The only way a triple monitor system would be better in my opinion would be if you had three separate window views: forward, forward left and forward right, such as January has. This would kill your FPS in FSX though. You would need a few networked PC's to avoid a slide show. I tried it with just one extra 3D window, and it brought performance to a crawl.Bill

Bill, I have a full size LJ45 sim and currently am running only 1 800x600 projector although I own two more projectors at the same resolution. I really only need to purchase a TH2Go, but have considered the benefits of a large LCD/LED TV or even 3 running on a TH2Go. What are your thoughts on running 3 42" screens off of a Triple Head 2 Go? Would there be an issue with the supported resolutions?

[january 19]

AlexI always envy your setup but it doesn't quite fit in with the way I run things at the moment. I have three screens and run FS9. The centre one is widescreen hires for cockpit views, the outer two are ancient CRTs 4x3. I use the Right outer screen for Navigraph charts, ASA weather (via Wide FS) etc. I can switch the view on this screen to another networked PC for IVAO/VATSIM online flying with Teamspeak. The left outer screen is for undocking ATC, FMCs, FSNav, AI views, etc - whatever takes my fancy at the time. The time has past when I need to replace these bulky, rapidly fading CRTs. My question is: Should I replace them with wide screens, bearing in mind that I might go to your type of three mon wide view, and also bearing in mind that FSX has a widescreen capability? Which are the most important monitor specs for flight sim? Resolution? Screen refresh rate? Is there a discernable difference between 2/sec and 5/sec when running FS9/FSX? Thanks for your help. John

John- Best way to answer your questions is describe what I've found while experimenting with multi mons. I started with 3 CRTs: 2 19s & a 17. Worked OK except bezel separation was wider than I liked. Eventually, for reasons of space, I eliminated the 17 CRT for an Acer 17 LCD with 8ms response. It worked so well (with a bit of colour balancing to match the CRT)- that a year ago I bought a used IBM 17 LCD to phase out one of the 19 CRTs. Both LCDs have an 8 ms response and I can see no reason for needing anything faster- even in aerobatics when the scenery moves around pretty quickly! No ghosting whatsoever. All of these are 4:3 ratio monitors and the whole thing fits into a space only 41" wide!!.I think the desired visual objective in flight simming is to create a view that is similar to what a real pilot sees in the cockpit- a very wide but vertically narrow view of the world ahead. Our real pilot will have natural 180