Building a surround monitor

[Drizzt]

I was thinking on the problem (in my view of things) about surround gaming: even if I can afford three monitors, they will always be visually too much separated to really look good.

So, next step, I've thougt the solution is LCD monitors, they have a little frame around, so the look is really better. But the cost...


After this, thinking about the time I wrote casino' games and build those "coin-op", I've had a couple of alternative ideas that can be interesting for everybody:
1) Buy three cheap monitor: maybe three used 15 can fit. Take them and remove the frame (we did this for the casino' machines). Then put them near and build a unified frame. That should work similar to the LCD solution, but really less expensive.

2) The best but most complex solution: build a normal three monitor solution. Then, build a frame with a few glasses in it to change it into a "one surface only" device. Using the correct glasses and lens, you can even use three different monitors and transform them into the same size.


Anyone want to try one of the above?
(I'm going to try all the two when I'll have time)

[mutz]

Hi Drizzt!

Might save you time, and maybe even money to go to:

http://www.panoramtech.com/products/index.html

[mutz]

...sorry, maybe I missed something. You mean building your surround system with CRTs?

[Drizzt]

Yes. Both methods are cheap and really effective. I'm searching for the physical formulas for the second method, then I'll start working on it.

[WyWyWyWy]

Can you really do that?
I always think the frames are there for a reason!
Like, they might be used to reduce reflection from the sides to the front, or might be used to put some material (foil?) in it to prevent interference?

[Wombat]

Building with CRTs would suck. Not only is the mu-metal and other shielding important, but also CRTs have an inch or two of glass border that is unusable for display - that's why you see things like <I> 19" monitor - 17.9" viewable </I>.

[Drizzt]

Removing the frame cause no problem. I've built a few hundreds of systems in the past without the frame. They are mostly needed to keep together the monitor, nothing more nothing less.

About the inches of glass around, yes, they are there, but they are about 1,5 inch. While the plastic frame is a bit bigger.

[KvHagedorn]

I don't think ANYONE would save money by buying a Panoramatech. Those things are very expensive, and not really the best for visual quality, from what I've heard.

[az]

I think drizzt just means removing the plastic case, which might work, but won't, as wombat pointed out, create something even alike to thin-bezel TFTs (smallest one I've seen were 12mm), much less "one monitor made out of three screens".

AZ

[mutz]

...two points. Drizzt, you're gonna need a crane to move those things around, second, Kv, the point of the Panoramtech link was that Drizzt would forget about the project and save money that way, eh?

[az]

mutz: But eh wouldn't save money

There are cheaper (and better) solutions than thos from panoramtech. They were discussed here a month or so before you registered

AZ

[GT98]

Check out dell...they sell 15 and 18in tri-LCD Montiors, but they are $2000 and $3700 respectively and lack DVI inputs

[WyWyWyWy]

Tri-LCD for $2000!? Hey that's quite cheap actually... any link?

[SitFlyer]

a Dell link:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productlisting.asp?customer_id=19&category_id=212

[testjoe]

Hah.. Dell at it again re-selling others' stuff and trying to make it appear as their own.. though perhaps not all-the-way in MassMultiples' case, but definitely in other cases like Samsung's LCD's rebadged as Dell LCD's (i.e. Samsung 181T = Dell FP1800, 191t = fp1900) .. Ofcourse Apple does the same thing with their Cinema Displays trying to appear innovative yet only just rebadging LG monitors.

In any case, as for surround LCD's, I ended up building my own mount after feeling that the cost of an off-the-shelf system didn't justify what amounted to an expensive mount. I have screenshots of my setup in a separate thread here . I could post a picture or two of the back if I get a chance - but its basically a seamless set of 3 eizo 18.1" lcd's (very thin bezels) and I didn't bother to take the frames off because I didn't want to get that crude, especially in case I decided to sell them in favor of different or larger ones I didn't want it to be a giant project to have to UNDO upon selling. I basically did a little welding and metalworking to build a single-arm 2-joint mount that allows tilting/extending and anything I could want in any direction, all for about $15.00 in raw materials... If that weren't enough, the mounting hardware is so discreet that they appear to be 'hovering' above the desk if you take a look at the photos at that link. It sure beat buying three separate arms from Ergotron for $300 a piece.

I researched companies like 9Xmedia.com, Massmultiples, and a couple others I can't recall the names of anymore (one started with a D that was like four letters and they built custom LCD solutions).. That may be a source but its not that hard to build your own.. I suppose I could post some DIY plans if I ever got the time or anyone was interested..

By the way, the reason that one can't simply go "glass-to-glass" so to speak on most LCD's if one were to remove the bezel (frame) is because most LCD's active pixel area doesn't extend all the way to the end of the LCD surface - they stop at the beginning of the frame, so there's not much point since with or without the frame you've got a dead margin (area) anyway .. Thats why companies like 9Xmedia still have borders between their multi-LCD frames though they'd surely love to get rid of them but all they're doing is taking LCD's from single-frame monitors so thats why. There's also the issue of having to move a side-mounted lamp to the bottom or top if one really wanted to get rid of a wide bezel to go to a narrower custom bezel or no bezel at all - its a LOT of work.

So in conclusion there are several companies that have seen this niche need and taken off-the-shelf LCD monitors from major manufacturers, taken them apart and installed them into their own custom multi-screen mounts, then turning around and charging extortion prices, but I don't like being locked into something that inflexible if god forbid I decide to change monitors to some other brand or size. I'd advise building ones own, getting separate arms, or building one's own..

Joe T.