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Multiple Monitors, One Big Display April 14, 2004 Seeing Double Having the hottest graphics chip, more RAM than a room of PCs and a super-fast processor are meaningless if you spend your day squinting at an antiquated tiny screen. Seeing is believing, and the latest displays go beyond just one screen to create a single, large and integrated image out of several smaller monitors. It doesn't matter if you use LCDs, CRTs or projectors, the idea is the same: Line the images up right next to each other to create a mega-monitor capable of showing more detail and dazzling viewers. A multi-monitor array is much like the wall of screens seen at Comdex, the car show, or convention stands that catch the eye and put a lot of information in your face. The difference is that rather than on a show floor, it's on a desk. Having a wall of three or four monitors in front of you can not only help you see things you never thought possible but get the job done better and quicker. While five-foot plasma screens, three-foot traditional cathode ray tube monitors and 40-inch LCDs are as big as it gets, that's just the start if you put several monitors together. All you'll need is a graphics card, a workstation operating system that can handle several monitors at once and some extra space to line up the displays. A little cash won't hurt, because these monster monitors can run upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's better than seeing double, or triple because what was once a crowded workspace can be transformed into a nearly limitless horizon. "Extending the benefits of greater screen real estate through multi-monitor computing is a natural next step for employees who rely heavily on computers for day-to-day tasks," explains Chris Connery, director of marketing and product line management for NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America. The company and James Anderson, the director of graduate studies at the University of Utah's Department of Communication, surveyed 108 students and found that multi-monitoring makes for more relaxed computing and more accurate work. Using several NEC-Mitsubishi LCD screens, he recorded how each participant went about editing documents, spreadsheets, and graphic files and concluded that "multi-screen users get on task quicker, work faster and get more work done with fewer errors compared to single-screen users," says Anderson. While error-free work went up 18 percent, 24 percent of the test respondents felt more comfortable and 39 percent responded that they were able to move among sources of information easier. According to Anderson, the best part is that setting up a multi-screen array has gone from an expensive specialty to an affordable option. "Multiple monitor configurations are poised to become the new standard in the workplace," University of Utah's Anderson adds. Go to page: 1  2  3