Render Real Time to Extended Monitor Questions

[Dave Labrecque]

Bob,

1) When I turn this on, my right monitor goes black, and then nothing appears there, even as the video viewer shows the video as it should. Any ideas?

2) My hope is to use a video card or cards that will give me at least three monitors of extended desktop. Will I be able to force this option to display video on monitor number 3? Or will it only render to monitor 2, which will be my "middle" monitor?

[Bob L]

There has been a problem discovered and the render will not work on Win 7... I have been searching the code, but Win 7 has done something that blocks the DirectDraw output to the second monitor...works great on XP... that's what we are using on all the show machines that do the multiple video streams using this technique.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

There has been a problem discovered and the render will not work on Win 7... I have been searching the code, but Win 7 has done something that blocks the DirectDraw output to the second monitor...works great on XP... that's what we are using on all the show machines that do the multiple video streams using this technique.

Bob L

Oh. :o

And if/when you get it working on Windows 7, will it be assignable to monitor #3 (left to right), or will is be limited to monitor #2?

[Bob L]

I can try to extend to monitor 3 and 4 as well... but first I have to find an answer to how Win 7 messed with multi-monitor DirectDraw stuff.

Apparently lots of programs having trouble... including Edius Video Editor... still searching for answers... anybody have the trick... please let me know... probably some kind of function call flag or registry tweak somewhere.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

I can try to extend to monitor 3 and 4 as well... but first I have to find an answer to how Win 7 messed with multi-monitor DirectDraw stuff.

Apparently lots of programs having trouble... including Edius Video Editor... still searching for answers... anybody have the trick... please let me know... probably some kind of function call flag or registry tweak somewhere.

Bob L

I see. Bummer. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Meantime... I just tried moving the Video Viewer over to my monitor 2, and it doesn't work over there. I'm guessing I'll have the same result trying to go to monitor 3, when I have such a thing. I remember this from a long time ago. But I don't remember if there's a way to enable another monitor for the Video Viewer. Can't find anything in the Help file. Is there a way?

I seem to recall other programs had the same limitation for displaying video a few years back, but these days, other programs seem to have no issue with displaying video on the second monitor.

[Bob L]

As I said Dave... Win 7 has caused grief with DirectDraw on anything except the primary monitor... people using DirectDraw surfaces in Win 7 (as the video viewer does) are running into this. I still have not found a fix... lots of forum discussions and complaints out there... many of the gamers are having issues with their favorite games... which most all use DirectDraw to do graphics.

XP works fine with the same code... not sure what Win 7 wants different.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

As I said Dave... Win 7 has caused grief with DirectDraw on anything except the primary monitor... people using DirectDraw surfaces in Win 7 (as the video viewer does) are running into this. I still have not found a fix... lots of forum discussions and complaints out there... many of the gamers are having issues with their favorite games... which most all use DirectDraw to do graphics.

XP works fine with the same code... not sure what Win 7 wants different.

Bob L

I see. I didn't know the "render to" option and the Video Viewer were victim to the same issue. I guess I see why the firewire option is getting such use around here. For Win7 users, anyway.

[Dave Labrecque]

Looks like I have some long ADR sessions this weekend. Gotta scramble. I experimented with the video slave option. Looks like I can use my laptop to duplicate the video for the voice booth. Hopefully the 'slave sync latency adjust' will get me to where I need to be for lip sync. I suppose that's what it's meant for.

[Bob L]

Further searching did discover something to try...

Windows 7... go back to the standard Win 7 theme... then just disable the Border Padding by setting to zero... now it seems the DirectDraw will render to the extended monitor #2.

Still trying to figure out why... but that may get you going for now.... Thanks to Frank Farrell for that discovery. :)

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

Further searching did discover something to try...

Windows 7... go back to the standard Win 7 theme... then just disable the Border Padding by setting to zero... now it seems the DirectDraw will render to the extended monitor #2.

Still trying to figure out why... but that may get you going for now.... Thanks to Frank Farrell for that discovery. :)

Bob L

That's great news! Thanks, Bob. And thanks, Frank! :)

Interestingly, even though I have my border padding set to zero already, along with disabling of the Aero stuff, for some reason it wasn't working. However, when I went back and built my theme over again, starting with the "Windows 7 Basic" theme and setting border padding to zero, it worked. :D Note that "Windows 7 Basic" has the Aero stuff turned off by default, IIUC.

My working theory is that I had started with the "Windows 7" theme last time, and disabled stuff from there. Maybe there's some other setting(s) in "Windows 7 Basic" that also play a role. That might be another clue to refining your search, if you're interested.

UPDATE: Well, for the heck of it, I just switched back to my previous theme, and now it works fine. :confused: So, I'm stumped. But happy. :)

So, Bob... what are the chances of getting monitor 3 and perhaps monitor 4 addressable via the 'render realtime to extended monitor' feature in the near future? :cool: (gotta ask)

[Dave Labrecque]

On a semi-related note... after I'd switched to a modified 'Windows 7' theme, but before I'd disabled the Aero stuff, when I started SAW, I got this prompt:

http://www.labrecquecreativesound.com/SAW_Stuff/Aero%20disabled%20prompt.png

Interesting. I've never seen this before. Maybe it's because I changed SAW's EXE to run in XP SP3 compatibility mode after turning off Aero as I was tweaking my new system initially? Just a guess.

[Bob L]

That message is what is needed to make it work... the Aero stuff has to be on... then when the video opens in SAW, it triggers Windows to change the color scheme and that seems to be what fixes the DirectDraw... when you exit SAW the color scheme changes back... you will notice the screen flashes black for a fraction of a second.

Now I am trying to figure out exactly how to get that color scheme set all the time so there is no need for it to change.

Suprisingly, mine will not work on the Win 7 Basic theme... only one of the Aero themes... then change the border padding... then get that message when the video viewer loads the video and activates DirectDraw... crazy.

Perhaps some of the Win 7 experts here can shed some light.

If I can lock in a solution for this, then I will look at extending the code to look at the third and fourth monitor.... one thing at a time.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

That message is what is needed to make it work... the Aero stuff has to be on... then when the video opens in SAW, it triggers Windows to change the color scheme and that seems to be what fixes the DirectDraw... when you exit SAW the color scheme changes back... you will notice the screen flashes black for a fraction of a second.

Now I am trying to figure out exactly how to get that color scheme set all the time so there is no need for it to change.

Suprisingly, mine will not work on the Win 7 Basic theme... only one of the Aero themes... then change the border padding... then get that message when the video viewer loads the video and activates DirectDraw... crazy.

Perhaps some of the Win 7 experts here can shed some light.

If I can lock in a solution for this, then I will look at extending the code to look at the third and fourth monitor.... one thing at a time.

Bob L

Interesting. For what it's worth -- I'm now on the Windows 7 Basic theme (my variation of it) continuously, and the render-to-extended function works consistently. And, of course, no switching of the settings or that prompt when I open SAW. So, for me, it sounds like it's working as you'd like it to. Anything you'd like me to check in terms of my settings? :confused:

Have you tried...

1) apply the Windows 7 Basic theme
2) set border padding to zero
3) save the theme (at least that's what I did)
4) Open SAW and give it a go

I also changed my desktop wallpaper, but I doubt that's related.

[Bob L]

I did try that order of events... no go... although my system does have SP 1 for Win 7 on it... perhaps that breaks it for the Win 7 Basic theme.

It also could be video card driver dependent I suppose.

Bob L

[averombri]

Bob,tried the last trick you said,and works fine but my second screen switched off and blinks the power light as if no second monitor exists on the computer,just around 20 seconds after starting the SS session containing a video
just for your info
Ezequiel.

[Bob L]

Isn't Win 7 fun. :)

Bob L

[MMP]

You guys are not making me want to upgrade any time soon.


Regards,


MM

[Dave Labrecque]

I did try that order of events... no go... although my system does have SP 1 for Win 7 on it... perhaps that breaks it for the Win 7 Basic theme.

It also could be video card driver dependent I suppose.

Bob L

Weird.

I have Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. I'm using the integrated graphics on my i7 2600. FWIW.

New wrinkle: I came in this morning, having NOT turned off my computer since yesterday, and I can see through all my title bars. I do not remember seeing this before I left last night. Looks like Aero turned itself back on somehow during the night.

And today it looks like my system is behaving like yours in all the ways it was doing it's own thing yesterday. Very odd. :confused:

[Bob L]

More Win 7 fun... we could be witnessing the birth of self-aware computers... watch out. :)

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

More Win 7 fun... we could be witnessing the birth of self-aware computers... watch out. :)

Bob L

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qnd-hdmgfk :eek:

[Sean McCoy]

You guys are not making me want to upgrade any time soon.


Regards,


MM
My thought exactly.