Anyone know of a video solution capable?

iflyvfr

iflyvfr

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I have a user with two flat screen monitors at the office. He has a desktop PC for work and a notebook he uses on the road and for more casual wifi-only surfing. It is air-gapped from the corporate LAN FWIW.

Using an advanced electronic switchbox type mechanism he would like to do this:
  1. Screen 1: Display notebook while simultaneously on
    Screen 2: Display desktop OR
  2. Screens 1 & 2: Display desktop only AND optionally
  3. Screens 1 & 2: Display notebook only
DELL, CDW, and several other places come up empty. Doing both screens simultaneously (options 1 & 2) we already do, it's splitting two vid inputs across two monitors that seems undoable.

Anyone know of anything or a place to check? You guys come up with some pretty good but obscure links to stuff at times!
 
It would likely be a cable nightmare; but you just need a series of video switches. The kind depend on the video feed; HDMI, DVI...
Also, most desktop video cards and Windows/Mac do not handle the switching on/off second monitors very cleanly from a user experience. They just are not designed for this situation.
My suggestion, likely cheaper just to get a third monitor for the laptop.

Tim
 
I'll have my pc support person check the port, could be any including VGA as the Dell XPS 15 is a little older and the PC is 3-5 YO as well. This is the CEO's desk so a 3rd monitor wouldn't fly - our config now is pretty elegant and invisible so it works. It's simply that when he's on the notebook he occasionally misses an email because he's human and forgets to switch back once in a while. Now another C-level wants to duplicate the setup and I was hoping to improve it.

It doesn't seem like it should be a complicated setup for some kind of smart switch box to handle. If it can handle 2 displays, why not 1 of each?
 
Oh man we had a switch that would do all of that but we thought there was no need for it and recycled it.
 
What does his internal monitor on his notebook do when he’s displaying it on two monitors?

Most wont drive three.

Most switchboxes will make the notebook think there’s two externals plugged into it even when one isn’t in use and blank his built in monitor.
 
I’ve not seen a switch that supports multiple inputs and outputs simultaneously. Maybe it exists, but ive never seen one.

Maybe a kvm chained into a couple video switches. It’s hurting my head to think about.

No, even that wouldn’t work simultaneously
 
Salty said:
I’ve not seen a switch that supports multiple inputs and outputs simultaneously. Maybe it exists, but ive never seen one.

Maybe a kvm chained into a couple video switches. It’s hurting my head to think about.

No, even that wouldn’t work simultaneously
Click to expand...

Look at remote data center KVM systems. They are designed for multi input and multi output.
They also are NOT cheap.

Tim
 
tspear said:
Look at remote data center KVM systems. They are designed for multi input and multi output.
They also are NOT cheap.

Tim
Click to expand...
At the same time?
 
denverpilot said:
What does his internal monitor on his notebook do when he’s displaying it on two monitors? Most wont drive three.
Most switchboxes will make the notebook think there’s two externals plugged into it even when one isn’t in use and blank his built in monitor.
Click to expand...
Great question, the notebook remains closed and he's looking at the monitors.

Current config:
The notebook is USB out into a DELL port replicator and from there it's HDMI to DVI into a switchbox, and PC have HDMI out with a cable converter to DVI and from there into the switchbox, then both come out of the switchbox to the DVI port on the monitors.
 
tspear said:
Look at remote data center KVM systems. They are designed for multi input and multi output.
They also are NOT cheap. Tim
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm going to call Black Box next. Thanks for the ideas anyway - let you know what I find.
 
Talked to tech support at BB and the first option was going to be $3k so Tim is right: $$$$. However, after talking it thru he found this solution: https://www.blackbox.com/en-us/store/Detail.aspx/4K-HDMI-Matrix-Switch---4x3/VSW-HDMI4x2-4K for $275 which states:

  • Switch high-resolution video plus audio from two sources to two displays in any combination.
  • Control from the front panel, with the included IR remote controller, or RS-232.
  • Send digital signals to any or all outputs simultaneously.

That certainly sounds like a candidate and the form factor looks decent too.
 
@iflyvfr

Nice find. Yeah, Block Box was expensive, but back when I used them they made good equipment. It has been a couple of years, so I cannot comment on current generation.
The only caveat I had about the company, they changed models a lot. They were great at supporting old stuff, even order old parts and backward compatibility. However it was a pain in the a** to figure out what model to order each time.

Tim
 
Well the deal killer is that the matrix video switch does everything except the keyboard and mouse switching so you either have 2 each on your desk or you have to push an extra button on another switch box. The head honcho doesn't want to be bothered with that (this was always a nice-to-have). But, it can be done if needed. Thanks for your input everyone.
 
Just a word to the wise... every user I’ve ever jumped through all the hoops to set something like this up for, disassembled it and did it some other way within a couple of months.

The simple solution is the best. Make sure he has enough desk space and four cheap monitors. LOL.

There’s almost never an actual NEED for a setup like this. :)
 
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