DisplayLink technology lets you add another monitor to your computer when the graphics board lacks sufficient ports. Basically, it lets you attach a monitor to a USB port.
This means that you can add a second monitor when your graphics board has just one connector; or a third monitor when you graphics board has two connectors.
I find two monitors very useful: I do my primary work on the larger, higher-resolution screen in front of me, and have email and other utility software displayed on the smaller, lower-resolution screen at the side.
My graphics board supports two monitors; why would I want three? My wife and I enjoy watching Deutsche Welle's English-language tv broadcast over the Internet from Germany. (We don't have cablevision.) A few weeks back I thought it might be nice to change my office so that we watch the broadcast in a tv-like manner (in front of the couch in my office), instead of in a computer-like manner. The problem is that video cables don't stretch the 10-12 feet needed to relocate a monitor.
HP USB Graphics Adapter
I had heard about DisplayLink and wondered if it might be a solution. There is a wireless version available but costs around $200. Several manufacturers make a wired version for 1/3 the price. I ordered the HP model through eBay, since HP Canada does not sell the item through their Web site. HP calls it the "HP USB Graphics Adapter."
I was concerned about the distance over which this device would work, but HP pre-sales support assured me it work with "any" length, but that it worked best when the video cable was as a long as possible (ie, keeping the USB cable as short as possible.)
The USB Graphics Adapter is a small black box about the size of a small cellphone; no buttons, no lights. One end has a miniUSB connector; the other has a DVI (digital video interface) connector for the monitor; a VGA-DVI adapter is included in case you lack a DVI cable or your monitor has only a VGA connector.
Installation and Operation
Installation is trivial. Insert the CD to install the drivers; this adds a button to the taskbar that lets you change some basic parameters, like resolution and screen orientation (like upside down). The Windows own Display dialog box knows that the computer now has a second or third monitor.
Plug in the supplied USB cable into one end of the box, and add more USB extension cables, if need be. Plug the monitor's video cable to the other end of the box. Windows recognizes the added monitor and after a couple of flickers, the new monitor springs to life.
(If it does not work, it could be you added a low-quality USB extension cable. Remove it and see if the video system now works.)
While installation was flawless, DisplayLink itself is not perfect. We noticed a lag in the video so that the Deutsche Welle newsreaders lips did not sync with the sound. I'll ahve to try some things to reduce the lag.
This means that you can add a second monitor when your graphics board has just one connector; or a third monitor when you graphics board has two connectors.
I find two monitors very useful: I do my primary work on the larger, higher-resolution screen in front of me, and have email and other utility software displayed on the smaller, lower-resolution screen at the side.
My graphics board supports two monitors; why would I want three? My wife and I enjoy watching Deutsche Welle's English-language tv broadcast over the Internet from Germany. (We don't have cablevision.) A few weeks back I thought it might be nice to change my office so that we watch the broadcast in a tv-like manner (in front of the couch in my office), instead of in a computer-like manner. The problem is that video cables don't stretch the 10-12 feet needed to relocate a monitor.
HP USB Graphics Adapter
I had heard about DisplayLink and wondered if it might be a solution. There is a wireless version available but costs around $200. Several manufacturers make a wired version for 1/3 the price. I ordered the HP model through eBay, since HP Canada does not sell the item through their Web site. HP calls it the "HP USB Graphics Adapter."
I was concerned about the distance over which this device would work, but HP pre-sales support assured me it work with "any" length, but that it worked best when the video cable was as a long as possible (ie, keeping the USB cable as short as possible.)
The USB Graphics Adapter is a small black box about the size of a small cellphone; no buttons, no lights. One end has a miniUSB connector; the other has a DVI (digital video interface) connector for the monitor; a VGA-DVI adapter is included in case you lack a DVI cable or your monitor has only a VGA connector.
Installation and Operation
Installation is trivial. Insert the CD to install the drivers; this adds a button to the taskbar that lets you change some basic parameters, like resolution and screen orientation (like upside down). The Windows own Display dialog box knows that the computer now has a second or third monitor.
Plug in the supplied USB cable into one end of the box, and add more USB extension cables, if need be. Plug the monitor's video cable to the other end of the box. Windows recognizes the added monitor and after a couple of flickers, the new monitor springs to life.
(If it does not work, it could be you added a low-quality USB extension cable. Remove it and see if the video system now works.)
While installation was flawless, DisplayLink itself is not perfect. We noticed a lag in the video so that the Deutsche Welle newsreaders lips did not sync with the sound. I'll ahve to try some things to reduce the lag.
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