[rimmi2002]

Is there a way to make a macro to initiate Dual monitor mode. I have my HPTC powering a computer monitor and a TV. Running a 8600gt graphics card with dual DVI.

Each time I used my HTPC I have to open the nvidia control panel and set to dual monitor clone mode. I need a macro function that can work as follows:

For ex: Computer is already turned on and running with computer monitor. I turn on TV and then hit a button on the MCE remote that through an eventghost macro shortcut will turn on Dual Monitor Clone Mode. If there is a way to do this please show me how. Is it save me a lot of trouble of going over and turning on dual monitor mode each time I use my HTPC. Thanks.

[mason]

check out this tool : http://www.12noon.com/displaychanger.htm

in conjunction with eventghost or any other capable tool which is able to remap remote keys to commands you could start a batch script reconfiguring your monitor setup.... same im doing for switching primary to secondary!

[rimmi2002]

check out this tool : http://www.12noon.com/displaychanger.htm

in conjunction with eventghost or any other capable tool which is able to remap remote keys to commands you could start a batch script reconfiguring your monitor setup.... same im doing for switching primary to secondary!

Hi I looked at the program and am a little confused on how to use it. Do you have the code that you use to work it?

I want the program to:

1) Activate Clone Monitor mode with my SR606 (HDMI connected to reciever) as primary and the computer monitor secondary.

2) The if possible at the termination of XBMC go back to single monitor mode with my computer monitor as the primary.

[KoTiX]

You can try the program "Ultramon" too, it's quite easy to use.
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/download.asp

[marirs]

Eventghost can do this natively! No need for other software.

Right click / add macro / system / display / change display settings. Works very well for me. I have a macro that starts dual monitor mode, starts xbmc, and moves it to the right window.

[KoTiX]

how do you move it to the right window?
can you post your macro please?

[mason]

oh i didnt knew that eg supports this natively, thanks for the heads up ... will check it out

[mason]

AWSOME! got exactly what i needed ... and you probably too kotix. heres how it goes :


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i got a dell tft as primary on my workstation, and a samsung lcd in the livingroom connected with the second output on my gfx.

build up your tree like on the screenshot, and check the 'Set Display Preset' under 'Start' - Query your current setting and it should show the devices like that :


[url=http://g.imageshack.us/img102/eg1hh4.jpg/1/]

then switch your primary - secondary display in the settings for your gfx and query again for the 'Stop' Command.

in this case you start your pc it comes up as normal, when the HID Button event occur, it switches your displays from primary to secondary, starts XBMC (dont forget to use the -fs -p command line switches) and Enables the Stop Folder so when you press the button again, it quits XBMC restores your display settings and reenable the Start folder!

perfect ... at least for me ....

[KoTiX]

Uhm i don't know if it will work for me because i'd like to be able to use my pc in the same time i use xbmc for example my wife watch tv while i use the pc, without interfering each other, so no keyboard emulation or mouse movement in the screen i use for xbmc, but of course usable in the other.
Ultramon is doing the job but I liked the idea to use 1 prog for everything. I'll try your setup btw

[mason]

exactly the same setup as mine kotix .. at least when my girl is over.

these hid commands come from a dinovo mini, and are special keys .. so they are not show or interfearing with the rest of windows ... you can acomplish the same thing with a remote and the eventserver of xbmc. . (theres a plugin for eg too). im also using this too successfully with a logitech harmony.

only issue is .. when you open a new applcation on the pc ... it pops up on the first screen where xbmc is and you have to move it to the other screen, but i use ultramon for that too ... not to much of a hassle ..

good luck finding one app for everything = ... btw eg is the closest thing youll get in my eyes .. very powerfull!!

[marirs]

only issue is .. when you open a new applcation on the pc ... it pops up on the first screen where xbmc is and you have to move it to the other screen, but i use ultramon for that too ... not to much of a hassle ..

good luck finding one app for everything = ... btw eg is the closest thing youll get in my eyes .. very powerfull!!

What I do is have a macro that starts xbmc.exe, finds the xbmc window and moves it to the secondary monitor, and the applys a display preset.

This way you don't need to change your primary monitor. In xbmc you do have to go into video settings and specify the resolution of the secondary monitor so it doesn't start up as the size of your primary.

[clemon79]

What I do is have a macro that starts xbmc.exe, finds the xbmc window and moves it to the secondary monitor, and the applys a display preset.

Would you be willing to post how you have this set up in EG? Right now I'm using xbmclaunch to move everything to the second monitor (which is my plasma TV.)

The trick, I think, is that if I run it fullscreen, it wants to stretch the resolution of my primary monitor (which is a 4x3 aspect ratio.) So I don't know if your macro will work, but if I can consolidate everything into one big EG macro instead of the kludge I have now (hotkey to extend desktop to second monitor in Catalyst Control Center, third-party XBMCLaunch, etc.), I suspect I might be able to get everything to work better. Definitely, at the minimum, what I learned tonight about Set Display Preset, assuming it works how I'm thinking it does (get screens how you would want them, then add the macro and Query, yes?) would get the hotkeys and CCC out of the picture, which would be an improvement.

So it would at least be useful to someone like me who is still figuring out what EG can do to have a look at it. Thanks!

-- Chris

[marirs]

Well, I've since hacked up xbmc to always start on the second monitor, so I don't use the eg macro anymore, but I this is how I used to do it:

1) Go into xbmc settings and under video specify the resolution of your second monitor.
2) create the following eg macro:
set display preset (your dual screen configuration)
start program: xbmc.exe
find window: xbmc.exe
move window: (wherever your second monitor starts)
set display preset (becuase if xbmc would have changed your primary display's resolution, and you want to change it back)

and that should be it.

[bigbub]

Well, I've since hacked up xbmc to always start on the second monitor, so I don't use the eg macro anymore, but I this is how I used to do it:

<...snip...>

Marirs, would you be able to describe how you hacked XBMC to do this natively? I would prefer using that vs. a separate program for my dual display setup. Thanks!

[clemon79]

Mm-kay, interesting. I wonder if you can use Move Window to position something "off-screen", as it were. Like, instead of the upper-left corner being at 1280,0, it would be at 1280, -40. The XBMClaunch app does some voodoo to remove the window borders and titlebar from XBMC when it launches it, but it hasn't been 100% reliable for me.

(Actually, that wouldn't work, because it would have window borders hanging over onto my primary display. Damn. Can we get the devs to add in a "launch windowless" command line argument? )

It might be that your solve of "re-do the display resize to get around that stretching bug" might be the way to do it for now. Something to play with today, anyhow.

BigBub: Not sure what you think needs hacked: these are all actions built into XBMC, in the "window" and "display" branches of the tree that comes up when you add an action (or an event for the first time.)