How to play software which requires resolution > 800x600

[abakur]

Case: a graphic software, e.g. game, with 3D animations and avi files, requires 1024x768 but we only have an 800x600 monitor or LCD projector.

We are trying to help a not for profit museum to deploy a kiosk for an interactive application similar to www.tryscience.org

The original configuration of the kiosk included a video splitter box from where one cable would go to a huge Princeton Graphics monitor (for the students to watch) and the other to a touch screen monitor (for the teacher to control the presentation).

For time and budget, the Princeton Graphics 34” 1024x768 Monitors were replaced, for Princeton Graphics 33” 600x800 Monitors.

After paying for the Monitor they realized that the tryscience software doesn’t work properly in 800x600 resolution: after a short multimedia video you get a blue screen with the www.tryscience.org sign.

So we removed the video splitter, added a PCI video card (no AGP port) and connected each monitor to one video card: animations and videos are not shown, no matter how Windows XP Pro (US English) is set; no matter what video card you try.

We tried a standard 32 Mb. video card and a GeForce MX 4000 (128 Mb.) with the same results: it's neither memory nor processor problem.

We tried switching the monitors (Princeton and the cloned touchscreen monitor), re-defining which monitor is main and which secondary, re-defining resolutions, un –cloning, i.e. all possible combinations: no success. The most we get is the screen with the www.tryscience.org sign.

We suspect the tryscience program somehow detects if the final destination has a lower resolution than 1024x768 and doesn’t send video and images, only a screen with the www.tryscience.org sign.

We even tried using the super-video cable of the video card to the Princeton monitor but even if the animations would work, the resolution is too poor (you can’t read the letters) and the avi files would not run in clone mode.

So we think there are 2 possible solutions which don’t require the museum to throw the investment and buy a new monitor much more expensive:

1. Change the parameters of the tryscience application so it accepts lower resolution settings such as 1024x780 for the touchscren monitor and 600x800 for the Princeton Monitor: the software doesn't allow it. We even contacted the develpers without success.

2. Buy or pay for the development of an application (video emulator?) which would act as interface between windows (or the video card drivers) and the tryscience application either by lying about the resolution or by converting the 1024x768 output to 800x600 (As you can see I am not a techie)

Please send any tip or the contact information of anybody which could solve this problem even if getting paid.

Remember: this is for a not for profit museum.

Thanks A LOT
Fred

[mats.hogberg]

Hardware is cheap. Software development expensive. Not to mention independable. Whenever you have a choice betweeen the two, go for the former. Believe me. I make a living doing the latter!
If it works using the touch screen, scrap the big screen, buy a projector that does 1024

/Mats

[abakur]

Dropping the princeton monitors and building another kiosk model means wasting a 3000 dollar investment and losing 2 months.

Software is the only solution, so if you know an already made application (emulator?) or you can program this by yourself please contact me.
corp "at" capitix.com

Another solution is to add another computer which would receive the 1024x768 video from the first computer and change it to 800x600 output. I was told this could be done with linux KDE.

Is there any hardware box which could do this? something like a smart splitter?

thanks
fred

[mats.hogberg]

Unforunately, that's not in my line of programming. But let's see: $3000 would amount to 4 days of work - And I frankly can't see it solved in s/w in 4 days...

/Mats

[thor300]

4 days is plenty. But no need to, i hope, theres many programs that can do what you want if you use another computer. And it does not have to be Linux =)
Used something many years ago, its like a simple freeware terminal server, but i cant remember the name of that program. I post back if i remember more.

[thor300]

Got it, from sourceforge.net, its called VNC, they have an improved client called TightVNC. Freeware ofcourse. Just install it on the main computer, and then during installation you can choose to install the VNC server as a system service.
Must be installed on the "client" also ofcourse, thats the PC you connect that princeton monitor to.
Download here: http://kent.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/vnc-tight/tightvnc-1.2.9-setup.exe