TechBlog from Sewell

12/17/07 Update: The newest version of the driver (available here) now supports Windows Vista Aero effects. You do not need to do anything with your hardware - simply download and install this newest driver and you’ll be running Vista Aero on your additional displays in no time.

Note: We got a very interesting and informative comment from a representative of DisplayLink, which makes the chip in the USB to DVI external video card, explaining some crucial points of the USB to DVI’s capabilities:

- this page mentions a limit of displays up to 20″ - that’s not really true - it will support any display up to 1600×1200 or 1680×1050 (wide), regardless of the panel size. For instance, most 22″ panels these days are 1680×1050 and this resolution is compatible with this adapter.

- The big thing about our technology is its low-latency; that’s what DisplayLink does best. The USB connected display will feel like a DVI connected display in almost every respect, and it will get better quality than VGA especially at high resolutions. This isn’t anything like previous generations of USB to video products.

- Support for Vista Aero is coming soon - we have demonstrated this at WinHEC this year:

http://www.displaylink.com/news/news150507.htm

Special thanks to Jason at DisplayLink for the update. Hey Jason: any word on Mac compatibility?

So, we love our new-found USB to DVI External Video Card. Well, the news just gets better and better and we’ve come to really appreciate her older sister (yes, design this brilliant deserves a feminine pronoun in personifying a PC adapter….), the USB to DVI High Res version.

The new addition boasts two big time features that the low-end model simply doesn’t have. First off, it obviously (by its name) supports a higher resolution, up to 1600×1200. This means you get a clear picture on any display up to 20 inches.

The second major difference between the low and high res versions is that the high resolution USB to DVI video card will let you use MULTIPLE adapters on a single computer. That’s right - you can add up to 5 additional displays from a computer with available USB ports. Sounds too cool to be true, right? It’s not. I tested it just this afternoon. And I even have photo-proof (you’ll have to trust me on this since I recognize it would be pretty easy to duplicate this scenario without actually driving displays via USB). Want to see?

Neat stuff, right? It’s a beautiful thing, too, since the USB to DVI high res is a pretty affordable solution at about $150/unit. (Compare that to the VTBook which retails at $230 and maxes out at 2 additional displays)

I was quite the skeptic regarding what it would actually be able to do when using multiple displays, but I was very impressed when I actually tested the adapters. I was able to do my regular work stuff, navigating between FireFox, Outlook, etc. while running (on the 3 monitors in the distance) an instance of Windows Media Player full screen at 1600×1200, a video in FLV player at full screen, and a YouTube video in FireFox. I was very impressed as all the videos ran fine. I’m not running a supercomputer either. This was all driven by a Dell Inspiron 9400 with 1 gig of RAM, an Intel Core2Duo @ 1.73 GHz.

The bottom line? Check out the USB External Video Card over at Sewell Direct.

This adapter would work well with a touch screen monitor as well.

A lot of people want to add another monitor to their laptop - up until now the best choice was a VTBook. The VTBook is a PCMCIA card that gives you a true digital DVI port out - very cool, but also pretty expensive ($230) and it only offers 32 MB onboard RAM.

Sewell, however, now offers the best of all worlds with a brand new USB to DVI Adapter. This allows you to add another monitor to a laptop or a desktop without dealing with awkward cards. With 128 MB of RAM you can drive a display up to 1280×1024.

The adapter features a DVI port but also comes with a DVI to VGA converter in case you want to use it with a VGA monitor - with technology this good (and cheap - $120!), nobody has an excuse not to drive multiple monitors.

Do you have a dvd player or computer with HDMI or DVI that you want to hook up to your TV’s HDMI port but you don’t want the mess of a cable to go the distance?  Our Wireless HDMI extender, part number SW-6934, is exactly what you are looking for.  Just plug in your dvd player, or using a DVI to HDMI cable plug your computer into the sender unit and it will transmit a wireless signal to a reciever unit that connects to the HDMI port on your TV.  It supports 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i resolutions.  It can trasmit your digital signal up to 60 feet away. 

We have a whole line of Environmentally friendly video cables and the question often comes up about what makes the difference.

Environmentally friendly cables use a PVC replacement called “Termoplastic Polyester Elastomer” or TPE. TPE has two big advantages. First, it’s biodegradable. If you just through the cable away the normally corrosive PVC found in other cables won’t be there to pollute and the TPE will naturally return to dirt.

I know what you’re thinking, “Doesn’t that mean the cable is weak?” The answer is no, it takes a fairly long time for TPE to bio-degrate and that’s in outdoor conditions where it’s subject to the elements. The cable will definitly last a long time in your home theater.

The second advantage to non-PVC cables is that they can be recycled. Unlike PVC, TPE can be remelted down and put into new cables. Currently Sewelldirect carries both PVC free HDMI to DVI cables and PVC free HDMI cables.

There are, of course, some disadvantages. Actually, just one, they’re more expensive. As far as video and audio quality go PVC free HDMI cables have very similar quality to other high-quality HDMI cables.

We’ll be adding to our environmentally friendly line more and more in the following weeks. Keep an eye on our Environmentally friendly page to see the new additions.

Just checking around at my favorite review sites over the weekend, when I stumbled upon a review of the VTBook at PC Perspective. For any consumer looking to add an additional DVI port to their laptop this is a great solution. Please take note however that this is only for the PCMCIA slot and will not work with the new Expresscard slot on newer laptops. Expect a solution for the Expresscard slot to come soon.

PC Perspective Village Tronic VTBook Review

Sold for $229.95 at Sewell Direct

Yesterday I got my new video cards! At the present moment they are the fastest video cards that money can buy. Over the next few weeks I will update the tech blog with details and pictures of the high end rig I am building for Windows Vista Ultimate!

System Specs:

Silverstone Temjin T-J09 Tiki Edition
PC Power and Cooling 1KW PSU
ASUS Striker Extreme 680i
Intel Core 2 Quad QX6700
CoolIT Systems Freezone
Corsair Dominator PC-9136 DDR2 1142 4×1GB
EVGA 8800 GTX KO ACS3 x2 SLI
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty
Western Digital Raptor X 150BGx2 Raid 0
Gateway FPD2185W 1680×1050–Soon to go 24
Logitech G7 Wireless Gaming Mouse
Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard

Here are list of graphics cards that work with the DVI to Component Video adapter, part SW-4041. I got this information from the ATi and NVidia product pages.

Well, the Tikiman and I are always battling it out as to what video cards are better. Well, I’d like to hear what card he thinks is the best for regular people (non gamers) and why. My personal opinion is as follows:

I like the HIS ATI Radeon X800XL IceQ II 256MB (256bit) GDDR3 PCIe DVI &TV. First of all it won’t cost me an arm and a leg to buy it (its around $120 after the rebate). Also, it comes with a VGA port to connect to my older analog monitor, and a DVI port to connect to my newer digital monitor. Not only that, it comes with a cable so that I can connect my HDTV to my computer. It will keep my computer nice and cool because it has its own cooling system. And if I decide to get two, then i can crossfire them together for even better performance. Also, it has an ATi chipset. We all know that ATi stands for the best.

So, what have you to say, my little friend?

Well, the question has been asked enough times. “Will a Dell 30 inch dual link display work under single link modes?” Dell’s site explicitly says that a Dual Link video card must be used with this monitor. We called up Dell, and none of the people we talked to seemed to know. Since none of us have that monitor we just kept wondering. One of our customers called up today and wanted to use his 30 incher in single link mode. We asked him if he had tried it. He said no, and then tried it while I was on the phone. It worked great. He said it looked best at 1280 X 800.

One of the big bonuses to the HDMI connection has been the integrated video and audio. This has created a giant headache for early hi-def adopters who now have a bunch of DVI equipment that require a separate audio connection to get the full multimedia experience. Since HDMI was released, there have been several DVI to HDMI converters, however, none of these converters could convert the additional sound input into a true A/V HDMI signal - a separate audio cable was still required. Enter Gefen’s DVI Audio to HDMI Adapter. This sweet piece of equipment is one of the first to convert separate DVI and audio signals into a single true HDMI signal with audio and video, compatible with virtually any HDMI display. Really, what more needs to be said?