Dual Display - FSX is generally displayed in 2 ways, one using the extended display mode within Windows (which creates one large desktop across the monitor space that you can navigate between with the mouse) or using the duplicated display mode (where both the projector and the monitor will display the exact same single image at the same time).
Extended Mode
If you want to use the Dual Display mode within FSX (where you can customise where items appear in terms of the map and analysis table etc.) there will ordinarily be one display which has black bars at either the side or the bottom if you use displays with different aspect ratios. For instance, a projector at a 4:3 aspect ratio and a monitor at 16:9. You get the black bars as the secondary display in FSX is just replicating the view of the course used on the primary screen - so the black bars fill in the space where the size is different.
To setup Dual Display in FSX you need to configure Windows correctly first, please see the steps below to do this:
- Right click on an open part of the Desktop in Windows and select Display Settings.
- Scroll down to the Multiple displays section.
- From the drop down select Extend These Displays.
- When prompted, select Keep Changes.
You will then be able to configure the Dual Display options within FSX, selecting which screens you want the analysis window on when opened and so forth. You can change which screen is the main screen and which screen certain information displays on.
You must enable this option first, and then on a restart of FSX you will have the additional Dual Display Options.
If the screens aren't setup correctly in Windows initially, FSX may get stuck showing the black loading screen on the initial startup before you have configured the Dual Display options, just press and hold ALT and press TAB to cycle through to the FSX menu thumbnail to then access the correct FSX window with the Menu - it will have just been obscured by the black screen on top.
When configuring dual display the main screen will be the one that your menus etc are on and the secondary screen will be displaying a black background with the FSX Logo. The numbering of the screens does not necessarily correlate with the Windows Display numbers.
I would make sure your projector is set to be the main display in FSX - this way your primary screen with information like your shot number, player name and most importantly the size of the screen should be on and fill the projected image. To make the projector the main display if it is not already:
- Press on the menu button (top right) to get to the Settings then select the Graphics tab.
- Then select the list under Main Display and change this option to the other available option (i.e.: if it reads screen 1 currently, change it to 2 etc - this option won't necessarily match up with any numbering convention in Windows).
- You should then see the menu and Play Compete Improve etc. switch onto the projector screen.
- Finally I would just make sure you have selected full screen which should ensure FSX fills your projected image.
If you have black bars down the side of your monitor image - first you would need to set your resolution for the monitor to the resolution of your projector. As an example, most 4:3 projectors we provide have a native resolution (the highest / best resolution a device can display correctly) of 1024 * 768 pixels, we would always recommend using the native resolution for your projector as your Windows resolution:
- Shut down FSX and return to Windows.
- Right click on an open part of the Desktop in Windows and select Display Settings.
- Select the box with the number inside that represents your monitor (you can see what Windows thinks each monitor is numbered as by pressing the Identify button).
- Scroll down and select the desired Display Resolution and select Keep Changes.
You can then customise the way your display appears on the monitor (to eliminate the black bars) by using the NVIDIA control panel:
- Right-click anywhere on the Windows Desktop that is open and clear.
- Select NVIDIA Control Panel.
- Select Adjust desktop size and position.
- Click on each of the display's icons and ensure that Scaling Mode is set to Full Screen and that Perform Scaling On is set to GPU.
- Press Apply in the bottom right of this Window to apply any changes.
- When the screens have re-adjusted the monitor display should be a little stretched but filling the monitor comfortably.
Duplicated Mode
The most common way customers set their simulator is to have both displays show the exact same image, so if you move the cursor on one, it will move on the other at the exact same time.
If doing this, the first thing I would recommend to avoid confusion is to ensure Dual Display Mode is disabled in FSX:
- Press on the menu button (top right) to get to the Settings then select the Graphics tab.
- Untick the Enable Dual Display box and press apply.
In order to set your multiple simulator displays (projectors, monitors, TVs etc.) to all show the exact same image, you will need to set the Display Settings in Windows to Duplicate, so next:
- Shut down FSX and return to Windows.
- Right click on an open part of the Desktop in Windows and select Display Settings.
- Scroll down to the Multiple displays section.
- From the drop down select Duplicate These Displays.
- When prompted, select Keep Changes.
Your displays for your simulator computer should now all be displaying the same image. We recommend setting the resolution of your duplicated display as the native resolution of your projector - this generally means that the software looks best on the projected image which I would prioritise to give the best simulator experience possible. Again, by way of example - most 4:3 projectors we provide have a native resolution of 1024 * 768 pixels, we would always recommend using the native resolution for your given projector as the Windows resolution:
- Return to Display Settings.
- Scroll down and change the select the desired Display Resolution and select Keep Changes.
The image displayed on your monitor may now have black bars down the side, if constrained by the height of a 4:3 ratio projector image or some such. You can stretch this using the NVIDIA control panel as described above.
As above, when using two differing aspect ratios one image will always look squashed or stretched / have black bars (depending on if you enable the NVIDIA control panel scaling) when you have any difference in aspect ratio - and its generally preferred to have the image set so the projector shows the correct ratio and resolution - then any other monitors can be adjusted alongside.
If you require additional assistance, please email support@optimumcompanies.eu
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