Dual boxing: Double or Big

[Flyhigh1013]

I just found this site and I am very interested in Dual Boxing WOW. I've read the forum quite a bit but haven't found the answer to my questions.

Ok I have two choices

1. Should I use my 32 inch widescreen HDTV to run two wow's side by side? Would I be able to make both game screens large enough so that they don't overlap?

2. Would it be possible to run two wow's on one computer but both on different monitors. Should I go and buy another 19 inch normal flat screen monitor and play two wow's. one computer, two screens. ?

[Xzin]

I just found this site and I am very interested in Dual Boxing WOW. I've read the forum quite a bit but haven't found the answer to my questions.

Ok I have two choices

1. Should I use my 32 inch widescreen HDTV to run two wow's side by side? Would I be able to make both game screens large enough so that they don't overlap?

If you can do a picture by picture then MAYBE. Most HDTVs do not support dual vga inputs. Further, most 32" HDTV screens are not really meant to be monitors. For example, the resolution on a 32" monitor is likely to be the same as a much smaller monitor (only its widescreen). They just make the pixels bigger. The 30" screens actually have 2560 x 1600 resolution (but almost none support 2 images at once). The ones that do (there are 2) cost $7000+ each.

2. Would it be possible to run two wow's on one computer but both on different monitors. Should I go and buy another 19 inch normal flat screen monitor and play two wow's. one computer, two screens. ?

Yes it is. Ideally with two different video cards though. You will need to use some software to enable input to go to both copies of wow, or simply split the input via a macroed alt tab or use two keyboards, etc.

[Flyhigh1013]

I don't think you understand, I would just use the TV as a monitor with one computer, then use the ahk thing to play both accounts on the same machine.

[Xzin]

I gotcha. I don't know the resolution of the HDTV though - might not be ideal but but I thought you meant two PCs, one monitor.

You can certainly play two WoWs on one monitor on one machine. What resolution is your monitor and are you ok playing WoW with half of that per screen? If so then go for it :)

[Flyhigh1013]

here are the specs, What do you think?

Product Specs:
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Brightness: 500 cd/m2
• Contrast ratio: 800:1
• Response time: 16 ms
• Viewing angle: 170 x 170

Inputs/Outputs:
• HDMI input
• VGA (D-sub) input
• 2 Component video inputs (YPbPr/YCbCr)
• S-video input
• Composite video input
• 2 TV/CATV coaxial RF inputs
• 7 audio inputs
• Audio output
• Coaxial digital audio output
• Headphone jack

Product Features:
• 1080i/720p/480i/480p digital compatability
• Progressive scan
• Dual Tuner Picture-in-Picture (1 ATSC, 1 NTSC)
• 3:2 & 2:2 pull-down with motion compensation
• Built-in stereo speaker system with SAP sound (10 watts x 2)
• Simulated surround sound and digital noise reduction
• Bass, balance, EQ and treble control
• Trilingual on-screen display (English, Spanish, French)
• Input and channel label
• Sleep timer
• Closed captioning
• Includes full-function universal remote control and detachable TV stand

[Xzin]

• Resolution: 1366 x 768

That is....

heh

TINY.

Yes, the screen is big and all but you only have a megapixel of resolution there.

To give an analogy, a 30" 2560 x 1600 has over four megapixels and it is smaller than your TV.

So, are you ok with playing WoW at 683 x 768 on each screen? That is almost 800 x 600 - I would guess that would be marginally playable. Which is the problem with using HDTVs as monitors. Give it a shot though, it might work for you but that really isn't much considering how much info WoW throws at you. Your preferences will make the difference here.

[Flyhigh1013]

right now i run at 1024x768. What is the highest resolution i can run wow on with two going at the same time with that tv.

[Boss]

you can run 2 are any res that the tv can handle what X is saying is for them both to be seen on the screen not over lapping you will have to set a low res. I run 2 on my 37" TV at 1024X768 but only look at the edge of the second where I have my bars and unit frames at.

[Xzin]

683 x 768 per WoW

Which is pretty tiny.

Keep in mind that if you dont use WoW Maximizer, you will also have window borders too.

I know this comes across as condescending but I don't mean it that way. Your TV, while I am sure displays HDTV content amazingly, is not a "high resolution" display in the realm of computer monitors.

The fact that it is 32" just means you can sit further back from it. The same goes for 100" screens too. Think about if you blew the original mario up. He would be physically larger but the resolution (number of pixels used to display him) stays the same.

Which is what is happening here.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/2d-sprites-get-massive-for-the-hd-generation/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/222/514676830_8b0df13224_o.jpg

See how the original Ryu looks so tiny? That was how big he was on the original systems. To make him actually look good, they had to redo the entire sprite, to add much more physical pixels. (Ryu on the right).

Does that help any? If you play two WoWs on a 32" HDTV screen, it will look like the "scaled up" Ryu. If you play on a 2560 x 1600 30" Dual Link DVI monitor, you can play both at 1280 x 1600, each of which is larger than most 17" monitors and about the same as a 20.1" monitor.

[Flyhigh1013]

alright well how much will that cost me

[Xzin]

A 30" DL DVI can be had for around $1269. The cheapest source is Dell but Apple, HP, Samsung and others also manufacture them. Only one or two panel manufacturers are used (Samsung has their own - the rest all use the same panel).

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=222-7175

DO NOT purchase refurb units unless you like dead pixels. Trust me - I went through LITERALLY 7+ monitors before I finally sent them all back.

You will have to have a video card that supports Dual Link DVI to use these at full resolution. Any 7600+ or 8 Series Nvidia card should support that but double check first. Most (but not all) 6 series and older do not. You can get a basic 8600 card for around $100. There are even AGP cards that support DL DVI.

[Flyhigh1013]

alright well i decided to get a new monitor, but i don't know whether to get another 19 inch square monitor and use two screens one comp, or should i just get one widescreen high resolution monitor.