docking/undocking multi monitors

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Hello to you all,

I hope that I am in the right forum here but if not, Moderators please feel free to move it.

My query is basically aimed at AEFS2 and XPlane but it is also a general query. AEFS2 and XPlane specifics will be directed to their own forums as well.

Many of you will be reasonably familiar with me and my FS2004 cockpit set up and my numerous, and so far, unsuccessful ,attempts to duplicate my multimonitor set up in other platforms ie FSX, FSX-SE, P3D and XPlane.

For all of you guys and girls who are into the technical side of things, I would like to know just how hard it is and briefly what is involved, in setting up and/or creating a pop-up screen and then undocking it to another monitor.

I recently saw a video on this forum featuring AEFS2 and five monitors. These monitors were set up as a forward view and stretched over the five monitors in much the same ways as triplehead2go handles the forward view. It was impressive but not what I am trying to achieve. The topic, for those interested was "time to let go FS9"

I subsequently contacted AEFS2 and was advised as follows::

"aeroflyfs still have one video channel as an output. Any displays on several monitor swill be stretched. We will forward your suggestions to the development team for their future consideration" 

I am wondering what the "one video channel" has to do with it ... how hard is it to create another one and, how many video channels would be required to operate my six monitors, if, in fact, this is relevant.  I am assuming it is but I cannot see the logic in it. Further, is this the only requirement for a multi monitor environment. 

Now I do appreciate that there are very few of us out there (or here???) who operate a home cockpit like this and that most of the community are indeed very happy with a single monitor or a combinatin of two or three monitors. As a consequence of this fact, there is little incentive for a developer to add whatever extra it is, that is necessary to their platforms. However, FS9, FSX and P3D platforms have it and have had it for a long time now.   I believe also Chaseplane, EZIDOC Xplane Camera and Active camera (for FS2004) also create pop-ups but I do not know if they are undockable and movable to other screens.

A further complication is the fact that with the advent of Trackir and Virtual Reality, fewer and fewer aircraft developers are not including pop-up screens in their product. This is actually, quite understandable albeit very frustrating.  Having said that, I can not start or complete a flight using my configuration on ANY existing platform  other than FS2004 so these factors, ironically, are not even relevant LOL I categorically admit that a flight using all of these platforms in single monitor mode is more than possible and whilst performance is quite reasonable, it is not an appealing concept for me. 

Please note that this is not a complaint or a whinge in any shape or form. I am simply trying to understand what is behind the coding and programming difficulties in achieving this in the two aforementioned platforms and whether the extra work involved (if any) is actually worth it for the few of us who may require it.

Also please note that I am currently considering an upgrade that may well be required to handle my requirements even in 64bit and have an unanswered post in the Hardware forum (xeon vs i7 and AMD).

Thank you in advance for any responses.

Regards

Tony Chilcott