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Dual Monitor Setup
The first step in getting OpenLP working on your system is to setup your computer properly for dual monitors. This is not very difficult, but the steps will vary depending on operating system.
Most modern computers have the ability for dual monitors. To be certain, check your computer's documentation. A typical desktop computer capable of dual monitors will have two of, or a combination of the two, connectors below.
VGA
DVI
A laptop computer setup only varies slightly. Generally you will need
only one of the outputs pictured above since your laptop screen serves
as one of the monitors. Sometimes with older laptops a key stroke
generally involving the Fn
key and another key is required to enable the
second monitor on laptops.
Some computers also incorporate the use of S-Video (Separate Video)
or
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
connections.
A typical OpenLP setup consist of your normal single monitor, with your projector hooked up to your computer as the second monitor. With the option of extending your desktop across the second monitor, or your operating system's equivalent.
Special Note For Projectors Using USB Connections
Users have reported experiencing difficulties when using a projector with a USB connection, as third party software is often required to properly configure dual monitors. If possible, it is best to use a direct output (VGA, DVI, HDMI, S-Video) from your machine's video card. f a USB connection is your only option please consult the manufacturer's manual for instructions on a proper setup.
Microsoft Windows
Dual monitor setup is similar among all the currently supported Windows releases (XP, Vista, Windows 7), but does vary slightly from one release to the next.
Windows 7
Windows 7 has using a projector in mind. Simply connect your
projector and press Windows+P
.
The more traditional way is also fairly straight forward. Go to Control Panel
and click
on Display
. This
will open up the Display
dialog. You may also bypass this step by
a right click on a blank area on your desktop and selecting Resolution
.
Then click on the Adjust resolution
link in the left pane. Enable
your projector and make sure that the selected value for Multiple
displays
is Extend these displays
.
Windows Vista
From Control Panel
click on Personalize
, or right
click a blank place on the desktop and click Personalization
.
From the Personalization
window click on Display
Settings
. Click on the monitor that represents your projector and
make sure you have checked Extend the desktop onto this monitor
.
Windows XP
From Control Panel
select Display
, or right click
on a blank area of the desktop and select Properties
. From the Display Properties
window click on the Settings
tab. Click on the monitor that
represents your projector and make sure you have checked Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor
.
Linux
Due to the vast varieties of hardware, distributions, desktops, and drivers this is not an exhaustive guide to dual monitor setup on Linux. This guide assumes you have properly set up any proprietary drivers if needed. You should seek out your distributions documentation if this general guide does not work.
GNOME
This guide is for users of the GNOME desktop who do not use
proprietary drivers. From most distros go to System --> Preferences --> Display
Settings (Monitors)
. Set up your projector with the correct
resolution and make sure that Same image on all monitors
is
unchecked.
KDE
This guide is for users of the KDE desktop who do not use proprietary
drivers. From most distros click the Kick Off menu and navigate to System Settings
Click on the display and monitor icon.
From here you will need to set up your projector with the appropriate resolution, and position. OpenLP works best projecting to the monitor on the right.
Linux Systems Using nVidia Drivers
This guide is for users of the proprietary nVidia driver on Linux
Distributions. It is assumed that you have properly setup your drivers
according to your distribution's documentation, and you have a working
xorg.conf
file in place.
If you wish to make the changes permanent in setting up your system
for dual monitors it will be necessary to modify your
xorg.conf
file. It is always a good idea to make a backup
of any critical file before making changes:
user@linux:~ $ sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.old
Or for those using systems that use the root user instead of sudo, change to root and enter:
root@linux: # cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.old
The exact location of the xorg.conf
file can vary so
check your distribution's documentation.
If you want to make your changes permanent run nVidia settings from the terminal:
user@linux:~ $ sudo nvidia-settings
Or, as root:
root@linux: # nividia-settings
If you do not want to write the changes to your
xorg.conf
file simply run the nVidia Settings program
(nvidia-settings
)
from your desktop's menu, usually in an administration or system menu,
or from the terminal as a normal user run:
user@linux:~ $ nvidia-settings
Once you have opened nVidia Settings, click on X Server Display
Configuration
. Then select the monitor you are wanting to use as
your second monitor and click Configure
.
After clicking Configure
, select TwinView
. Then click OK
.
Click Apply
and
if you are happy with the way things look click Keep
to keep your new
settings. Don't worry if all goes wrong the settings will return back to
the previous settings in 15 seconds without any action. nVidia Settings
should take care of selecting your optimum resolution etc, but that can
be changed as needed. When you are happy with everything click on Save to X Configuration File
.
Click Save
and
you should be set. You may want to restart X or your machine just to
make sure all the settings carry over the next time you log in.
Linux Systems With Intel Video
Generally systems with Intel video cards work very well. They are well supported by open source drivers. There are, however, a couple of issues that may require some work arounds.
Resolution Issue
There is a limitation with certain cards which limits the total resolution to 2048x2048, so both monitors can not have a total resolution totaling more than that. To work around this it may be necessary to position your monitor as a top or bottom monitor as opposed to the typical side by side setup. This can easily be accomplished through your desktop's control of monitors. Please see the sections on dual monitors with KDE and GNOME above.
Primary Monitor Issues
With certain cards your system may get confused on what is the primary display. For example many users will be using a laptop. You will want your laptop screen to be the primary screen, and your projector to be the secondary monitor. Certain Intel cards reverse this. To work around this you will need to know the name of your monitor. If you are a KDE user this info is given to you in the display settings. If you are not using KDE enter the following in a terminal without your projector connected to your computer:
user@linux:~ $ xrandr -q
This will give you a long string of output. Screen names will be something along the lines of LVDM, VGA-0 or some convention similar to that. Without your projector connected to your computer only one monitor will show as being connected. That will be the monitor you will need to use as the primary. Now connect your projector and enter:
user@linux:~ $ xrandr --output LVDM --primary
Note it has been reported that when this issue is occurring you will not want to connect your projector until your desktop is running.