Crave

DisplayLink--a technology that allows users to connect multiple monitors to a single system, via USB--though a useful tool, has unable to display certain high resolutions including some HD resolutions.

With more and more monitors moving to the 16:9 HD format, it comes as no surprise (or maybe a pleasant surprise) that DisplayLink announced today that it's giving its tech a shot in the arm.

Hot off the heels of its Linux news, the company announced three new DisplayLink processors that have already been deployed in Samsung's new SyncMaster LapFit LD190N and LG220G USB companion monitors. Both are currently available in Europe and Asia.

The new DL-1x5 series consist of three processors: the DL-195, the DL-165, and the DL-125. The DL-1x5 Series is compliant with DVI (TMDS), analog (DSUB15), as well as LVDS for direct connection to an LCD panel and 12/24-bit RGB (TTL) for connectivity to external DisplayPort or HDMI devices.

A close look at the 195 processor

(Credit: DisplayLink)

The maximum supported resolutions for each processor are as follows.

• Up to 2,048x1,152 for the DL-195, designed for high-end monitors, docking stations, and adapters.
• Up to 1,920x1,080 for the DL-165, designed for cost-effective docks, mainstream monitors, and adapters.
• Up to 1,440x1,050 for the DL-125, designed for entry-level monitors, minimonitors, and projectors.

DisplayLink's new DL-125/165 and 195 processors are available to system manufacturers today. DisplayLink says to expect consumer monitors, using the technology in the U.S. within a month or so.

HP's recent DisplayLink adapter.

(Credit: HP)

Windows and Mac users have been taking advantage of DisplayLink for the last couple of years. The technology allows users to connect multiple monitors--as well as docking stations and projectors--to a single system via USB only; no need for any fancy-pants graphics cards.

Today, DisplayLink announced it is planning to bring its technology to Linux. The company released a library that enables Linux developers to create X Servers, drivers, and other Linux applications, which will be compatible with products that utilize the DisplayLink technology.

According to Displaylink, the library is provided under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2 (LGPL), which enables software to be ported by the community to cover the widest possible range of processors, platforms, and applications.

This will purportedly enable companies to create products that will work on the full variety of Linux devices, such as Netbooks, notebooks, mobile Internet devices, mobile phones, embedded displays, embedded devices, and digital signage.

So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you use Linux, you'll soon have the capability to connect multiple monitors, docking stations, and projectors to your system. Not the most earth-shattering news, but it's nice to know DisplayLink deems Linux support-worthy.

Three displays are connected to one system all via USB only.

(Credit: DisplayLink)

DisplayLink--which makes technology that allows multiple monitors to be connected to one computer through USB--announced this week that it's now optimized its technology for the Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family for desktops and notebooks.

Previous systems with integrated graphics were only able to connect one additional display. Now via DisplayLink and with these new Intel-specific optimizations, users with PCs based on the Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family can easily connect to up to four monitors at once without the need to buy additional graphics cards. In addition, users who run four monitors on the Intel chipset will enjoy a 20 percent performance improvement, which includes smoother video playback, according to DisplayLink.

Users who have an Intel Series 4 chipset-based system should be on the lookout for the drivers to be implemented via Windows Update.

Asus announced last week the release of two new monitors featuring DisplayLink technology. DisplayLink allows devices such as monitors and projectors to be connected to PC's solely through USB.

Asus VW223B

(Credit: Asus)

Asus is the latest manufacturer to take advantage of the technology with the announcement of these two new monitors, the VW223B and the VW202B. The VW223B is a 22-inch monitor available now with a native resolution of 1680x1050 and a contrast ratio of 3000:1 (it'll be interesting to see the methodology they used to get that number) and a 5ms response time.

The VW202B is a 20 inch LCD that will ship in July.

The DisplayLink technology also lets you daisy-chain up to seven monitors at once just by plugging them in. Once the monitors are plugged in, the DisplayLink DL-160 chip takes care of the rest the setup--in theory at least. In our experience, we've found that the technology does not always work as smoothly as it should. When we tested the LG Flatron L208 last year, we had a few problems. Check out the Design section of the review for details. Also, look for an upcoming post that goes into more detail on DisplayLink's usability.

The N1100 showing off its smallness

(Credit: InFocus)

Tired of spending hours frantically trying to get that projector connected to your PC before your guests become incredibly disinterested in your summer driveway movie party? Or maybe you're having flashbacks to that last presentation you gave. You know, the one that just wasn't much of a presentation. I mean granted, you had no charisma or stage presence, but that's usually nothing a 90-page PowerPoint slide show can't fix. No, your real problem was that your assistant working the projector didn't know his VGA port from his LAN port.

Even if you're like me and you know everything there is know about everything (well between my brother and I, that is) and you'd never be caught in a situation like the above, the fact that DisplayLink technology has migrated from Displays to projectors may still interest you.

In our reviews of the Samsung SyncMaster 940UX and the LG Flatron L206WU, we talk a bit about DisplayLink technology. Basically, DisplayLink allows you to connect devices (like displays) to PCs simply via USB. This also allows you to daisy-chain up to six displays together if you ever found the need (would-be world conquerors might want to look into this).

So, DisplayLink for projectors. InFocus has just announced two new projectors featuring the technology. The IN1100 and the IN3100. The IN1100 is a small, 2.75-pound solution that's being aimed at business users and educators who need to give presentations on the go. The IN3100 is a larger unit that features InFocus's LiteTouch keypad, which stays hidden when not in use and is only visible upon touch. The N3100 includes HDMI support and wireless connectivity via InFocus' LiteShow II technology. In addition, each projector features DLP Brilliant Color technology, which, according to InFocus, will allow them to display color as good as an LCD does. Each also includes wide-screen support, which is a rarity for projectors.

The N3100

(Credit: InFocus)

The main selling point for adding DisplayLink to projectors is to increase the ease of use of these peripherals. InFocus' thought is that the technical hurdles involved in getting a projector to work correctly keeps more users from using them. They estimate that 15 minutes are wasted every meeting because of problems involved in getting projectors connected correctly. InFocus hopes that the intimidation of projectors can be significantly lessened if all you have to do is plug it into a USB port and start using it. There are other advantages as well to using DisplayLink. For one, it's an all digital connection (compared with VGA, which is analog). Also, the drivers install themselves once you connect the projector the first time. According to InFocus, you won't even have to worry about screen resizing or function key toggling.

The N3100 releases June 30 and starts at $1,499. The N1100 will be available August 8, starting at $1,099.

(Credit: Samsung)

It is an under-reported fact, but the majority of desktop systems sold today come with only a single display port--usually VGA or DVI. If your system falls into this camp and you want your system to use multiple, simultaneous displays, you might think you are out of luck. If the folks at DisplayLink have their way, however, connecting a second display might suddenly become ridiculously easy.

DisplayLink is proselytizing a technology that allows displays to connect to computers via a regular USB 2.0 connection. While not every computer has a second video port, most have multiple USB ports (although, depending on how many peripherals you have connected, you might not necessarily have a free USB port).

DisplayLink's technology is already starting to appear in monitors, docking stations, and adapters. The Docking stations and adapters have the advantage of being potentially inexpensive and therefore allowing users to cheaply and easily repurpose older displays as secondary monitors or external displays for laptops. Some of these devices even include firmware that seamlessly download the necessary drivers to your Windows machine.

The 20-inch LG L206WU is a new LCD monitor that includes DisplayLink support. Installation was a snap on my Windows XP system, and it did not even require a dreaded system reboot. As soon as the drivers loaded from the monitor's firmware, the L206WU kicked in at the correct resolution and as an extension of the existing Windows desktop. Setting up a secondary display was never this easy.

The image-quality of the L206WU via the USB connection was comparable to that of via the traditional DVI connection. Performing typical functions such as displaying Web pages and dragging windows were smooth. Video playback, however, displayed a few chinks in DisplayLink's armor. I used the QuickTime movie trailer for Iron Man as my test clip. I started with playing back the "small" clip and worked my way up to the larger-size clips. (The clips were played back from the system's hard drive to eliminate the network connection as a possible source of latency.) The 480p clip looked fine, but the 720p clip suffered from some stuttering; while the 1080p clip was too painful to watch. Simply dragging the problem clip windows over to the primary DVI monitor resolved the playback problems. Expect to see a full review of the L206WU soon from CNET Reviews.

I also played around with a DVI-to-USB adapter prototype from DisplayLink. On one end the adapter connects to the monitor's DVI cable, and the other end connects to the computer's USB port. Installation and usage were just as simple as with the L206WU. Interestingly, the adapter faired better with the HD video than I saw with the L206WU. It wasn't until the 1080p clip that I saw any stuttering using the adapter.

On Windows XP systems, DisplayLink relies entirely on the system's CPU to drive the display to the secondary monitor. The more powerful the CPU, the less latency you are likely to see. With some Windows Vista systems, DisplayLink can utilize the existing graphics engine to help generate the display on the secondary screen, thus potentially minimizing the need to rely on the system's CPU. We didn't have the opportunity to try DisplayLink on a Vista machine, and the company claims that Vista' Aero Glass will be fully supported in a subsequent driver update.

Since DisplayLink is so dependent on software, I'm guessing that the difference in performance I saw between the L206WU and the adapter might have to do with different driver optimizations. If I'm correct, then it is possible that further optimizations can contribute towards improved performance.

Sans the HD video playback issue, I am impressed with what DisplayLink can do. I can envision at least one scenario where it could come in quite handy: when giving presentations on someone else's video projector. And depending on how powerful your system is, you can use DisplayLink technology to display on additional simultaneous displays, up to a total of six monitors.