Here are a couple short videos of the display in action. Apologies for the grainy video, but you get the idea. Setup is three 20” HP monitors, 4800x1200, and of course no bezel compensation.
My favorite wide screen indie game, Syder Arcade.
Need for Speed HP
Ninja Warriors Arcade (An 80’s three monitor arcade game that used this exact setup)
The brightness/contrast would be much easier to match across the monitors if I was using true beam splitter glass that reflects/transmits 50%. The tint I’m using reflects/transmits ~35%, so it is not ideal. However, beam splitter glass of this size would have cost $900+ where my piece of silver tinted glass was <$100.
I’m not sure if I can ever get these particular monitors to match color/contrast exactly since they are old and at least one is pretty dim. But the ability to adjust the RGB on each monitor got me pretty close on the colors.
There should a better way to mirror-flip the center monitor image instead of using the expensive hardware based solution I have here. Modified driver? Modified firmware? If only I had the time to tinker more….
One downside of using a setup like this is that monitor brightness is reduced as the image passes through and/or reflects off the half-mirror. This is a trade-off for a zero-bezel display setup….
I’ll probably try and build a version 2.0 of this mirror setup sometime in the spring or summer. The design will need to be improved for monitor alignment and to get a perfect glass angle. Who knows, maybe I can even score a cheap piece of beam splitter glass. Once version 2.0 is done, it’s going into a custom arcade/gaming cabinet!
Check out the arcade version of Darius Burst that uses two 32” LCDs for an ultra-wide gaming experience. This is a good example of modern bezel-free multi-monitor gaming at its best.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpEz3dsbwUc[/url]
Constructive feedback appreciated.