HIPerSpace visualization system takes the crown with 220 million pixels

For AV freaks enamored with their own HDTV and hardcore gamers who doubt anyone's ability to unleash more graphical firepower than that found in their rig, prepare to be humbled. As part of the HIPerSpace visualization system, engineers at the University of California, San Diego "have constructed the highest-resolution computer display in the world, with a screen resolution of up to 220 million pixels." The system, which links between UCSD and UC-Irvine (responsible for the mighty HiPerWall) via dedicated optical networking, contains a "graphics super cluster" that relies on 80 NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 GPUs. Reportedly, scientists dealing with large-scale applications involving "Earth sciences, climate prediction, biomedical engineering, genomics, and brain imaging" will be able to make use of the newfangled setup in order to better digest the information they're dealing with. Sheesh, all we want is a solid day with this thing, infinite Doritos, and Halo 3.

[Via MedGadget]

[AskTheAdmin @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:36AM]

"Reportedly, scientists dealing with large-scale applications involving "Earth sciences, climate prediction, biomedical engineering, genomics, and brain imaging" will be able to make use of the newfangled setup in order to better digest the information they're dealing with."

Thats all well and good BUT can it play Doom? Can I hook up my Wii to it? C'mon I know the guys at U of C already have - hook a brother up!

Thanks as always for the awesome story from the guys over @ http://www.askTheAdmin.com - I don't know what I would do with out my hourly dose of the Engadget!

[Vaporware @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:01AM]

Wait, what did the guys at U of C do? Or was that just typical U of C humor?

[AskTheAdmin @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:42AM]

@Vaporware ...engineers at the University of California, San Diego "have constructed the highest-resolution computer display in the world.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:57AM]

System Specifications ::

By the Numbers:
- Number of tiles: 50 (fully supported in networked configuration)
- Display resolution: 25,600 x 8,000 pixels, 204,800,000 pixels total
- Number of display nodes: 25
- Control and development nodes: 3

Hardware:
- 11 Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac G5’s with nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL
- 17 Dual 2.7GHz Power Mac G5’s with nVIDIA Quadro FX4500s
- 56 Apple 30” Cinema Displays

Operating System:
- Mac OS X Server "Tiger"

[Jason @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:05PM]

Those are the specs for the HiperWall at UC Irvine. This wall is at UC San Diego and is now part of HiperSpace (which includes the HiperWall at UCI).

It consist of 55 (11x5) Dell 30 LCDs, powered by 15 Dell XPS 720 machines with 2.6 GHz Core 2 Quad, 4 GB RAM, and 2 Quadro FX 5600 video cards (each with 1.5 GB video ram).

There are plans to extend the wall to 75 monitors.

[Jason @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:14PM]

Also we are using Rocks Linux on this display wall ( http://www.rocksclusters.org ). It's a special distribution of Linux developed by the San Diego Supercomputing Center for cluster computing.

[Crazylink @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:57AM]

I think the correct question is- How many Dooms can it play at once?

[Mark @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:01AM]

would it really be that difficult to find, or bodge, panels with no bezels?

[Jason @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:14PM]

Yes, very. Previous "seamless" tiled displays use projectors, which are much lower in resolution, more difficult to build, align, and do color correction, and cost excessively more to build and operate.

We tried taking the bezel off one of the monitors...and they're not just there for display. There's electronics packed in to the very edge.

[Jake @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:02AM]

Everything old is news again?

http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/25/uc-irvines-monster-hiperwall-monitor/

[mattweiler @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:07AM]

LOL
nicely done

Slow news day

[Mutt @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:12AM]

This is a different system you douche.

[Jason @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:02PM]

Yes, the first system was at UC Irvine, the new system is at UC San Diego. There's also some differences in the hardware and the OS used.

[Brad @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:21AM]

IIRC, infinite Doritos is "iddrt"

[Matt @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:17PM]

Yeah, but look at all the bezel lines... eww

[Me @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:19PM]

Worthless. I couldn't use it with all the lines running through it. When they have a display this large that is seamless, then maybe it would be useful.

[MR @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:59PM]

Wake me up when you have it in a SINGLE panel.
Putting 55 monitors together is impressive but that's not a technological breakthrough to me.

[Fubar @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:00PM]

You guys forgot an application: editing photos from the new D4 and Eos 1d4 SLRs--that display ought to show almost the entire frame....

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 24th 2007 8:34PM]

I wonder how large the blender will have to be to make it blend...if it will blend that is..

[Sirius @ Aug 25th 2007 8:12AM]

If you can hack a Wii (or PS3.. or XBox for that matter) to play Halo with motion sensing, then hook it up to this thing.. I can only say.. wow.. 1:1 Halo simulator.. I'm down! :D