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Matrox DualHead2go adapter broadens your monitor horizons
If your widescreen ambitions can't be contained by a mere 1920x1080 HD screenscape, the fine folks at Matrox have a solution for you. The DualHead2Go Digital Mac Edition display adapter, priced around US$160, is built and marketed specifically for the Thunderbolt and DisplayPort-enabled Mac models. It pairs up with Matrox's PowerDesk software to enable spanned displays, rather than defining each external monitor as its own real estate. If you have the required two matching-resolution monitors, you can achieve some truly breathtaking resolutions. Design Like the rest of Matrox's line, the DualHead's pro-style design would be perfectly at home in a video editing workstation or studio. The unit, about the size of a pack of cards, sports two DVI-D ports on the back to connect your two displays for pairing. The aluminum case features cheesegrater-style ventilation holes that match nicely with the look of the aging Mac Pro desktop. I hooked up the DualHead to a Retina MacBook Pro via the provided mini DisplayPort to full-size DisplayPort adapter. This larger connector may be unfamiliar to most Mac users, but it's frequently seen on recent-model Windows laptops; it looks like a slightly cockeyed HDMI plug. The other necessary connection on the front of the unit is USB, which provides power for the adapter. Considering the number of cables going into and out of this small device, a bit of onboard cable management wouldn't be amiss. You could velcro or cable-tie your cables to the DualHead, since it doesn't get particularly hot during usage. Users who need even more space to spread out have the option of stepping up to the TripleHead2go unit, which teams three monitors instead of two -- for about 2x the price. Performance Unlike the dual-DVI connection that enables full resolution on Apple's 30" Cinema Display, the DualHead creates a virtual spanned display across both of the connected external monitors. In my testing, with two smaller Cinema Displays, the combined resolution got up to the supported maximum of 3840x1200 -- more than enough real estate for almost anyone. Given that this "one big monitor" is actually two displays with a hefty border in between, window management becomes more important than in a simplex setup. Matrox's PowerDesk software lets you define target cells for your apps, quickly moving windows around the screen and swapping content from your LCD to the wide external duplex display. It took me a few passes through the documentation to get a handle on the best way to manage the display cells; Matrox's instructions and the utility interface are aimed more at a video professional audience than at consumers. The responsiveness of the big screen was surprisingly good. Matrox's hardware doesn't do any hefty graphics processing of its own; rather, it presents the large virtual display resolution to the onboard GPU and lets the graphics chip in the Mac do the heavy lifting of drawing on that big canvas. On the Retina MBP, I didn't notice any dragging or slow performance onscreen, even with several QuickTime movies playing at once. Older Mac hardware might not fare quite as well -- Matrox's compatibility guide for adapters is a good place to start if you're considering options. Wrap-up With its base requirement of two resolution-matched external displays plus a solid GPU-equipped Mac, the DualHead2go is fairly described as a specialty item. If your needs demand extreme widescreen, however, and you'd rather repurpose older DVI monitors than shell out $999 for a 27" Thunderbolt display, Matrox is there to help you out. Pros Unique widescreen capability Small and unobtrusive Impressive performance Cons Software is a bit confusing Requires identical resolution monitors Limited consumer appeal Who is it for? Graphics and video pros who believe wider is better.
Matrox DS1 is a practical, powerful Thunderbolt dock
During my perambulations on the Macworld/iWorld show floor in February, I chatted face-to-face with a Belkin representative who bravely asserted that the company's $299.99 Thunderbolt Express Dock would be shipping "this month." This would be the same Express Dock that was originally seen in an Intel booth in September of 2011, announced in January of 2012, "upgraded" with an eSATA port in June 2012, and opened for pre-orders with a "shipping next week!" alert (minus its eSATA port) in mid-February 2013. If you've got a calendar nearby, you may have noticed that it's March now -- and the Belkin dock product page still sports a "sign up to be notified when the Express Dock is shipping." So it goes. Meanwhile, the graphics-centric peripheral vendor Matrox has quietly been shipping its Thunderbolt dock block, the DS1, in two flavors (for HDMI or DVI video-out) since the end of 2012. With a sticker price of $249, $50 lower than the vapory Belkin dock -- and with some key feature differences -- it's a worthwhile port expander that you can order today and use with your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac. Design Matrox's expansion kit is a bit boxier and taller than the Belkin design, but keeps the brushed metal look that helps it seem at home alongside a MacBook Air or a Cinema Display. The unit has a sturdy feel, and I wouldn't be concerned about perching a monitor on top of it (a flatscreen monitor, to be sure -- no CRTs, please). The single Thunderbolt port is easily accessible on the front of the device, next to the sole USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port. On the back of the unit, the DS1 is all business. Both models connect to power on the right side, with gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports and convenient audio in & out 1/8" plugs lined up as well. The only difference between the two DS1 models is on the left side of the back panel: you'll get an HDMI port on the HDMI model, and a single-link DVI-D port on the DVI model. The DS1, like most Thunderbolt peripherals, does not ship with a Thunderbolt cable; it works well with Apple's 1.5' (0.5m) $29 jumper. Functionality The DS1 is a fine example of true "plug and play" hardware; no drivers, no configuration and no hassles. My DVI Cinema Display connected cleanly and immediately, with the Mac laptop recognizing its native resolution as though it was connected directly. The front-facing USB 3 port is fully capable of supporting and powering fast USB 3 peripherals, although it's easy to forget that you've got an external drive plugged in when you pull the Thunderbolt cable out of your laptop to hit the road. The Ethernet port shows up just as expected in the Network preference pane, and both audio ports work great with headsets that normally would use a Plantronics USB to audio adapter. The back USB 2 ports also serve their intended function with a minimum of fuss. Build quality was excellent on my review unit, with no rattles or sharp edges. Comparing the Matrox to the Belkin unit, the biggest difference is in the number and variety of ports. Belkin's dock is intended to ship with SuperSpeed 3.0 on all three of its USB ports, compared to the Matrox's lineup of one 3.0 and two older 2.0 ports. The Belkin dock adds a single Firewire 800 port to its bag of tricks as well. Most importantly, Belkin has chosen to make its dock a dual-port Thunderbolt device, allowing passthrough to additional peripherals; Matrox's dock must be the final Thunderbolt device in the chain. This is not as big a disadvantage as it appears, however; the Belkin dock has no video-out option to compare with the Matrox DVI or HDMI port, so a pass-thru is a must for anyone wanting to connect a monitor on the same Thunderbolt chain. On the Matrox side, it's assumed that you'll connect your display to the DS1, which would normally be the terminal Thunderbolt or DisplayPort device anyway. Conclusion If you're already stocking up on USB 3 devices or still have a stock of Firewire drives hanging around, then perhaps the Belkin dock's additional flexibility will merit the higher cost for you. If not, the Matrox DS1 has a solid port lineup and a trouble-free connection story to tell. Pros True plug-and-play Offers most used port lineup Includes video out DVI or HDMI Single front-facing USB 3 port for high-speed peripherals Slightly more affordable Cons No Firewire port No Thunderbolt pass-through Slower USB 2 ports for remaining connections Front-facing Thunderbolt port may cause cable clutter Who is it for Anyone who has been frustrated by cable clutter with Thunderbolt adapters, or who wants the simplicity of plugging in a single connection when docking a MacBook Air or Pro for use at a workstation.
Matrox DS1 Thunderbolt docking station now shipping
Just in time for the holidays, Matrox is shipping the US$249 DS1 Thunderbolt docking station to happy Mac users. Unfortunately, you might not be able to get one to put under the Christmas tree, since most large online retailers (Amazon, MacMall, CDW, B&H Photo) are not showing availability. OWC currently shows a 4-day shipping wait time. First announced in June 2012, the DS1 made it just under the wire with a "fall 2012" ship date. The device is designed to create a single cable connection to a host of peripherals, perfect for owners of new MacBooks who want to have the convenience of a desktop Mac with the portability inherent in their laptops. The dock has either an HDMI or DVI port for connecting to a larger monitor, a gigabit Ethernet port, a USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports. There are also separate input and output connections for microphones and speakers or headsets, and the DS1 can be used as the last device in a chain of Thunderbolt devices. Keep an eye on TUAW, as we're attempting to get one of these for a detailed review. In the meantime, enjoy the video. [via Apple Insider]
TUAW and MacTech interview: Matrox Electronic Systems
Matrox creates a wide range of video solutions, from those "wall of screens" you see at airports and conventions to imaging tools to consumer-grade video capture tools. They've also announced the DS1, a Thunderbolt docking station. In this video, Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) interviews Charles Aimyot of Matrox Electronic Systems at WWDC 2012. Charles was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
Matrox DS1 docking station: $249 buys you Thunderbolt but no daisy-chaining
Thunderbolt has leant its air of celebrity to yet another device: the Matrox DS1 docking station, due out this fall for $249. The laptop dock has room for pretty much everything you'd want to plug in when you reach your desk, including DVI, gigabit Ethernet, audio in and out, two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0. All those connections are then funneled into a single Thunderbolt output to your MacBook or Ultrabook. This provides "one cable convenience," but the lack of an extra port means there's no scope for daisy-chaining Thunderbolt storage or other components you might pick up at some point before 2015. If that seems like an important omission, look out for Belkin's alternative expected this Summer, which finds room not only for Thunderbolt in and out, but also for FireWire -- though likely at a higher price.
Shuttle launches XPC H7 5820S mini PC for your collection of 16 monitors
Wondering what do with those 16 monitors you've got lying around your house? Well, the folks over at Shuttle have just come out with a mouthful of a solution, known as the XPC H7 5820S. Shuttle's latest mini-PC is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with up to six cores, boasts 16GB of RAM and features a pair of 1TB hard disks. The workstation, compatible with Windows 7, also ships with a Blu-ray burner and packs Matrox's M-Series multi-display graphics cards, allowing users to work across 16 different displays at once, at resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 per screen. All this goodness is nestled within a box that's just 7.5 inches tall, though it won't come for cheap. According to SlashGear, the XPC H7 5820S is now available for a cool €1,446, or about $1,983. Find out more at the source link below, or in the full PR, waiting for you after the break.
Thunderbolt accessories at IDF 2011: Belkin's Express dock, Seagate drives and PCIe expansion cards (video)
Seeing as Wintel fans will soon join in on the Thunderbolt fun, how about a smorgasbord of devices toting the interconnect, conveniently laid out in a two pane vitrine here at IDF? Alongside the usual suspects -- such as LaCie's Little Big Disk, Promise's Pegasus and Sonnet's Echo -- are a few devices we've never seen before, namely Belkin's Express dock, some unnamed Seagate drives and two PCIe expansion chassis from Sonnet and Magma. We're particularly smitten with the latter two -- you know, dreams about extending our future Ultrabooks with some serious external graphics horsepower. Check out the entire spread in our gallery below and the video after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-133792%
Matrox strikes at NAB, first to market with Thunderbolt products
Word out of NAB is that Matrox, known best for enabling day-traders to run an excessive number of monitors off a single graphics card, will be the first company to market with peripherals designed to use Thunderbolt. All the latest models of its MXO2 family of video I/O boxes will be shipping with Thunderbolt on board, while budding film makers using the current gen MXO2 devices will be able to push 10Gb worth of pixels per second by picking up an adapter. Matrox didn't announce a firm release date or price, though we expect it will fall in line with the current products, which range from $449 up to almost $2,400 for the MXO2 Rack with Matrox Max. They're not exactly must have accessories for the average user, but if you simply can't wait any longer to put those Thunderbolt ports to use, it's the only game in town.
Ask TUAW: Presidents Day Edition
Hi everyone! Welcome to the Presidents Day Edition of Ask TUAW -- everyone's favorite Mac and iOS Q&A and advice column. We got a nice group of questions from last week's post, but we always need more! Here's what we need you to do: go to the comments of this post, think long and hard about which burning questions have been bothering you about your Mac, iPod, iPad, iPhone or AppleTV and ask away! You can also email your questions directly to ask [at] tuaw.com. When asking a question, it makes life a lot easier for the Ask TUAW team if you include what type of machine you're using, which version of Mac OS X you're running or, if you're asking an iPhone/iPod/iPad question, let us know which generation device and which version of iOS you have -- though, in general, you should always upgrade to the latest version if you can. Now, questions! Henry asks: I have a large iPhoto database of about 50,000 photos. Despite having a very beefy machine (2.8 GHz 8-Core with 32 GB RAM / 4 TB Disk and the 4870 GPU) to say it is slow to work in would be an understatement. It takes almost a minute to open, and is incredibly slow to scroll through. Working in it is unbelievably slow, while Aperture on the same machine is flawless and quick. How can I make this usable (considering I have already thrown huge hardware at it)? It seems to have ballooned to over 300,000 files with all the thumbnails, faces, etc.
Matrox pushes eight displays with a single-slot PCIe x16 GPU
Matrox has been distancing itself from the consumer market for awhile now, but even we couldn't resist this one. Hailed as the planet's first single-slot octal graphics card, the M9188 supports up to eight DisplayPort or single-link DVI outputs, and if you're up for getting really crazy, you can hook up a pair to drive 16 displays from a single workstation. The card itself packs 2GB of memory and supports resolutions as high as 2,560 x 1,600 (per output), which should be just enough to create the Google Earth visualization system you've always dreamed of. In related news, the outfit also introduced the far weaker 1GB M9128, which can drive a grand total of two displays for $259. Oh, and as for pricing on the octal guy? Try $1,995 when it ships later this quarter.
Matrox Iris GT smart camera brings Windows CE to Atom-land
Matrox's new Iris GT "smart camera" doesn't mark the first time that the Atom processor and Windows CE have run into each other, but it's certainly one of the most interesting encounters, even if it's one that most folks likely won't see first hand. Apparently, the camera is intended to be used in various "machine vision" applications, like locating and reading barcodes or measuring the geometry of 2D objects, but we think you'll agree that it has one other, not quite official use written all over it: robot eye. The camera's specs certainly seem to make that a possibility, and include that ever-present 1.6GHz Atom processor, 256MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage, a gigabit Ethernet port, and USB 2.0 and RS232 ports, not to mention accommodations for a number of interchangeable lenses -- it's even dust-proof and "washable." No word on a price just yet, but Matrox says it'll be available sometime in the first quarter of next year.[Via jkOnTheRun]
Funcom announces Leipzig Games Convention details
This year's Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany should be a big event for Funcom, who will be showcasing new Age of Conan content. Funcom's latest press release states they will be showing attendees new locations, content, and features that will make it into Age of Conan in the coming months. The event will also showcase demos of Blue Orb Inc.'s software which enables gamepad play as well as a look at Matrox's TripleHead2Go, for widescreen gameplay across three screens. Funcom adds that they will reveal the title's forthcoming DirectX 10 features to the press at the Games Convention, so expect more details about the long-awaited features to be announced later this month.
Matrox M-series graphic cards go 4-up natively
Matrox just announced er, last week, its new M-Series of graphics cards powered by the industry's first QuadHead GPU. All the PCIe X16 cards offer 512MB of graphics memory and support up to 4x widescreen monitors (DVI or analog) simultaneously as one large desktop or as independent resolutions. The cards can connect a pair of monitors at a max digital resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 or just 1,920 x 1,200 if you're looking to go quad. What, you're not still getting by with just a single display are you? Look for the M-series to go retail before September is through.
Matrox delivers Dual-Link Extio F1240 remote graphics unit
Look, you never know when you'll be 820 feet away from your gorgeous duo of dual-link displays, audio inputs, six USB 2.0 ports and piping hot cup of joe, but Matrox is here to make sure that's never a concern you'll have to sweat. Upping the ante from last year's Extio F1220, the Dual-Link Extio F1240 now plays nice with those swank 30-inchers that are gracing your desk and extends of all the aforesaid parts some 250 meters via a single fiber-optic cable. Better still, the whole thing is fanless, and there's even a mini-Toslink audio port, VGA sockets and stereo audio in / out connectors to boot. Mum's the word on a price for the currently available unit, and just FYI, that whole transfer of coffee thing is totally not recommended.[Via BIOS]
Matrox's TripleHead2Go Digital Edition
What's got three DVI monitor outputs and a maximum output of 3840 x 1024? That'd be the promised Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition, which finally provides a "Graphics eXpansion Module" for DVI fiends with a lot of desk real estate. You kind of have to wonder whether it's worth bothering though -- you're gonna have to pay $329 for the unit and $250 or so apiece for three 19-inch monitors just to get 3.9 megapixels of screen real estate, when for not much more you can just get a single 30-inch monitor (which at 2560 x 1600 outputs more than 4 megapixels) and not have to fuss with all those boxes and screens and cables and bizarre ultrawide resolutions. Hey, we're just saying.
Matrox unveils Extio F1220 remote graphics extender
Although it's not likely that you'll want your optical drives to be 820 feet away from you at all times under normal circumstances, we're sure we could envision a few scenarios where it'd be beneficial (or at least rather nifty). Matrox is adding another unit to its Extio lineup with the F1220 (closeup after the break), which gives users the ability to extend up to two displays, audio, twin FireWire connections, and up to six USB devices 820 feet from the workstation. Marketed for use in "mission-critical systems, media creation, broadcasting, control rooms, and digital signage applications," this remote graphics unit (RGU) supports resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,200, 128MB of graphics memory, and features fanless operation and a Matrox-designed graphics chip within. The unit it connected to a Matrox PCI or PCI-Express Extio adapter and the data is transferred over a "standard multi-mode fiber-optic cable with Dual-LC connectors." As for availability, the firm's latest RGU won't land until sometime in Q2, and while pricing is currently unlisted, you've got a few months to save up for this presumably costly piece if you so desire.[Via PCLaunches]
Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition on the way
Matrox just kicked out a new version of their DualHead2Go called the DualHead2Go Digital Edition that'll let you connect two 1920 x 1200 analog or digital displays (up to 3840 x 1200 stretched across two displays) to the VGA port on your desktop or laptop. It's compatible with both Windows (2000, XP, and Vistas), as well as OS X 10.4, and should be out sometime this quarter at a retail price of $229.[Via MacMinute]
Matrox intros Dual/TripleHead2Go for Macs
Mac users looking for a little multi-monitor action now have another option at their disposal, with Matrox announcing that its DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go are both now compatible with a number of Apple systems. Each unit appears to be otherwise unchanged, letting you drive two or three monitors at combined resolutions up to 2560x1024 or 3840x1024 from a single video card. While the DualHead2Go is compatible with all recent Mac systems, you'll only be able to surround yourself in the wonder that is three monitors if you've got a MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, or 20 or 24-inch iMac. It's not a completely ideal solution, however, requiring a mini-DVI to VGA adapter (and a step back in image quality) for use with some systems and, as impressive as those combined resolutions are, monitors with native resolutions higher than 1280 x 1024 will be too much for either unit to handle. If that's not too much of a compromise to make, you can snag each now for the same price as they were before, $169 for the DualHead2Go and $299 for the TripleHead2Go.[Via Gizmag]
Matrox finally adds Mac compatibility to DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go
Although a few determined Mac users got the Matrox DualHead2Go functioning with their Mac mini already, despite the lack of official support from the manufacturer, it's nice to finally see some real Mac-love from Matrox.The Matrox DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go allow you to connect two or three VGA monitors to select Mac desktops and portables. That's screen real estate nirvana for some of us and it's about freakin' time. Sure, DVI would be better, but I'll take what I can get at this point.Mac OS X v10.4.x is needed and support is limited to a specific list of Mac models. Supported systems include:MacBook (DualHead)MacBook Pro (Dual and Triple)Mac Pro (Dual and Triple)Mac mini (DualHead)iMac 17-inch (DualHead)iMac 20-inch (Dual and Triple)iMac 24-inch (Dual and Triple)Be sure to check the compatibility table for a list of supported resolutions on each system. The DualHead will set you back about $169 and the TripleHead is just under $300, so start saving your pennies now or ask Santa nicely to hook you up this year![via krunker.com]
Matrox Triplehead2Go reviewed
It's hard feel sorry for a reviewer who had to spend a few hours seated at a three monitor setup trying to gauge how "immersed" he felt in his favorite FPS titles, but we've gotta give the intrepid Wil Harris some props for pulling himself away from F.E.A.R. long enough to write up a review of the Matrox Triplehead2Go. Sounds like the device does work as advertised. Meaning, it splits a VGA connection into three VGA connections and tells your computer it's hooked up to one big 3840 x 1024 display. All the software seems to work fine for the various desktop configurations, and while there aren't too many games that can handle 3840 x 1024 out of the box, the included software can help get most common games up and running, and can even be extended by users to cover other titles. As for gaming, the setup comes highly recommended if you've got the graphics power to handle the added resolution. For productivity, the analog connections and further signal degradation due to three-way splitting makes the Triplehead2Go not be such a hot choice. So hold out for DVI if you must, or throw down your $300 (plus a few LCDs), jump in and get fragging.
