VTBook Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
See also the Tech
Support FAQ and the Tested
Hardware page
General questions:
Performance Questions:
Windows/PC questions:
Mac questions:
Linux questions:
Sales questions:
General Questions:
Why do I need VTBook if my notebook already has a
video output?
- VTBook has 32 MB memory dedicated to one video output, this means
it can offer higher and deeper (more colorful) resolution for your
external display while still benefitting from hardware acceleration.
See the resolution table for
more details.
- VTBook offers a full digital DVI display connector, as well as the
traditional VGA connector.
- VTBook natively supports a huge range of displays and resolutions
and, on Mac OS, can dinamically recognize even more resolutions reading
from the display.
- VTBook supports special displays like Apple ADC displays or portrait
(pivotable) LCD displays.
- On older notebooks VTBook is faster than the internal video output.
- With VTBook you can add one more external display to your notebook
and, if your notebook already has a video output, reach the total of
three displays.
Is VTBook the same
for Mac and Windows?
- Yes! The hardware is exactly the same
- VTBook needs different software drivers for Mac OS and Windows. With
every VTBook comes a CD with both Mac OS and Windows drivers. Look
in the VTBook download page for
the most recent software release.
Is a third monitor (2nd external)
possible?
- Yes VTBook is exactly doing this for latest generation notebook that
already have a reasonable independent external video capability.
- VTBook can offer a third display support for your notebook for special
applications that require a lot of working area like video editing,
control-systems, various banking needs etc.
- When using two external displays you may even close your notebook
and use only the big screens.
- If your notebook doesn't already have an external video output, you
still can use VTBook to drive a second display.
Can I work with my notebook
closed?
- Most notebooks, when closed, sense if an external display is attached
through the built-in external video connector. If a display is found,
the notebook is kept awake, otherwise it is put to sleep/hybernation.
The presence of VTBook is not considered when looking for an external
display.
- So, if you want to use your notebook with the lid closed (using external
keyboard and mouse of course), you must connect an external display
also to the built-in video connector. The result is a two external
display setup.
DVD/video fullscreen playback supported on the
VTBook?
- The video playback possiblitiy on the VTBook screen depends much
on notebook model and software. On Apple notebooks the DVD player for
example allows by design no DVD playback on any external monitor and
on PC notebooks specific software may be needed.
- VTBook can, however, display fullscreen video with the most common
video players as the QuickTime player or the Windows Media Player.
- On Mac OS VTBook does not provide video acceleration: fullscreen
playback performance may be not acceptable.
What improvements will VTBook offer in the future?
We're actively working to make the VTBook an even better experience
for every user. We're developing:
- Faster acceleration, both for 2D (especially video playback) and
3D
- Better OS support for all VTBook's features
- Integration of even more video resolutions
- Better custom controls for the user
- Lower power consumption
- More localizations for both software and documentation
Performance Questions:
Will I be able to play games faster?
- VTBook was not designed with games in mind, but for the professional
user in need for high resolution and color depth: VTBook goes to millions
of colors at 1920x1200 as needed for the Apple 23" Cinema display.
- Due to the PC card power and cooling limitations in a notebook, VTBook
does not compete with 3D performances of ATI Radeon Mobility or nVidia
chipsets that are included in latest notebooks.
- If your notebook is not equipped with such a fast graphics engine,
VTBook may still let you to improve the gaming experiences significantly
on the external display.
- VTBook uses a Trident XP2 chipset which is very optimised for heat
and power consumption. The memory clock is run between 200 and 266
MHZ DDR. It is delivered with 3D drivers compatible with DirectX 8.1
and OpenGL. To operate on the external display, a game needs to be
DirectX 8.1 compliant or the user has to run operating system Windows2000
or WindowsXP. The PC Card socket of the notebook must deliver at least
3.3 Watt of power in order to have the 3D features enabled. All Apple
PowerBooks are fully compliant to this specification.
Will VTBook enhance
my internal display?
- No, VTBook will not change any specs of your internal video.
- Neither resolution, color depth or speed of your internal notebook
display will change!
- Only the external display connected to the VTBook beneficts from
it.
Windows/PC questions:
Which Windows
versions are supported by VTBook ?
- We support WindowsXP and Windows 2000 with both 2D and 3D acceleration.
- Unfortunately we have no plans to develop Win98/98SE/Me drivers for
VTBook. The main reason is that it would not be predictable if it would
work in a specific system since the drivers of the onboard graphics
chip must participate in supporting Multi Device Support (MDS) graphics
architecture.
- Because of the high incompatibility expected and the low demand,
we have decided not to support any Windows OS older than Windows2000
and WindowsXP.
Is my notebook compatible
with VTBook?
- VTBook has been designed to be fully standard compliant and the thousands
pieces sold until now did not show any problem when used with standard
hardware. So if you are willing to use VTBook with standard notebooks
and displays you can immediately start to build your multidisplay mobile
workstation.
- We tested VTBook with a lot of non standard
or particular hardware, like high end displays or notebooks. Look at
the Tested
Hardware page to see the (good) results.
- Some notebbok models do not assign enough resources to VTBook if
the installed memory exceeds 2GB.
- In any case, before using VTBook or another CardBus card, update
your notebook's BIOS to the latest available version.
Are the Apple ADC displays supported on PC notebooks?
- Yes, we support all Apple ADC LCD displays: 15",
17", 20", 22", 23". In order to use any ADC display
you'll need an DVI-ADC adapter. For best quality when using high resolutions
we recommend the DVI-ADC adapter made by Apple.
How can I mirror my internal
display to VTBook?
- The current versions of Windows don't directly support display
mirroring between different graphics cards. Village Tronic's utility VT Multidisplay offers
this feature.
- Some specific CardBus controllers, like O2Micro, show a noticeable
bandwidth limitation. On notebooks equipped with those controllers
mirroring may be slower, but probably still acceptable.
How can I configure a mirrored dual display configuration?
- This configuration requires a total of four screens connected
to your notebook: you will need to use the VTBook
DualDisplay accessory.
- Using the VT
MultiDisplay utility you can quickly configure any mirroring
configuration you need, but for the best performance you'll want
to to use a completely hardware mirrored setup:
- Following the notebook manufacturer's instructions, mirror
the internal LCD display to the display connected to the notebook's
built in video output
- Install the VTBook DualDisplay drivers and boot the system
with a DualDisplay cable and two displays connected to it. Please
remember that you will need a DVI display and a VGA display.
Dual VGA configurations are not allowed.
- Extend the desktop to just one of the two displays (usually
the DVI one). This will make the same image appear on both displays
connected to VTBook
- In this way you have two logical screens mirrored to two pairs
of physical screens.
- This kind of configuration is exceptionally useful if the mirrored
setup has to be projected: in this case the DualDisplay cable can
be connected to a DVI display and a VGA projector, allowing to use
two VGA projectors.
How can I watch
DVDs on the display connected to VTBook?
- Most computers that come with a DVD reader, however, are equipped
with a DVD player.
- You may need a third party DVD player like PowerDVD or WinDVD.
Village Tronic is not affiliated with those companies and we recommend
you try the trial version before buying the product.
- VTBook has been tried in many different configurations and makes
for a great DVD player, especially in conjunction with a digital
projector. However DVD playback is a very performance intensive
task that may show the limits of your notebook's CardBus implementation.
If your notebook isn't fully CardBus compliant you may experience
slowdowns in DVD playback.:
- In aparticular, VTBook hardware accelerates DVD playback.
Since this is is a computationally intensive operation that
can increase significantly power consumption, if your notebook
has an underpowered CardBus slot you may experience problems
in DVD playback.
- DVD playback requires also a great amount of available bandwidth
and here comes to play your notebook's CardBus bridge.
- Please visit the VTBook Tested
Hardware page to check if your notebook model is one of the
few that show CardBus limitations.
Can I
use more than one display for my PowerPoint presentations?
- PowerPoint has a very basic support for multidisplay setups.
A software like PowerShow from OfficeOne can
help you in making the best use of multiple displays when using
PowerPoint.
You can use every single display to show different presentations or
to control (or modify) a presentation that is running on one or more
other displays.
- Village Tronic is not affiliated with OfficeOne and we recommend
you try the trial version before buying the product.
How
to make a VTBook screen primary?
- Open Display Properties by right clicking on the desktop
and selecting Properties in the contextual menu.
- Go to the Settings panel.
- Choose the display connected to VTBook.
- Check the "Use this as the primary display" checkbox.
- Note: using the VTBook DualDisplay Drivers only one of the
two screens can be used as primary.
How can I move the taskbar and Start menu on a VTBook screen?
There are three possibilities:
- Enable the desktop extension
and the primary monitor checkboxes at the same time.
In this way the VTBook screen will be in one shot enabled,
made primary screen and taskbar/start menu moved.
- Having the
desktop already extended on VTBook screen, simply right
click the taskbar and choose Properties. Then uncheck
the checkbox "Lock
taskbar". Now you will
be able to click on the taskbar and move it on any
of the screens edges
- Use the VT MultiDisplay application.
VT MultiDisplay will not just move the taskbar, but extend
it on all the displays in a very convenient way.
Mac questions:
Will VTBook work on my
PowerBook?
- VTBook is compatible with any PowerBook having a CardBus slot.
Please note that only the operating system versions officially
compatible with that hardware are supported.
Will VTBook work on my MacBook
Pro?
- MacBook Pro does not come with any CardBus slot, so you will
not be able to fit VTBook in it.
Is VTBook compatible with
Leopard?
- VTBook drivers are Leopard compatible. Please note that we support
each operrating system only on systems officially compatible with
that operating system.
Is the VTBook DualDisplay Cable
compatible with Mac OS?
- We are not currrently planning to bring dual display capability
to Mac OS. So connecting a DualDisplay cable on Mac OS 9 or Mac
OS X you'll be able to use only one external display.
- If you need dual display capability on Mac OS, please write us.
Can I use VTBook with my iBook or with my PowerBook
12"?
- All iBooks and the PowerBook 12" do not have any CardBus
slot. Thus, you can't use VTBook with these Macs.
Are all Apple LCD displays supported on
Mac?
- Yes, we support all current current Apple ADC LCD displays: 15",
17", 20", 22", 23". In order to use any ADC
display you'll need a DVI-ADC adapter. For best quality when using
high resolutions we recommend the DVI-ADC adapter made by Apple.
- The support is for all the native resolution in millions of colors
and the scaled down resolution in thousands
Does VTBook acclerate
3D OpenGL on Mac OS?
- We provide OpenGL drivers for Mac OSX 10.2.8 (Jaguar) and
Mac OS X 10.3.9 (Panther) and Mac OS 10.4.X (Tiger).
- No OpenGL acceleration is under development for Mac OS 9.
Does VTBook support Quartz Extreme?
- VTBook does support Quartz 2D acceleration, but not Quartz Extreme.
VTBook will also not hardware accelerate your internal video, but
still video playback using software Quicktime player and scaler
will be possible with satisfactory results.
- Mac OS X requires an AGP interface to support Quartz Extreme,
due to the very high bandwidth required. For this reason VTBook
will perform better using Quartz 2D acceleration.
- Most of the graphical effects in Mac OS X, including Exposé functionality,
are available also on VTBook and they are accelerated through Quartz
2D.
- VTBook's 2D drivers use the VTBook's 3D engine for some of the
most complex 2D effects, acting in a Quartz Extreme-like way. This
is done only when the resulting performance is better than using
just the 2D acceleration engine.
Does VTBook support Mac
OS X?
- VTBook supports Mac OS X from version 10.2.8. The technical advances
made by Apple from Puma to Jaguar are so vast and important to
make the Puma compatibility virually unuseful for anyone. However,
if you need to use the VTBook in a Puma environment, please write us and
we'll try to provide a solution.
- VTBook is compatible with Panther (Mac OS X 10.3.x), Tiger (Mac
OS X 10.4.x) and Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.x).
- On Mac OS X VTBook features both 2D and 3D (OpenGL) acceleration.
OpenGL drivers are currently in beta development stage, but are
included in every installer and can be tried following the ReadMe
warnings and recommendations.
- Unfortunately Mac OS X has a limited support to PCCard graphics
cards and does not allow hot plug or hot unplug of the VTBook :
the PowerBook must be powerd OFF before inserting or extracting
the card.
- We're working actively with Apple to remove the last hurdles
in order to provide hot plug and hot unplug capability on Mac OS
X. You will find the latest solutions to this problem on the VTBook
download page, along with all VTBook software and documentation.
Does VTBook support Mac OS 9?
- VTBook supports Mac OS 9.2.2 with 2D acceleration,
- Mac OS 9 also supports hot plug and unplug of the VTBook, making
it a perfect environment to use the card.
- We also provide a custom control panel that allows you to finely
control your visualization setup.
- 3D acceleration will not be provided on Mac OS 9.
Does VTBook support Older
Mac OSs?
- VTBook requires at least Mac OS 9.2.2 to work properly.
Linux questions :
Where can I find Linux drivers for VTBook?
Sales questions:
What is the price of the VTBook?
- The price varies in countries, but to give you an idea, you can
expect a street price of about 249,- US$ or 249,- €, excluding
tax.
- If you find in a shop a price higher than the SRP, please contact
us at sales@villagetronic.com and
we'll try to work out a better sale price at the shop.
Where can I buy my VTBook?
- VTBook is now both Mac and PC compatible and is shipping.
- You have to go locally in your country to get this information.
Here is the current list of dealers.
- If your dealer does not have a VTBook, suggest the store to buy
some a stock of VTBooks from the current
list of distributors.
- For the US the main contact for request is
salesus@villagetronic.com
they will get back to you with dealer information.
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#1 FAQ
| |
The most requested question explained
in detail |
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Which display am I going to connect to the VTBook and what happens
to my existing video output port?
What you would do with the VTBook very much depends on your notebook's
capabilities and graphics performance.
Find your notebook in the following table and look at the options
that connecting a VTBook gives to you:
Notebook with no video output |
|
You
use your notebook's internal display and an external display
connected to the VTBook. The latter can even be a highresolution
digital display and be used as the primary display when it
is connected. |
Notebook with mirrored VGA video output
|
1st 2 Display
configuration: |
You close the notebook and use a display connected to
the notebook's video output port. Then, you connect a second
display to the VTBook. You can use even a high resolution
digital display and use it as your primary display.
|
2nd 2 Display configuration:
|
You use your notebook's internal display and an external
display connected to the VTBook. The latter can even be
a high resolution digital display and be used as the primary
display when it is connected.
|
|
You use your notebook's internal display and an analog
external display, connected to the notebook's video output
port, that mirrors it.
A third display, even high resolution and digital, can be connected
to the VTBook and be used as the primary display when it is connected.
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| Notebook with VGA video output |
1st 2 Display configuration: |
You close the notebook and use a display connected to
the notebook's video output port. Then, you connect a second
display to the VTBook. You can use even a high resolution
digital display and use it as your primary display.
|
2nd 2 Display configuration:
|
You use your notebook's internal display and an external
display connected to the VTBook. The latter can even be
a high resolution digital display and be used as the primary
display when it is connected.
|
|
You use your notebook's internal display and an analog
external display, connected to the notebook's video output
port.
A third display, even high resolution and digital, can be connected
to the VTBook and be used as the primary display when it is connected.
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|
Notebook with DVI video output |
1st 2 Display configuration: |
You close the notebook and use a display connected to
the notebook's video output port. Then, you connect a second
display to the VTBook. You can use even a high resolution
digital display and use it as your primary display.
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2nd 2 Display configuration:
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You use your notebook's internal display and an external
display connected to the VTBook. You could prefer VTBook
rather the notebook's DVI video output for the broader
range of supported resolutions, especially digital ones.
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|
You use your notebook's internal display and an external
display, connected to the notebook's video output port.
A third display, even high resolution and digital, can be connected
to the VTBook and be used as the primary display when it is connected.
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Support contacts:
For technical support requests and bug reports please use our tech
support form
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