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Highest Resolution Wall Around
akhaksho writes "NCSA (the National Center for Supercomputing Applications) is in the
process of building the highest resolution display wall in academia. This is similar to the previous story about the wall at Sandia, but the intention of this wall is to get very high resolutions at a reasonable cost using off the shelf technology (for the most part). All of the code to run it and plans for the physical infrastructure will be available as part of the Display Wall in a Box effort. I'm
one of the guys that built this sucker (and have the scars to prove
it!) "
Having the ability to zoom in and out on a high resolution monitor isn't enough. Neither is having a huge picture. They want both of these attributes in the same device. It makes it easier for a group to crowd around or for someone to do presentations with. They keep the detail and have it the size of a wall.
Also (and I'm serious here) having big expensive toys that people look at and think "WOW THAT'S SO COOL" draws attention, which draws clients, which generates funds. Hey, they got posted on Slashdot, and now a million geeks know about their work. If even a fraction of them put any interest into the company, it will fund the "Highest Resolution Wall" project and pick up a few more participants.
Just my thoughts,
~LoudMusic
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
The 9-foot-high, 12-foot-wide screen can project images more than 20 times better than the typical computer monitor. The display surface--a screen divided into 20 sections--can display images of 4,096 x 3,840 pixels either as one large, high-resolution image or as several side-by-side images and information nodes.
OK, let's do some simple math. Let's say I run 1024x768, so this wall is going to be 4x as wide and 4x as tall, pixel-wise, correct? Now, if the screen is 9 feet tall and 12 feet wide, we get a diagonal of 15 feet (thank you, Pythagoras). The resolution is up about 4x, but it's spread over an area that is maybe 12x as large? (I'm using a simple 15" screen to keep the math simple.) We're talking about 1/3 reduction in dot pitch, aren't we? What's going on here?
I guess the application is for use a video wall to be seen from far away. Contrast this with that other enormous high-res display from that other article. It's clear that this wall will be more for public viewing, and not real "work," like medical imaging or whatever.
Nonetheless, though, I think it'd be cool to watch my DVD's on....
Where the wind blows, the tumbleweed goes.
That what happens when you get computer guys trying to cut, drill, and tap aluminum extrusion!