[NTLUG:Discuss] slightly off topic - external monitor for linux laptop

Chris Cox cjcox at acm.org
Thu Oct 30 16:55:39 CDT 2008


Fred James wrote:
> All
> If I hook a monitor to the video out (15 pin) on my laptop, the screen 
> shows up there too - right?

No, not necessarily.  In fact, very few laptops do this.

Most will have a hard or soft key sequence to direct output
to the external display.  Newer laptops use a lot of soft keying...
so it might not work at all (possible).

> If that monitor is big (as in bigger than the one on the laptop) the 
> image on it is a magnified version of the image on the laptop screen - 
> right?

:)  Again, not necessarily.. and usually the answer is no nowadays.
The external monitor may be detected as a separate monitor with separate
display characteristics... so it's possible that the screen will
adjust to just the native resolution of the external display.

> If that's all correct so far - any gotcha's I should look out for? - 

I wish it was "correct"... the truth is that it varies depending
on the make and model of laptop.  There is NO consistency.

> will any monitor do, or is it band and model specific?
> Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer

Need more info... laptop make/model, GPU, display, etc.

> Regards
> Fred James
> 
> 
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> 
> 




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