Secondary Monitor scaling

[PCAnyWhere]

While I have pretty much chalked this up to a MSFT Windows 8.1 issue but am interested in hearing what are your experiences with using a second monitor.

When in the office I plug in, via VGA, a 1920x1080 LCD and USB mouse and keyboard (via USB hub). The 150% that I use for the SP3 native is HUGE when I go to my secondary display. I then have to mess with the scaling and make it 100% or in my case a compromise of 125% for when I whip off to a meeting and take my SP3 with me the display scaling is so small that I find it hard to use and have to re-configure every time I re-connect or disconnect.

the "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays" is UN-Checked; but does nothing much.

 

[jnjroach]

What are you using for mini-dp to VGA? Or are you using a USB to VGA Adapter? I use HDMI or Miracast and my extended display scales as expected....I use the slider at the middle setting which gives ~150% on the SP3 and ~100% on my 1080 24" External Display...

 

[PCAnyWhere]

I use the mini-dp to VGA at my client office where they have a 1920x1080 LCD monitor that I connect to. I have to log out to make the change. I am going to see if there is a DP or HDMI. I considered miracast or simliar but with my non-permanent nature at any one office I am afraid that I will just plain forget about retrieving it.

So good to know that it is working with the digital signal.

 

[zhenya]

I'm fighting this a bit with my setup. SP3 docked to two 24" 1920x1200 monitors at work. I haven't found an ideal solution yet. With the 'recommended' settings things are ok size, but everything is extremely blurry on my main monitors due (I think) to being downscaled from the resolution of the Surface. Not acceptable.

So far, the solution I have found best is to move the slider one position smaller. I'm not sure what the effective scaling is here on each screen, it might just be 125% on both. For me this seems to be largely acceptable though. Things are crisp enough on both screens, if a little small for the distance I have the Surface at when docked. A few elements are larger than I'm used to on the 24" monitors, but it's acceptable. I find that if I turn off the Touch interface in Office when docked I'm much happier with the interface. This is simple enough.

When I un-dock the Surface, 125% is usable, if not ideal. I'm attempting to move as much workflow as possible into Metro when unlocked, but there is only so far I can take that right now.

 

[jnjroach]

I find HDMI and native Display Port work the best, with VGA and DVI-A the external monitors have the propensity to look fuzzy....

 

[surfdock]

Here is a different approach to the multi-monitor dpi scaling issue:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/danchar/arc...on-with-surface-pro-3-dpi-scaling-tweaks.aspx


Once docked, just artificially set the tablet resolution to something MUCH lower than the native panel resolution. Then windows will automatically apply 100% scaling across both the tablet and the external screen. Once you un-dock, Windows will go back to the native panel resolution and 150% scaling. This works for most, but not all apps. Give it a shot.

 

[B'midbar]

Have seen a couple of other threads here in the forums talking about external monitors - size, resolution, DPI, etc. - my question (probably for @jnjroach or @sharpcolorado), does Windows 10 fix this? Been watching that thread for awhile and I think I'll re-install Win10 into a VM, run all the updates and follow along 'til the CP next month (hopefully) and see how it goes.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jnjroach]

Have seen a couple of other threads here in the forums talking about external monitors - size, resolution, DPI, etc. - my question (probably for @jnjroach or @sharpcolorado), does Windows 10 fix this? Been watching that thread for awhile and I think I'll re-install Win10 into a VM, run all the updates and follow along 'til the CP next month (hopefully) and see how it goes.

Thanks in advance.

Scaling has improved in Windows 10, much of it is they are at least in some places replacing Win32 CPL with WinRT Settings. Other improvements so far include Icon Sizing is much more consistent between the SP3 and the External Display.

 

[sharpuser]

I am favorably impressed so far with the scaling improvements in Windows 10 Technical Preview so far (currently Build 9879). I perform simultaneous Earth mapping and spreadsheet calculations, usually with each sharing the same monitor. This is working so well for me, that the Surface Pro 3 is able to replace my monster desktop.

In January, 2015, Windows 10 Technical Preview will probably include more dynamic Tablet/Desktop synergy options (Continuum), likely allowing for pinching and zooming on the Surface Pro (gestures) using desktop apps. That will be revolutionary. I would like to see that same functionality be extended, so that pinching and zooming on the Surface Pro could show the effect on an external monitor non-touch screen.

 

[RWerksman]

I posted on the other forum how we've chosen to deal with it at my firm: Surface Pro 3 - Custom Resolution(s) Registry Entry

We add custom resolutions in so we don't have the deal with the mess that is Windows 8 DPI scaling.

 

[surfdock]

[mods- I'm not sure how to link threads officially, so apologies for cross-posting]

RWerksman, thanks again for your posts on tabletpcreview! I've posted a .reg file at the bottom of my blog post that folks can just download and double-click to install all the 3:2 aspect ratio resolutions without having to go through nonsense with the Intel driver installs:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/danchar/arc...on-with-surface-pro-3-dpi-scaling-tweaks.aspx

 

[zhenya]

Thanks RWerksman and surfdock! This seems to be the only way I can make both things livable! The scaling has been driving me nuts in trying to move back and forth from my docking station! This is pretty livable for me by setting scaling to a fixed 100% and then choosing a fixed resolution on the Surface. I was hesitant to do it before because I didn't really want to overwrite the native driver, so I appreciate this simpler fix.

Any thoughts on why Microsoft didn't just go down this road in the first place? This seems simpler. I guess the problem is that without scaling you can't ever get the option of getting full resolution for certain elements while making the UI elements alone larger?

I wish though that MS had instead chosen a panel with a native resolution of say 2880x1920 which would allow 1440x960 as a direct multiple scaling factor.