Reviews
MaxiVista
The poor man’s multi-monitor setup lets you use an
old laptop for dual-display functionality
S
ometimes really cool ideas stare you right in the face without you
even knowing it. MaxiVista , an application that lets you use an old
laptop or system as a secondary or tertiary monitor via a network
cable, is one such idea.
Think of it as Windows XP’s Remote Desktop or Symantec’s
PCAnywhere , but instead of sending a duplicate of your PC screen
across the Internet, your second machine simply gets enlisted as an
additional desktop display. Connect the two machines via a crossover
cable (or to the same hub), install MaxiVista on the primary box and a
small client on the second machine, and you’re good to go. (Only your
cable length limits the distance between the two monitors—something
you can’t say of a videocard.)
We used MaxiVista to slave an old notebook to our Tablet PC and were
pleased with the results. We also ran the app on a notebook with our dual-
monitor desktop serving as a slave for a tri-monitor setup, with positive
results. Be warned, however, you won’t be able to play games on the virtual
display; in fact, it’s not really useful for much other than web browsing
or displaying your RSS feeds or IM clients. This is because of Ethernet
cable’s relatively slow transfer speeds compared with the high-bandwidth
connection of a standard monitor cable.
In essence, using MaxiVista is like using a monitor sans hardware
acceleration. Try to rapidly move a window around or scroll through a
document at high speed, and your display will wobble like Jell-O. Also,
without hardware acceleration, you’re unable to watch DVD playback without
severe image degradation. Smaller media files should play fine, though.
MaxiVista’s developer is
currently working on a free
update that will allow the use
of more than one additional
monitor. While this unique app
isn’t for everyone, it’s a pretty
nifty way to make use of an
old laptop by turning it into a
third (or fourth) monitor for
your PC setup.
—GORDON MAH UNGMaxiVista even allows you to view your extended monitor
as a window on your notebook.A cheap way to run two or three monitors.BLUEBERRYBURBERRY
Lack of hardware acceleration makes
secondary windows slow.
$49, http://www.maxivista.comMAXIMUMPC VERDICT 8