[rescue] 4k big monitor with picture in picture (for the SPARC10)

[Mike Meredith]

Hi!

On Sat, 18 Sep 2021 09:54:23 -0400, john ferguson wrote:
> Idea is that with picture-in-picture, I'll be running wither win10 of
> ubuntu on the big screen with OpenLook in the inset window.B  I'm
> assumibng I'll need to either buy a monintor which can handle a vga
> input for the Sun or get a vga-hdmi converter.

I'd get the converter - your options for a monitor with VGA may be
somewhat limiting. 

> I'f you are doing this, have you had any issues with different sync
> rates on the main picture vs the inset picture?B  or do they both

Doesn't seem to be a problem with my MSI PS341WU (Linux displaying DP @
60Hz, Mac M1 @ 50 Hz). Saying that, I've been kind of disappointed with
the flexibility of PIP/PBP options although I've not messed with it
that much. Apart from anything else, the stretch to fuzt with the
monitor controls is a bit awkward. 

I'd be leaning in favour of a software solution instead - dual connect
the monitor (so you can output when the Sun boots) - or use a serial
console for the Sun - and set up Xnest to interrogate the Sun across
the network. This has the advantage of using the main machine's
keyboard and mouse - perhaps I'm easily confused but I always found it
confusing having two keyboards/mice on the desk. 

Or for an even crazier idea what about one of those really cheap HDMI
capture cards? They're intended for cameras but there's no reason why
they couldn't capture a display instead. In a sense a display is just a
camera without a lens that just "invents" the image :) Some of the
cheap ones ("DIWUER Capture Card") are cheap enough to give it a whirl. 

Not tried that myself.

> Do you think this is nuts?

No. Even if there isn't really a workable solution, it's something that
should be do-able. 

-- 
Mike Meredith (http://zonky.org/)
   "People believe in all sorts of odd superstitions though: black cats,
    spilling salt, having full features on ethernet LAGs, vendor
marketing blurb, fear of the number 13, etc.  All very odd stuff.
    -- Nick on NANOG