VIDEOS - X-Plane 10 on 5 LED 60" TVs - 225 degree view - Innsbruck

[XOrionFE]

Well I went ahead and did it.  Bit the bullet and got two more 60" LED screens.  Now running each at 45 deg FOV for a total of 225 degree wrap.   This video is in Innsbruck scenery that comes free with X-Plane 10 on the demo.  Note, on the second video for some reason my Iphone went to portrait mode while filming.  I had it rotated on Youtube before publishing but seems it zoomed in.   Not sure how to fix but you get the general view anyway.

Hope you enjoy!

Scott

Part 1

http://youtu.be/YXry4oG5L8E

Part 2

http://youtu.be/myMZi8SE1Ec

[jskibo]

I knew you would! 

Damn, Scott now I have to come over again

[blueskydriver]

Told you so...you're the cutting edge!

John

[jskibo]

Scott,

Still 3 PC's?  letting the sides do 3840 x 1080?

[XOrionFE]

Scott,

Still 3 PC's?  letting the sides do 3840 x 1080?

No, I tried that and not only did it not look good but the frame hit was too high.   Running 5 PCs now.

[jskibo]

Ummm, wow!

So what's the specs on the PC's?  i5-3570K's?

[XOrionFE]

Ummm, wow!

So what's the specs on the PC's?  i5-3570K's?

The two extra ones are my older i7s that I use on my GA cockpit.  I just ran some DVI to HDMI cables from them and copied X-Plane to them and thats it.   One is an i7 920 with a GTX 550 card in it and the other is an i7 965 with a GTX 480 in it.   I want to upgrade both of these cards and that will allow me to turn on HDR mode along with turning up some of the rendering.    So I didnt have to buy more PCs, just hook up the two I already had.  Easy to switch them back and forth from the GA Pit to the 737 without having to buy more PCs.

[blueskydriver]

Scott,

I think Trevor will have to get "Drool Towels" made with the "Cockpit Builders" logo on them, so he can give them...uh, sell them too all the people who see your sim! I know my keyboard is drooled on...lol.  Man, 5 60" LCD's and 5 PC's is an all new achievement for a home builder. I'd say it can't get much better than that...

Karen and I will for sure make another trip back to your place this Spring. Can't wait to get a couple of flights in with you...

John

[jskibo]

Good way to do it. 

My two spare PC's are Q6600 boxes with GT260's

Well, more Newegg and Microcenter sales to watch.....


....I'm also buying more ComEd stock with your new acquisitions

[Maurice]

Darn it Scott! I made a bet that you would have 5 screens running by this coming weekend and you jumped ahead and finished already. I was sooo close 

Stunning graphics no doubt about it, but it unfortunately requires a fairly hefty financial outlay just for the visuals. But I guess that is the price you have to pay if you can afford it & cannot live with FSX weaknesses.

So, what is the next step for you Scott...5 high definition projectors or collimated displays maybe:) You are not the type that can rest on his laurels so I'm sure you must have your eyes on something else already if you are foolish enough not to stop and enjoy what you already have

Maurice

[XOrionFE]

Darn it Scott! I made a bet that you would have 5 screens running by this coming weekend and you jumped ahead and finished already. I was sooo close 

Stunning graphics no doubt about it, but it unfortunately requires a fairly hefty financial outlay just for the visuals. But I guess that is the price you have to pay if you can afford it & cannot live with FSX weaknesses.

So, what is the next step for you Scott...5 high definition projectors or collimated displays maybe:) You are not the type that can rest on his laurels so I'm sure you must have your eyes on something else already if you are foolish enough not to stop and enjoy what you already have

Maurice

Haha
Well, in my case I was lucky enough to already have two extra PCs to run the extra TVs.  I just multipurposed my older GA PCs.  If you dont count those then I think the 5 displays come close to what my old projection setup cost when you add in the projector costs, screen costs, and multi licenses of warping software.   The sad thing is that I had spent on all the projectors then changed 2 years later to TVs.    Not for the faint of heart or pocket obviously.    But to be clear to all, I dont consider myself overindulgent with this setup.   This is my boat so to speak.   Many have recreational vehicles, second homes, etc as their luxury items and for me the drums and this sim are it.    Overall I feel I get more enjoyment out of my sim than just about anything else including real flying which I stopped almost two years ago.   I can fly my sim in any weather, anytime, and if I crash, I just reset it :-).  Not a bad investment in a hobby.    So adding the extra visuals for me was a small price to pay for the amount of entertainment it brings to me, my friends, and hopefully at some point my kids.     I had to have the best visual I could afford at this time and I believe this is the perfect setup for me.   At least for another couple years until the next great thing comes out that is 

Scott

[fsaviator]

Dang, Scott.

That is really nice.  You've definitely set the bar on this one.  I can't wait to get home this weekend and finish putting my new computer together

[Maurice]

Trust me Scott, if I did not know myself as well as I do, I would be doing exactly what you are doing. There are 2 main things stopping me...first is my total fickleness & sudden loss of interest when it comes to current & past hobbies, and second is having to explain to my wife why I need to improve anything after telling her 20 times at least in the last 2 years that I was totally fed up and that the sim had to go (she talked me out of it several times).

So I don't think she would believe my explanations/'needs' and frankly,  neither do I . I could not justify it to her when I can't even justify it to myself .

Maurice

[blueskydriver]

Hi Scott,

Just a short off-topic bump here.

Maurice,

Got an idea for you. Jump in your car and drive to my house first, then drive to Scott's, then drive to Michael's and afterwards drive to John Skibo's. Trust me, you'll get a whole bunch of reasons why you're still doing this hobby, and don't say it'll just make you want what we either have or don't have.

Instead, it'll remind you that you're a part of something that is great and wonderful. Besides that, you'll see that what you have done with your sim is an inspiration for so many around the world and only dreams to others. You're like a "Yoda" of sim building and unlike him, you cannot go into exile. You have to prevail, even until your last days. That way we'll all be there saying "Maurice was the best and most die-hard sim builder. At times it was tough for him, but he stayed in it until the very end"...

So, if you get 5 screens like Scott, that'll be awesome, and if not, you still have a "kick-ass" sim.

May the "Sim" force be with you!

John

[XOrionFE]

ditto what John said.  i will also say i wish i could fly my 737 half as good as you Maurice.  if you ever come here you are the capt and i am fo in training!

[dharrison]

Scott,

Your nuts! looks like its time for me to redo that approach to Innsbruck.

See ya this weekend!!!

Don

[Kennair]

Wow!  Scott you've raised the bar so high now I can't even reach it    I like your analogy of it being your "boat" though, many people spend untold thousands on boats, cars and of course real planes so this hobby ranks up there as well and helps justify the expense to some degree.  Great setup, I'm tempted to make a trip across the pond to come visit.

And I third the comments on Maurices sim, regardless of Scott's insane setup Maurices is right up there ranking with the best, stick with it.

Ken.

[Maurice]

Oh John....me a Yoda of sim building??? Whatever it is you are smoking, I want some of it.
Scott is definitely a very worthy contender for that title as he is pushing the envelope and blazing a trail for other daring souls to follow.

And Scott, I'm not half as good as you think I am. Editing blunders out of the movies can do wonders to hide flying mistakes.

Maurice

[Flying_Fox]

Oh, noooo! Scott, you did it again! 
(running downstairs to workshop to continue MIP building.  )

Nick

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Scott, Innsbruck never looked better in the sim! That's an awesome view around the cockpit.

You've done it again.

[cmdurney]

Scott thanks for sharing all your experience. It's great when someone in your position can help others 

Oh are you using REX with Xplane 10?

Cheers


Chris

[Nat Crea]

Looks insane Scott ; )

I'm slowly converting over to XP 10 right now. (thanks to Scott for
helping me with a few tech issues)
Luckily I'll get 200FOV with my current computers.
Just gotta go and re warp and blend...

Nat

[blueskydriver]

Now Maurice you know I don't smoke that funny stuff, I get mine in a little round p.i.l.l. (auto nanny had cookie for p.i.l.l.) form! Would you like some? In my world, my meds come in "Pez Dispensers"; however, I am still looking for the "make your own face on a Pez Dispenser" website...

As for Scott, nope he is not Yoda. He is Anikan Skywalker/Darth Vader! He was on the Rebellion Side with the projectors, but he switched to the Dark Side with those big black 60" LCDs. And, like Vader, he makes the Dark Side look cool. Sure, Yoda is cool looking too, being 3 projectors and all, but Damn, Darth Vader is doing that choke hold on us with the LCDs...lol.

You go Scott...uh, Lord Vader!

John

[nicd]

Cool Scott... that looks great! The 5-screen 225 setup has alot of merit and I'm finding that the perspective and immersion is right up there, but without all the zoom and alignment hassles. I'll have soime video evidence soon too .. nearly there

[blueskydriver]

Seriously, Karen and I were talking about this last night. She saw 70 or 72" LCD's for $1,700. Yes, a little more, but they'll come down eventually. Not that it'd make a big difference over 60", but my point is that at the rate LCD's are going we might see 60" for $500-$600 range by 4Q this year. So, when you calculate 5 each you get under the cost for three projectors easy, as well as you deduct the warping software cost. Yes, you'll need 5 computers to reach Scott's level, but more important is the fact that the scope is changing for visuals.

That doesn't mean we all run out and buy LCDs, but it means that people starting out can jump into the LCDs at a lower price range than what most of us old timers...lol...started out with. In other words, it should make it easier for the community to get bigger and thus, prices to come down across the board. Assuming, we're talking Econ 101...

I am glad that Scott made the transition and is showing us his work. I wonder how motion would work in the LCD world? Sam is likely watching all this and thinking about it I bet.

John