Realmworks on two screens. Player Mode on one and DM mode on the other.

[Dark Lord Galen]

We use a Samsung PCW-ME46C-R as a second monitor to display battlemaps and player handouts on.
This is all done via Realmworks Player display feature.

I picked it up from Newegg as a refurb a couple of months ago.

first Nice Post Adzling....
As to the TV choice, certainly proves planning and shopping round pays off!
Newegg is a great source. Some other things to concider is timing. Many places put TVs on sale before major Sporting events (ie Thanksgiving, Superbowl, etc) and of course Christmas. So any that plan to ttake the leap of a TV in their gaming group time it with that.. you could save $100s.

Heat is almost non-existent........For these purposes thinness is more important than a great picture (I previously tried an el cheapo @$200 40" LCD but it was so thick (about 4") that you had to stand up at the table to see the map properly.

Two very good points. When considering (more so if laying the TV down which is not its natural state) a TV determine where the venting is. If only on the back and you have plans to lay down you risk overheating.
View angle is also very important. the closer to 180 degrees the better. remember you will have people viewing from all sorts of odd angles you would not normally watch TV from.

With the thinner TV you can sit down and see the image fine.
For some reason the offset from the protective plastic and the LCD is also very minimal on this screen so there is absolutely no parallax offset, a common problem with older (and newer) TVs used in this manner.

Some TVs also come with glass instead of plastic screen protections. I would however recommend covering as Parody mentions to preserve surface. With the advent of Metal dice (popular at my table) I even utilize dice rolling trays to provide additional protections. IF you cover with tempered glass it is more resilient, but heavy, Lexan is a good shatter-resistant material but pricey$$$ (hence I salvaged an old sliding door glass)
@Adzing from your picture, it doesn't appear you have a cover to protect your screen, you might consider it? JMO

Lastly also consider the bezel sizing to maximize view. That is why I went with JVCs Black diamond series, it has the smallest bezel I could find for the price. JVC Link

Also if connecting to a TV, consider HOW you are going to accomplish it. Some TVs have VGA connections for older PCs, most have HDMI, some auto detect new sources, others have to have the input switched.

DLG

 

[adzling]

Yes, it's quite tough.
It's a TV designed for digital signage so it's very thin, gives of little heat and has a toughened plastic screen cover integrated into it.
It's like a bazillion times better than any TV you'll pick up at Best Buy.
It also cost more (@$600 IIRC) but not that much as it was on clearance.

I doubt you can get these type of ultra-thin tvs anymore, all tvs are now built with a continuous LED backlight behind the LCD, this one is an older one with side-firing LEDS.

You mean you're actually playing *on* the TV screen ??

EEK DLG that setup is AMAZING. It's what I would build if I had a permanent room I could dedicate to gaming.
Alas we play at different places so my setup had to be portable.
When do I get invited to come play at your ranch??? ;-)

 

[Lexin]

iPad screen

I have finally managed to get RW to work with one screen on my laptop, and the other on an iPad. Be happy for me, this has only taken about three weeks to set up.

It's a wired solution, but I don't mind that in the circumstances. One day there'll be a wireless solution.

I had to use an iPad app called "Duet", which is fairly expensive for iPad apps at £12. And as I said, it's wired, not wireless.

However, RW looks really good on the screen and will really help in a few weeks when I need to run my Roman game in a bar where a TV couldn't be set up for me and my players. Fingers crossed it all goes well!

 

[Bobifle]

One day there'll be a wireless solution.

Wireless display is not very common, display uses a lot of bandwith and add latency. Regarding current technologies I would not expect a wireless solution that soon.

Not to mention that RW would probably need to implement the remote protocol itself, which is unlikely considering the complexity of such protocols.

 

[Lexin]

Not to mention that RW would probably need to implement the remote protocol itself, which is unlikely considering the complexity of such protocols.

Oh, I don't expect it soon, after my experiences with iPad apps which purported to this but didn't, I'm very aware that it's far, far harder than a non-technical person can possibly understand.

I'm pleased with the wired version, there's no lag, pictures really do look good and writing is easy to read. Showing players what they're facing and what information they've learned should be a snap, even if they all have to share one iPad.

I can now wait for the online version fairly quietly.

 

[Dark Lord Galen]

I have finally managed to get RW to work with one screen on my laptop, and the other on an iPad. Be happy for me, this has only taken about three weeks to set up.

Happy Dance Time!!

......I need to run my Roman game in a bar where a TV couldn't be set up for me and my players. Fingers crossed it all goes well!

IN A BAR!!!! Oh I am so coming to the UK.... where you can game in a bar and not get WTF looks lol That's like gamer heaven hehe

 

[Lexin]

IN A BAR!!!! Oh I am so coming to the UK.... where you can game in a bar and not get WTF looks lol That's like gamer heaven hehe

It really is, at least most of the time.

The story is that way back in the dim and distant past when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I attended university in North Wales. My friends and I started a wargames and roleplaying games club (that still exists) and we decided that even after we'd all graduated we'd get together once a year to play.

As time passed, new graduates who'd been in the club, and some people we'd met at various competitions who were members of clubs from other universities and towns, joined us and the get-together now ranges from around 40 people to over 60 depending on what other things people have on and how busy their work situation is.

The place the university give us (for nothing, as long as we're nice to the staff and don't leave a mess) is what is normally the university's bar for the students who are based around a particular part of the campus. There are few students around when we're there, it's during the long vacation, so no-one much is there to stare and ask stupid questions.

When we first used to use it for our events way back in the 1980s (our first event was either in 1985 or 1986, none of us are sure which) it was so badly laid out and had such poor acoustics that you could hear someone at a table on the far side talking just as well, and sometimes better than, you could hear the DM on your own table.

They've done it up since then, and it is rather better now acoustically and certainly looks prettier.

On the down side, they used to let us use one of those massive hot water heater/kettle things to make our own tea and coffee (we had to provide the tea, coffee and milk) but now they insist we buy theirs at £1 a cup for tea. That's not a bad price (any cafe in London will charge £1.50 at least but that's not the point).

Similarly, they used to let us order out for hot food, and have it delivered to the bar, or go and fetch hot food, but now they insist we buy their food - which is just as cheap as a takeaway but we don't get the same range of choices.

I suppose, though, they've got to pay the staff somehow and they do provide Real Ale for the people who like it.

On the third hand they charge us more for (self-catering - i.e. bring your own food and cook it yourself) accommodation in the university halls of residence (I think you'd call them dorms?) - but the new halls have en-suite bathrooms, even if the beds are still titchy, and are cockroach-free. Neither of those things was true of the old halls. I do not miss those roaches.

On the fourth hand, the university has free wi-fi, everywhere.

So I suppose there are swings and roundabouts.

 

[Bobifle]

Happy Dance Time!!
where you can game in a bar and not get WTF looks lol

Let's face it, we often deserves the looks

 

[MNBlockHead]

Now I'm thinking how fun it would be to take over a sports bar with a main table playing a game that is displayed on all of the screens in the bar. The other in the bar partake by shouting advice or reactions, Acquisitions Incorporated style.

 

[Dark Lord Galen]

Let's face it, we often deserves the looks

True True... I often remind my players, all people have those "little voices" in their head, we gamers just name ours!

Most the time on here I'm in my analytical Fredlou Quicksilver the Sage mode.... but there are times when (calendar plug) my patience wears down and the crotchety ole dwarf, Rockhard Stonefist comes out!

Now I'm thinking how fun it would be to take over a sports bar with a main table playing a game that is displayed on all of the screens in the bar. The other in the bar partake by shouting advice or reactions, Acquisitions Incorporated style.

MNB... thanks for that mental picture.... that would be Grand! instead of various sporting events on those screens, a multitude of Game Heaven..... heheh But alas... the closest thing that happens to be that geek around here is "fantasy football draft day"

 

[Aaron]

Just so people can be jealous, my town actually has a gamer themed bar being built right now, called Save Point Tavern. They had a kickstarter last year. Anyone who lives in the Sacramento area, come drop by when they open up and you'll probably see me there. Who knows, if enough people show interest, maybe it'll become a thing and similar ones will pop up in other towns!

 

[Lexin]

my town actually has a gamer themed bar being built right now, called Save Point Tavern.

Massive, massive envy!

London used to have a fannish (SF/F) bar called "Pages", which closed down a few years ago and there was a gaming group which used to meet in a bar called the Star Tavern. I never went to either.

And of course we've regular meetings of London fans, which I also don't go to.

I'm sensing a theme here: I should get out more.

 

[salcor]

For my next round of star wars I am going to try player view through the wireless app idisplay to incorporate the players a little more personally. It would love.if I could just send player specific notes electronics to their personal devices.

Salcor

 

[MNBlockHead]

For my next round of star wars I am going to try player view through the wireless app idisplay to incorporate the players a little more personally. It would love.if I could just send player specific notes electronics to their personal devices.
Salcor

Well, no individual-player reveals in RW yet, if that's what you are talking about. If you are instead thinking about in-game notes, you could always use an IM application like Google Hangouts or Skype.

I just pass note cards folded in half. But, if Hero lab ever supports DnD 5e, I might have the players have devices for charactersheets, in which case I might use things like IM in game, though I'm hesitant. One thing I like about my games now is that we all silence and put away our phones and get a nice 8-hour break from being glued to electronics. Also, as a DM, I hate competing for attention with facebook, SMS messages, app alerts and all the other distractions that come with devices.

 

[Dhrakken]

We use a Samsung PCW-ME46C-R as a second monitor to display battlemaps and player handouts on.
This is all done via Realmworks Player display feature.

I picked it up from Newegg as a refurb a couple of months ago.

Heat is almost non-existent.

This TV is super thin (about 1" thick) as it is an older model that uses edge-firing LED backlights.

The newer models are considerably thicker (@3"+) as the manufacturers have changed from edge-firing LED backlights to an array of LEDS behind the screen.

It makes for a better picture but a much thicker TV.

For these purposes thinness is more important than a great picture (I previously tried an el cheapo @$200 40" LCD but it was so thick (about 4") that you had to stand up at the tablet to see the map properly.
With the thinner TV you can sit down and see the image fine.
For some reason the offset from the protective plastic and the LCD is also very minimal on this screen so there is absolutely no parallax offset, a common problem with older (and newer) TVs used in this manner.

Ironically, the reason you have no parallax offset is because you are using a side-firing LCD... I'm currently in the market for such a TV for my own game but it's proving to be quite a challenge.

 

[adzling]

yeah, i suggest looking for a commercial grade monitor instead of a consumer grade monitor.
They typically have a better front covering...

that's how i found mine, as a refurb on newegg.

although that was @ 2 years ago now right when edge firing LCDs were getting EOL'd.

Gluck!

 

[Exmortis]

Best thing you can use is NOT LCD but Plasma display for viewing angles.

But its hot and heavy by comparison.

 

[Dhrakken]

Best thing you can use is NOT LCD but Plasma display for viewing angles.

But its hot and heavy by comparison.

Unfortunately, because they are heavy, plasma's don't do so well laying on their backs....

I think I have it narrowed down to the LG 43LF5400. I have the 32" version in my bedroom that's two years old now and the viewing angles are great on it.

Plus, the LF5400 is 3D capable so I can see some 3D maps in the near future....

 

[adzling]

Plasma's also put out a lot of heat, also not good for lying on it's back (those vents are meant for vertical positioning to facilitate passive venting).

Our LCD has a great field of view, it's pretty amazing really.

So ymmv.

 

[Exmortis]

If you have the cash, a new OLED would be the cast meow.....Anyone here with trump as their last name want to fund mine?