Low Vision Computing

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2 Screen Setup

A 2-Screen setup adds the versatility and functionality of a second screen to your work.

Businesses have been giving high-value employees a second screen for a few decades now, both as a way to increase productivity and to lower user errors, both of which save the business money in the long run.

Obviously 2 big screen TVs will take up more space, so some thought has to be given to the physical layout.

One easy way, if you have a big enough work table (30" deep x 72" wide) is to place the two screens on table mounts, angled slightly to the center.

With such a placement, it's also possible to add a second keyboard and mouse to the computer, enabling 2 people to cooperatively works on the same project without the hassles of sharing a keyboard and mouse.

And of course, 2 sets of eyes, even ones with low vision, are better at spotting typos, etc., than one pair; similarly, 2 heads are more likely to come up with more ideas, and more solutions to problems.

A two-user setup also helps combat the isolation that many people feel - it's not unique to people with low vision.

Another option for a single user is to set everything up in a corner, with one of the screens being considered a "secondary", where the user can put windows that aren't being worked on off to the side until needed. See the second image, where 2 50" smart TVs are sitting on table VESA mounts.

This also solves the dilemma of what to do if one of the screens is smaller than the other - just designate the smaller screen as a "secondary" display, and do the actual work off the larger primary display.

Most recent computers have 2 video outputs capable of 4k, but only one can be plugged directly into the smart TV. The other one needs a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, as described in 1 Screen Setup, the previous article.

Two video carts also works well (again, see the previous article ).

Another solution is to mount one or both screens using VESA wall mounts, either side by side, or one above the other, or mounting them vertically one above the other on a VESA TV cart.

If you're just going to putter around on the internet, a second screen is probably overkill, but for Work From Home, it's easily justifiable. Important

For the various ways you can configure the screen upscaling and displayed text size independently for optimal readability, see the Operating System page.

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