Running Front Row On Duel Screen

Hi guys,

I've got a macbook at the moment and was wondering, if i were to hook it up to another screen and run it duel screen is it possible to use front row in the second screen as appose to just the main laptop screen? And then also use the remote and everything to control front row, but at the same time be using my macbook normally for other tasks? Thanks in advance,

Luke

I sometimes hook my MBP up to my TV with a composite/svideo adapter. I don't think there's a way to display Front Row on one screen while having the desktop open on another. Front Row wants to dominate the entire interface when it's open, so even using two monitors won't work. One of the monitors will simply fade to black when Front Row is invoked.

Perhaps someone knows a workaround for this? I don't think there is one though.

I'd love to find a workaround for this, that would be sweet.

yeah. do you think its worth sending an e-mail to some mac genius'?

I know it is not FrontRow... but why not just use VLC in fullscreen on one display and work on the other display?

yeah thats a good idea, cheers....but can i control it with the remote? and i kinda like the idea of having it all there in front of me, movies, pictures, music etc.....and you gotta admitt, nothing looks as good as front row

i dont have much experience with VLC, i've got it, but never really used it....can i put all my music, and all my videos into it and navigate around them easily enough? or is it just a playlist you create?

I only use my 'second' display (aka my LCD TV) to watch stuff from Front Row. What I have done is set my preferences so that my second display mirrors my primary display. So what happens is that both screens show the same thing no matter what it be including Front Row. Its not the best solution but it works.

ahhh yeah, i was thinking that. but then thats your computer used up. i.e, at a party, if i were to do that, i cant have people choosing music etc from the second screen and have the mac being used for something else. im too fussy lol

mpoma said:

I only use my 'second' display (aka my LCD TV) to watch stuff from Front Row. What I have done is set my preferences so that my second display mirrors my primary display. So what happens is that both screens show the same thing no matter what it be including Front Row. Its not the best solution but it works.

Click to expand...

So you have TWO "Front Rows" going at once??... do you dim the second screen???

i've done it occassionaly before too, just dim the laptop screen or turn it round or whatever, looks pretty cool having front row on a big screen

lukenn77 said:

i've done it occassionaly before too, just dim the laptop screen or turn it round or whatever, looks pretty cool having front row on a big screen

Click to expand...

That's the LONG (odd IMO) way of doing it though...

Here is what I do: When you have an external Monitor hooked up... Go into System Preferences >>> Displays>>> Arrangement Tab... then drag the menubar to the external display...

Now front row will Auto-Dim on the Mac display and play full screen on the external.

yeah i just found that out, was playing around with that just now hoping to find a way of getting it to do what i want. so do you reckon there's a way of over-riding that command to dim the screen?

lukenn77 said:

yeah i just found that out, was playing around with that just now hoping to find a way of getting it to do what i want. so do you reckon there's a way of over-riding that command to dim the screen?

Click to expand...

I do not believe so... You can use the apple remote in VLC though... and it plays practically anything you through at it.

ohh ok cool. thanks for all the useful replies tho guys! im gradually starting to build up my knowledge of apple and all things mac!

I've a similar question......I'm running a 20" Imac with a 20" Dell LCD as my secondary monitor.....I like to watch a movie or TV on the secondary display while I'm working on things that I've brought home from work.

What I would like to know is how to keep my fullscreen move in fullscreen mode. It seems that as soon as I click on Excel (on the primary display) that the application tends to minimize on the secondary display. This doesn't seemto matter if I'm using ITunes to watch something or quicktime.

so your saying when you watch something with itunes or quicktime it doesnt minimize?

What is happening, is that when I am watching a full screen movie in Itunes or quicktime it will exit full screen mode as soon as I click on something that is on the secondary display.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to watch the family guy, full screen, on the primary display while working on my spreadsheet on the other, or vise versa.

ahh i see. well something like VLC media player has very small borders around the video, so i you could just drag the corner so its a big as possible? not fantastic i know, but that would take it as near to full screen as possible without actually being full screen.

ohh, actually. i just remembered. Divx player or macs.....when you watch a video in that thats not in full screen, as soon as you click off the player the entire border around the video dissapears so you're just left with the video itself and no ugly media player borders. you could drag that to an almost full screen size, then the borders would go when you click on something on the other display.

RiDE said:

That's the LONG (odd IMO) way of doing it though...

Here is what I do: When you have an external Monitor hooked up... Go into System Preferences >>> Displays>>> Arrangement Tab... then drag the menubar to the external display...

Now front row will Auto-Dim on the Mac display and play full screen on the external.

Click to expand...

But if you make your second display your 'primary', all of the necessary menus and dock would also be hidden if front row was active correct? So that would still make your primary useless when Front Row is on? Is my logic flawed?

My suggestion is what works best for me as I generally don't use my computer and watch a vid through Front Row simultaneously...I guess its a personal preference of mine. The one thing that I'm pretty certain though is that Apple won't incorporate a setting into the Display Preferences to move Front Row since they are pushing the Apple TV (which I did consider I might add).