About Displays

After selecting a suitable PC for your Personal Simulator, it’s time to consider your options for the displays.

In general, Simlog recommends large, multiple, displays to “fill up” your field of view and thereby make your simulation experience more “compelling”. Of course, your final choices will need to take into account your available space. When in doubt, just contact Simlog.

About “Flat Screen TVs”

The growing popularity of “home entertainment systems” has brought the price of “flat screen TVs” (with 120Hz screen refresh, to minimize motion blur) within reach of every training budget. And today you’ll find products that are either HD (High Definition) display resolution (1080p, so 1,920 x 1,080 pixels with progressive scanning) or “4K” (Ultra High Definition) display resolution.

However, the graphics cards in typical PCs are best suited for HD display resolution so if you want to use 4K TVs, be sure to double-check that they will also support HD, and then remember to set their display resolution to HD as part of your Personal Simulator setup.

About Vertical Placement

In general, when looking straight ahead, most experts suggest that your eyes should line up with the centre of the display. But because people vary in height, Simlog recommends that you adjust the vertical placement so that for most people, their eyes “land” in the middle third of the display, so 1⁄3 up from the bottom and 1⁄3 down from the top.

Choosing Orientation: “Landscape” or “Portrait” Mode

Simlog software makes it possible to orient your (front) displays in either the horizontal “landscape” mode or the vertical “portrait” mode. Practically, “landscape” mode will let you see more details left-to-right, whereas “portrait” mode will let you see more details up-and-down.

In general, Simlog recommends “landscape” mode, and that’s what we present in most of the Personal Simulator setup photos on our Web site.

Connecting your PC to your Displays

Typical desktop computers have three kinds of digital video outputs: HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), DisplayPort, and DVI (Digital Video Interface). Typical laptop computers instead have just two: HDMI, and miniDisplayPort.

Since flat screen TVs have just HDMI inputs, you will need plug adapters, for example HDMI at one end to connect to your TV, and DisplayPort at the other end to connect to your computer.