Use 3rd monitor as mirror of currently active monitor

[Jishaku]

Is there any software, that lets me mirror the currently active screen?
Like how Steam Link behaves in desktop mode, but over HDMI.

 

So if I have 3 Monitors, two would be side by side, and one would be a TV back to back to the monitors, facing opposite direction.

And I would like to use the TV, to access both Monitors like with Steam Link, but without compression, delay and with high refresh rates.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Moonzy]

like this?

 

windows: right click desktop -> display settings

[Nathanpete]

Windows has a feature similar to this, but instead of mirroring the currently active screen, it will mirror the primary screen, which is just called Display 1 in the Windows Display Properties/Settings. So if you have something on display 2 u want to see, too bad, there is no way to easily switch unless you like program a hotkey to set display 1 to "show only on 1" and display 2 to mirror towards display 3. I can't help you program that hotkey, and it would really cause your computer to lag when you press it, but I guess it could be done. 

 

The only way I can possibly think this could work with both screens would to buy a 3840x1080 high refresh rate gaming monitor, and either within windows if possible, or a third-party program, or if you are lucky maybe there is some feature hidden deep down in the configuration program for your GPU that allows you to do this, but somehow make the left half of the monitor the picture of display 1, and the right half the picture of display 2. But I can only imagine the amount of lag you would endure if this was done with a third-party software. As it screen grabs one frame from both display 1 and 2, combines them to one image, and then pushes it out fullscreen to display 3. That process would be laggy, and would either not be high refresh rate, possibly less than 60 FPS, or always lagging behind by like 1-2 frames. If not both problems.

[Jishaku]

9 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

like this?

 

windows: right click desktop -> display settings

No, I do not want my desktop spanning 3 displays. When I use the TV I can not see the other two monitors.
So I want the TV to mirror the Monitor, on which the cursor currently is.

So 1 monitor is the main monitor. 1 Monitor extends the first. And 1 dynamically shows the active one, out of the first two.

 

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Jishaku said:

No, I do not want my desktop spanning 3 displays. When I use the TV I can not see the other two monitors.
So I want the TV to mirror the Monitor, on which the cursor currently is.

So 1 monitor is the main monitor. 1 Monitor extends the first. And 1 dynamically shows the active one, out of the first two.

ah i see, so, mirror the current screen the cursor is on

no idea then, sorry

[HeroRareheart]

I would do something like have 2 separate outputs going to the 3rd display and in windows set up each output to mirror a different display then switch inputs on the TV.

[SupaKomputa]

5 minutes ago, Jishaku said:

And 1 dynamically shows the active one, out of the first two.

Never heard of anything like that.

3 minutes ago, herorareheart said:

switch inputs on the TV

this is possible

[Jishaku]

5 minutes ago, Nathanpete said:

Windows has a feature similar to this, but instead of mirroring the currently active screen, it will mirror the primary screen, which is just called Display 1 in the Windows Display Properties/Settings. So if you have something on display 2 u want to see, too bad, there is no way to easily switch unless you like program a hotkey to set display 1 to "show only on 1" and display 2 to mirror towards display 3. I can't help you program that hotkey, and it would really cause your computer to lag when you press it, but I guess it could be done. 

Sounds like it could work as last resort. But I was really hoping for something more streamlined. : /
When oversimplifying, it would only have to access the right framebuffer. All Screens have the same resolution as well.

 

5 minutes ago, Nathanpete said:

The only way I can possibly think this could work with both screens would to buy a 3840x1080 high refresh rate gaming monitor, and either within windows if possible, or a third-party program, or if you are lucky maybe there is some feature hidden deep down in the configuration program for your GPU that allows you to do this, but somehow make the left half of the monitor the picture of display 1, and the right half the picture of display 2. But I can only imagine the amount of lag you would endure if this was done with a third-party software. As it screen grabs one frame from both display 1 and 2, combines them to one image, and then pushes it out fullscreen to display 3. That process would be laggy, and would either not be high refresh rate, possibly less than 60 FPS, or always lagging behind by like 1-2 frames. If not both problems.

I already own 3 Screens and am happy with them + The ultrawide would be too small for the seating-sceen distance.

[Jishaku]

4 minutes ago, herorareheart said:

I would do something like have 2 separate outputs going to the 3rd display and in windows set up each output to mirror a different display then switch inputs on the TV.

Unfortunately I have no free ports on my GPU.
And I think the performance could actually be better with this idea:

 

12 minutes ago, Nathanpete said:

So if you have something on display 2 u want to see, too bad, there is no way to easily switch unless you like program a hotkey to set display 1 to "show only on 1" and display 2 to mirror towards display 3.

 

[Nathanpete]

@JishakuImagine moving your mouse off screen, losing the cursor, and then frantically toggling between the two modes each time causing your PC to lag because switching display properties really, really interrupts a GPU. And then oh I finally found my mouse. So unless you also want to somehow program a tool that if your mouse cross over the 2 adjacent vertical line of pixels between the two monitors, then triggers the change, then go for it, but I can't program for shit. I imagine if you have something like a gaming keyboard or a hotkey program, it shouldn't be that hard to program a key combo after you understand the code for display properties and display switching.

 

It might even be easier to program a separate utility to detect when your mouse is on a certain monitor that then simulates the key combo. And if you used a hotkeys program it might be possible that this simulation is actually picked up. 

 

So I guess you either have the choices of ignoring this all and maybe getting somebody else's help, or learning the code behind Window's display manager and creating mods for it. DO NOT come back to ask me anything, I can't code to save my life. 

[Jishaku]

@Nathanpete I think I'd just frantically move the mouse until I find it 
If the change is not instantaneous, it might even be more annoying to unintentionally move the mouse out of the window and get a backscreen twice.

 

And don't worry. I should be able to make something work with autohotkey myself. I was just hoping for a more polished solution.