For long, researchers and engineers have been working on and designing high-resolution screens, and those massively tiled display walls. If for once we contemplated that anything bigger would distort the visual information, perhaps it is time for a revised thought. Citing the aforementioned, here is HIPerSpace OptIPortal, a prototype for ultra-high resolution.
Researchers in the US have developed this computer display screen with resolution up to 220 million pixels, which swanks of being the highest-resolution computer display in the world. Built at the University of California-San Diego’s division of the California Institute, the display screen is an improvised version of the previously built HIPerWall. The novel display is linked through optical fiber to Calit2’s building UC-Irvine, and is suitable to display graphics instantaneously and simultaneously across 420 million pixels. Isn’t that immensely amazing for all audience?
The mechanism in comparison to the lesser in fray and otherwise
The HIPerSpace OptIPortal backed with the ability to deliver visual data at 220 million pixels of display space across 55 high-resolution tiled screens, surely visions to give us an aura to fathom that we wouldn’t have every imagined thus far. Providing us with an awesome visual display.
The concept of a huddle of graphics consists of 80 NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 graphics processing units (GPUs). And we definitely are aware of the computational and graphic performance of these cards, which even the engineers at the helm believe is quite astounding.
If only computational proficiency is considered, then the prototype may not get the ovation that it probably deserves. It will only correspond to the most efficient supercomputer in the world five years ago, which too, operated at the same tempo. But that’s a sheer myth, for anyone like me who by the mere blueprint is swayed with the tide. OptIPortal may not be there with the speed of the latest computer, however, the indicated capabilities of this new ‘cluster of graphics’ that goes far beyond generating impressive visual information cannot just be sidelined.
This was a gist into the traits of the concept; now let’s just get it head on with the HIPerWall. The two are not very distinct from the other - both are tiled display systems, but have a different hardware. The HIPerSpace OptIPortal is Linux-based and constructed with 50 Apple 30-inch Cinema Displays, which are powered by 25 Power Mac G5s running the Mac OS X operating system. It also is embedded with 55 Dell displays that run on 18 Dell XPS personal computers.
Who will benefit
There is no denying the fact as stressed earlier, that the Irvine’s HIPerSpace is an awe-inspiring megapixel screens that will allow viewers to see the minutest data detail. The high-resolution and power of processing will be a boon for all large-scale applications. The device consisting of the Calit2 will certainly facilitate scientists and researchers who have to deal with very large data sets, from multiple gigabytes to terabytes.
What’s in store and beyond
HIPerSpace has to a great extent combined technology to intensify the foresight to figure out how to help out researchers understand data better than ever before, and would want to go further deep with it. Therefore, stopping here is perhaps the last thing that would strike the mind of these farsighted engineers. Hence, after providing the unique milieu for visual analytics and cyber-infrastructure research, the UC-San Diego based researchers aspire to reach half a billion pixels with a one gigapixel distributed display in sight. How about that for the taking?
[Source: Physorg]
