Customer Reviews

ARKVIEW USB-1612 Multi-Display USB 2.0 to DVI/VGA or HDMI Adapter 1600x1200 High Resolution (Link up to 6 Displays)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Day Trader, the biggest issue I have is being able to see multiple screens simultanteously. I have tried EVERYTHING...I mean expensive Video Cards (only able to get Two monitors going), other similar devices to the Arkview adapter (I tried the EVGA and also TRITTON, and IOGEAR, but they somehow couldn't really handle more than 3 monitors, even though specs say they can; the Arkview adapter REALLY does it... I have SIX 19" Acer LCD's (though ANY CRD, LCD, Plasma would work), connected to a not-too-fany Dell dimension. This product barely uses any system resources and I have it connected to a 7-Port USB Hub (must be powered by AC adapter if you are using an external hub), so I have only used ONE usb 2.0 port. Simple as pi to setup, simply incert the CD, run it, then plug in the adapter and bing bang boom, in minutes yo uare setup. Then you go to DISPLAY SETTINGS and configure the Display "2" or "3" to EXTEND DESKTOP and now you have this incredible workstations, like something out of a FBI flick with all these monitors, each can do something DIFFERENT... literally, email in 1, movie in another, 3 browsers, and whatever you can think of. Recently, I just found out you can actually connect a 60" PLASMA to the computer. Resolution was GORGEOUS. What can I say? This was a real Life Changer!!! they have Three choices for this: USB-DH88, USB-1612, and USB-WA62... basic difference is USB-DH88 will go to 1280x1024, USB-1612 1600x1200, and USB-WA62 also has Audio (but the audio does not really get channelled through the HDMI, but through an external adapter). After trying the USB-DH88 later, I saw almost no difference to the more expensive model, but at 10.00 more it wasn't a major capital expense. not sure how these would hold up to Gaming, but I imagine it might not be the best for that, since you are still limited to the USB 2.0 refresh rates.

I watch Netflix online and use Media Center to watch home videos and pics from over my home network. I laptop has a SVideo and VGA output but I wanted more. When I tried this device out on my XP desktop everything seemed to work fine. But this thing has a major limitation of being restricted to the output of the primary monitor, which in my laptops case was 1280x800. 720p on a HD TV should have been fine but the video was jerky not as smooth as the laptops LCD, it worked smoother at lower resolutions as the user manual suggests but at 640x480 whats the point, I could just use my SVideo or VGA output.
The manual actually suggests you NOT use this for video and use your primary monitor. So there! I called TigerDirect and returned it. Great concept and would use it for work if I really needed it for non video stuff.

I bought this device for my multi-monitor setup (4-monitors). I used the included CD to setup and install the ARKVIEW USB-1612. The instructions were unclear about which installation settings to choose and there was no help available. After installation the screen flickered to the point that I could not watch it. I tried every setting available and could not resolve the issue. Several days later I uninstalled the software. I plugged the device back in and let Windows (Vista 64bit) search the internet to find the drivers. This worked better and the screen flickering problem went away. Unfortunately the screen resolution appears to be maxxed out at 1280 X 1024 even though the product advertises that it can do 1600 x 1200. I have 3 Dell s2309w 23" monitors capable of displaying 1920 X 1080. The two monitors attached directly to the NVIDIA GS9600 Video card work perfect and look great at 1920 X 1080. The monitor attached to the ARKVIEW USB-1612 looks less sharp (at 1280 x 1024)and I have problems moving windows from screen to screen because of the difference in resolutions. If I had a 17" or 19" monitor attached to this device it would probably be OK but the ARKVIEW USB-1612 falls way short of my expectations with my current monitors.

The bottom line is that this device works - just be willing to settle for less than you expected. If you have larger monitors look for a better solution!

This product does work as advertised and is the best option for a lower budget. One thing that mac users should be aware of is that the product is manufactured by a different company then the vendor on Amazon. This wouldn't be an issue if the selling party provided the proper technical support, or were polite when a customer calls in with trouble shooting issues. After experiencing a very rude customer service representative I was able to find the new drivers for my Mac Book Pro. One must go to the actual manufactures site and download their "beta," driver for Snow Leopard. I am pleased with the product now that I have it working but I must say that the customer support and ease of setting it up could be better. Also how can the driver for an operating system that is nearly a year old still be in beta? There is some work to be done to improve the user experience, however a third monitor for under 100.00 really is a great deal.

It is great if you do not have dual vga on your PC. I would not recommend on old pcs. It does get sortof hot to the touch.
Pros: Inexpensive solution for multi-taskers, even those using older monitors
Cons: Website address not on pkg as it should be. If you have issues, you need to go to [...] for the drivers, etc.
no Windows 7 upgrade driver listed on the CD. Will not work on each and every device flawlessly, like HDMI to VGA...Trying to hook up my new LG 1080 LCD to Dell Laptop is a nightmare and uncompatible. So would not advise it for anything but multi-tasking on WORK MONITORS. Video for other uses not always super crisp, like for movies, etc.

This USB adapter works with my MacbookPro 17" running Snow Leopard 10.6.2, so now I have 3 displays 1680x1050 as you can see at [...].

DONT WORK to play videos, games, final cut or fast video refresh. BUT ITS OK to surf on the web, text editor, dreamweaver, etc.

Purchased my adapter from Tiger Direct via Amazon. It shipped and was received promptly. Inserted the mini CD and was not clear on which version to install and thinking the latest version would be most appropriate, installed it. That did not work. The install dragged on and it finally gave me an error message. Restarted the process and installed the old version. That went very quickly and everything was great. I was able to use multiple screens for everything from email to gaming. I was pleased with the operation.

On day 8 of use, I came in to set up my work for the day and the screen supported by the Arkview was not running. Attempts at reconnecting and rebooting did not produce working results and I received an error message that the USB device was not recognized. I installed the device on a second computer and got the same error message. So, the device had failed.

Contacted Tiger Direct. They sent me a return label and I will try again.

UPDATE 1 YEAR AND 8 MONTHS LATER...
New Unit is working well.

When I received this item I was amazed at how easy it was to connect. Instructions are user friendly. I wouldn't trade this item in for nothing in the world. Great item and I recommend it highly.

Technology is great, but when yours moves faster than your customer's is can be embarrassing. I was doing a presentation for a customer on my brand new laptop. Sleek and powerful and... no VGA out. The customer's projector only had VGA in. Needless to say a few quick large file transfers to a "strange" / other laptop at the last second saved the day, but right away I did some research and picked up this little baby. It is very easy to use, portable (which is exactly what I need) and at the right price point. Our office ended up getting a few to have around for just such times. To date I have only used this to connect to VGA devices but I know there are other users. I'm sure to have the same good experience with them. I recommend this product.

Easy to install on a Win 7 PC. I wanted it to run my second desktop while my main adapter runs my primary monitor and a flat screen tv. Several times it went through a cycle of seeming to disconnect itself, resulting in repeated USB device alerts. Every time it did this, all my icons and windows relocated back to my primary monitor.
I was about to make a warranty claim, but it's behaving now. Occasionally it blinks briefly, but is usable.
I can't recommend it for any video or gaming use, but it is fine for a secondary monitor for static windows like email clients, spreadsheets, etc.