High-resolution streaming functionality in SAGE2 screen sharing

Abstract

Visualization on a Tiled Display Wall (TDW) is an effective approach for sharing large quantities of scientific data among researchers in collaborative research. SAGE2 (Scalable Amplified Group Environment) is a popular middleware for organizing multiple monitors into a TDW. SAGE2 has a useful function, Screen Sharing, which allows the user to utilize existing applications on a TDW without redevelopment. However, the current Screen Sharing has a problem in that it displays the application window at the same resolution as the monitor devices connected to the user’s PC. Such insufficient resolution degrades the visibility of scientific data visualized on a TDW. In this paper, we incorporate a frame-streaming method we designed into Screen Sharing to realize the functionality of high-resolution streaming. Our evaluation demonstrates that our method enables Screen Sharing to display the application window at an arbitrary resolution on a TDW. Our method is also effective in improving the frame rate of Screen Sharing. For example, 19.2 fps is achieved when displaying a 4K application on a TDW.