You are sure than I can project 3 totally different animation on 3 different wall with one datapathx4 and one x4 hdmi splitter?
The Datapath X4 is one of the best display controllers out there but in order for it to work properly, 1) you need to set it up correctly which is easy to do on a PC but much harder on a Mac and 2) you need great signal distribution in (DL DVI most likely) and out.
As far as signal distribution goes,
- anything below 15ft should be fine,
between 15ft and 50ft, get high end cables and you should be fine as well but that really depends on your GPU
anything above 50ft becomes more difficult and you'll need to figure out what's the most effective way to get the signal accross such as DL-DVI amps, extenders over CAT5/6/7, extenders over fiber optic, etc...
Keep in mind that the X4 has built-in amps for your outputs so you could technically be fine up to 50ft (they say 20M)
The X4 comes in two models (X4 & X4-1U) and the X4-1U is rackable so more bulky but quieter. I use the regular X4 and usually rig them near the projectors to minimize the output cable length to the minimum. Keep in mind that if you locate your X4 far from your server, you'll want to have a long run of USB to connect to it in case you want to make adjustments.
I use the X4 all the time and for long runs, I typically use Gefen Dual Link DVI fiber optic module extender with OM3 Duplex 50/125 fiber optic cable to run (3840x2160) DL DVI to the X4 with absolutely no degradation. For long USB runs, I use the Gefen USB 2.0 LR extender over CAT5/6.
As a matter of fact, I'm just planning an art installation in New York in a couple of weeks and I'm using Arena 5 to 2 Datapath X4. One X4 is set to 2048x1536 broken into four 1024x768 images and the other X4 is set to 3840x2160 broken into three 1920x1080 blended images and we're not using the 4th output. That 7 outputs using a Macbook Pro and the 2 Mini DisplayPort outputs and MiniDP to DL-DVI adapters, 2 sets of Gefen Dual Link DVI fiber optic module extenders.
Here is a quick teaser of the installation we premiered in San Francisco last year that we're taking to 3LD Art & Technology Center in New York so if you're around come say hi and check it out:
