Connecting projector and monitor to a laptop

[rustem]

In our church, we have a laptop and projector connected to it. The laptop's video card can handle two monitors, so we have presentations (mostly, words of songs for singing along) shown on the projector as a secondary monitor, while operator uses laptop's monitor as primary for control.

We need to connect an LCD monitor on the stage to display exactly the same image as on the projector so that the singers could see the words of songs too. The laptop has S-Video out (we connect projectod to it) and VGA-out. We tried to connect the second LCD on the stage to VGA out, but we can only have one thing as a secondary monitor, either projector or stage LCD. Not both. Windos detects only the first device e plug in (either S-Video or VA port) and ignores the other one. Is there any software or maybe tricks in Windows to send the same image to both S-Video and VGA outputs?

Thank you for any help.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Not likely - because you really aren't sending the same video to both places. S-video runs at 480i resolution while VGA video is running at 640x480 or above resolution (probably XGA 1024x768) So, you are using the full processing of the graphics card already. It can handle two unique images and resolutions at once. You want to send two unique images - but you must use 3 different resolutions. The video card just can't do it.

The professional solution to this is to use a distribution amplifer, from a company like Extron and split the VGA output to both the monitor and the projector. You can pick up a used D/A on eBay for under $100 pretty typically.

Like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Extron-ADA-2-300-HV-Distribution-Amplifier-Amp_W0QQitemZ330043523277QQihZ014QQcategoryZ21169QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You can find cheaper on eBay if you search though...

Search: Extron Distribution

Make sure if it has BNC connectors it has FIVE of them for RGBHV connections.

 

[billnchristy]

I just bought a video amplifier that has one SVGA in and two out. Look at monoprice.com they have 5-6 different ones.

Mine was less than $20. I have it connected to my 32" LCD TV and my 17" LCD monitor. You have to play with resolutions but it works good, the TV looks 100x better than the monitor...

 

[rustem]

Thanx so much for your help.

I don't know, maybe I am wrong and I don't understand something? Are you sure you can't have higher resolutions through S-Video out? Our projector connected to S-Video displays in 800X600 resolution... We even tried higher resolutions, but projector's native is 800X600, it interpolates higher resolutions.

If we get the thing you were talking about, we then would have to change the cable to the projector, and that's tricky in our case. It's pretty long, and goes though some paneling and the projector hangs very high above...

I just hoped there would be some simpler solution. If not, we probably will go for another option - we'll connect the monitor to the VGA out, which is on the back of the projector. We already have the long VGA cable, which we wanted to connect to the laptop. We'll simply run it up to the projector.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I don't know, maybe I am wrong and I don't understand something? Are you sure you can't have higher resolutions through S-Video out? Our projector connected to S-Video displays in 800X600 resolution... We even tried higher resolutions, but projector's native is 800X600, it interpolates higher resolutions.

Your projector, if it is a 800x600 resolution projector, converts the incoming 480i s-video signal to 800x600. It is a lousy way to feed the projector and will produce a marginal, at best, image. If your projector (what make/model?) is 800x600 then you should feed it 800x600 resolution for the best possible image.

If we get the thing you were talking about, we then would have to change the cable to the projector, and that's tricky in our case. It's pretty long, and goes though some paneling and the projector hangs very high above...

If you don't have a VGA cable already run to the projector, then this may be a bit of a task. But, if you know you are going to connect a PC to ANYTHING you always should run a VGA cable to make that connection. This is something that any experienced installer would recommend from day one when all the wiring was being done to begin with. Since it just may take an hour or two with a ladder, I would definitely go that route. Once it is in place, it is in place and you don't have to deal with it again.

I just hoped there would be some simpler solution. If not, we probably will go for another option - we'll connect the monitor to the VGA out, which is on the back of the projector. We already have the long VGA cable, which we wanted to connect to the laptop. We'll simply run it up to the projector.

If the projector has a VGA out, it should work as a pass-thru to allow your monitor to view what the projector is showing. This typically only works when the projector is on though, so keep that in mind. There really is not a better alternative that the loop through for the least amount of money.

You can easily pick up additional VGA cables from www.monoprice.com which is an excellent source if you need cables of almost any length.

I believe that I would avoid the video amplifier that is recommended by billnchristy a couple posts up. You aren't dealing with standard video, you are dealing with computer resolutions. Converting a PC resolution to a video resolution is about the worst thing you can possibly do with the image and will make things difficult for audience members to read and understand.