Laptop to projector question (obscure)

[Critical1]

a few years ago I had a laptop that when hooked to a projector would play videos in a way I have yet to find anywhere else.

click the file you want to play and the media player would open up on the laptop as usual. in a small screen that you could stretch or full screen as you wanted. BUT that same video would automatically go FULL screen on the projector, every file every time. this made presentations really nice because I could control the video from the laptop screen while everyone was watching the projector.
basically I am trying to find a method to achieve this. the old laptop was a compaq from about 5 years ago if that helps.

[Palooka]

I’ve never heard of something like this, but it’s a very interesting and very good idea. What kind of hardware are you trying to re-create this on?

[Critical1]

@Palooka

I’ve never heard of something like this, but it’s a very interesting and very good idea. What kind of hardware are you trying to re-create this on?

a Lenovo Ideapad with an nVidia Ion video card.

this is a slight update to my model Lenovo Official US Site | Laptops, PCs, Tablets & Data Center | Lenovo US

[Palooka]

My first thought is that this functionality is the function of the projector’s driver, but I don’t know a lot about projectors. Do you remember if this projector connected via video cables or USB or ethernet?

[Quartz]

Try setting up the projector as a separate display, rather than a duplicate of the laptop’s.

[Chronos]

I don’t know about movie players, but Keynote (Mac presentation software, equivalent to Powerpoint) can do something similar: Your laptop can be displaying the previous and next slides, so you know where you are in your presentation, plus notes for the slide itself, while only the current slide shows up on the projection, full-screen. It’s possible that Quicktime does the same thing, but I’ve never tried it.

[Critical1]

@Palooka

My first thought is that this functionality is the function of the projector’s driver, but I don’t know a lot about projectors. Do you remember if this projector connected via video cables or USB or ethernet?

it worked on tv’s, projectors, and other monitors. definitely not related to the device it was connected to.

@Quartz

Try setting up the projector as a separate display, rather than a duplicate of the laptop’s.

you get the standard result, you drag the media player over to the other screen and have to work it from there. usually at an awkward angle and all that nonsense.

@Chronos

I don’t know about movie players, but Keynote (Mac presentation software, equivalent to Powerpoint) can do something similar: Your laptop can be displaying the previous and next slides, so you know where you are in your presentation, plus notes for the slide itself, while only the current slide shows up on the projection, full-screen. It’s possible that Quicktime does the same thing, but I’ve never tried it.

all the presentation software I have seen has the same limitations, you cannot control the player for shyte, if you want to back up and watch a part again you have to restart the entire clip. the limitations are pretty severe.

[Reply]

I’ve seen this before and I want to say it was the media player, not the driver, that did this (how would the driver automatically know which window to full-screen on the external display?).

Do you remember anything about the program you used to play the videos, Critical1?

[Reply]

It seems like both Quicktime and VLC can do this:

Fullscreen on second monitor

Some versions of Windows Media Player may also do this automatically:
Technology Archives - Tux Reports (but this source is unclear about how to change it if it doesn’t). I’d test it out but I don’t have another display handy.

[Critical1]

@Reply

I’ve seen this before and I want to say it was the media player, not the driver, that did this (how would the driver automatically know which window to full-screen on the external display?).

Do you remember anything about the program you used to play the videos, Critical1?

media player classic was one (the one that comes with CCCP) and also media player.

@Reply

It seems like both Quicktime and VLC can do this:
Fullscreen on second monitor | MacRumors Forums

Some versions of Windows Media Player may also do this automatically:
Technology Archives - Tux Reports (but this source is unclear about how to change it if it doesn’t). I’d test it out but I don’t have another display handy.

hmmm have to look into those thanks for the tips and thanks to all for the interest.

[Reply]

Media Player Classic might do that too… worth investigating.