# Laptop to projector question (obscure) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707 "2010-12-02T20:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/1 "2010-12-02T20:26:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/2 "2010-12-02T20:38:34Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/3 "2010-12-02T20:41:37Z")
> [@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 [Welcome to Lenovo](http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=8EE56652C33D4452A778393130C14F42&action=init) ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/4 "2010-12-02T20:47:17Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/5 "2010-12-02T21:14:29Z")
Try setting up the projector as a separate display, rather than a duplicate of the laptop’s. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/6 "2010-12-02T21:31:47Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/7 "2010-12-02T22:10:31Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/8 "2010-12-03T10:04:35Z")
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**? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/9 "2010-12-03T10:19:23Z")
It seems like both Quicktime and VLC can do this: > **[Fullscreen on second monitor](https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/fullscreen-on-second-monitor.155107/)** > > Hi, > > I've got it set up in my dorm so I can use my tv as a second monitor to watch videos through my tower on the TV. Problem is, I can't get Quicktime or VLC to go fullscreen on the tv. I have the tv set as the secondary monitor, and every time I... Some versions of Windows Media Player may also do this automatically: [Technology Archives - Tux Reports](http://www.technologyquestions.com/technology/windows-media/42490-disable-full-screen-display-second-monitor.html#post199744) (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. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/10 "2010-12-03T20:25:12Z")
> [@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](http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-155107.html) > > Some versions of Windows Media Player may also do this automatically: > [Technology Archives - Tux Reports](http://www.technologyquestions.com/technology/windows-media/42490-disable-full-screen-display-second-monitor.html#post199744) (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. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-to-projector-question-obscure/562707/11 "2010-12-03T23:51:28Z")
Media Player Classic might do that too… worth investigating.