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Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:15 am
by meyersmj
We have teachers asking for speakers to connect to the video project and computers so students can hear sound when showing videos in classroom settings. Are there Church recommended standards for speakers and are they available through the FM?

Re: Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 9:27 am
by lmcguire
I'm hoping my answer doesn't prevent an expert from replying, but it's been a day... Here are my 2 cents:

The answer partly depends on the room the class is in - some have their own overhead speaker hookup and some don't. Some are big and need louder speakers, some are small enough that the laptop or projector speakers should suffice. (Some projectors have speakers, some don't. If yours does, you probably just need a cable with male headphone-jack connectors on both sides - these are a dime a dozen, so to speak.)

To connect to the overhead speakers, your building probably has a device you can check out from the library which will take sound from a computer / tablet headphone / line out jack and route it to the microphone jack in the wall (round, three prongs/holes in triangle-formation).

This link may help a little: https://ue.ldschurch.org/ldsapphelp/showing-video/

If your building doesn't have one of these, you could do what I did and get these:

1) Attenuator to drop the output of the computer (needed!): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K67U52 (I set the output to 40dB and switch it to the lower numbers only if the output volume is too low - the lower the number, the less it attenuates and the louder the output.) This device makes obnoxious scratchy noises when connecting to the jack, so if you can, turn the overhead speakers off, hook everything up, then turn the speakers on.

2) You will also need an adapter to go from a headphone / line out jack on the computer / phone / tablet to the attenuator: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010CTL66

...the pair are cheap enough and connecting them obvious enough that there's no reason a building couldn't get several. (The only explanation needed is the attenuation switch setting.)

3) Optionally, you can connect #2 to a bluetooth receiver like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092MD7C0 - also cheap, and then people can output audio over bluetooth (from phone, tablet, PC if the PC supports it). Yesterday I confirmed that I can Chromecast the screen of my phone and send the audio to this bluetooth device at the same time so that the video is on a TV / Projector and the audio is coming through the overhead speakers. (FYI)

Finally, and unrelated to all the above stuff, it's been my experience that if the room is large (like the gym), you really need powered speakers (or to use the overhead speakers). Wired speakers which plug into a headphone jack are easier for most people to use than bluetooth. Any good computer speakers should suffice and be affordable enough for a few sets to be kept in the library. Maintenance and use would be easier if the speaker(s) consisted of a single unit rather than two speakers with a wire running between them.

FWIW,

Liz

Re: Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 9:48 am
by drepouille
When the FM provided two 32-inch LCD TVs for the meetinghouse library a couple years ago, I purchased three types of cables for each TV:
* HDMI
* VGA with attached mini-stereo audio
* Component video (RGB) with stereo audio

If anyone really needs to use a projector, rather than a TV, I would suggest they use the special audio converter box in the meetinghouse library to connect the computer to the meetinghouse sound system. Plug a mini-stereo plug into the computer, and a microphone plug into the jack in the podium (chapel, cultural hall, or Primary room).

Re: Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 3:34 pm
by craiggsmith
We've been needing a portable speaker to use in similar situations as well -- in rooms where there is no overhead system to plug in to and where those little PC speakers don't cut it. A single speaker in the 6 or 8 inch range with a stereo input and 20+ watts should be perfect. But I haven't been able to find anything. There are pro audio options but they're too expensive and too big and heavy. Not sure how a cheap keyboard amp would sound.

Re: Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 4:24 pm
by russellhltn
In the stake offices we have something made by Industry West Electronics. Which appears to have been bought out by EMTech. I don't see anything like that on the EMTech page, but it might be worth checking with FM Group as to what is in their catalog. I know I've seen a collection of podiums in the past with internal speaker/amps.

On the commercial side, what about this? 8.5 lbs and a little over 12" tall.

Re: Speakers for Video Projector, Computers

Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:12 pm
by craiggsmith
russellhltn wrote:In the stake offices we have something made by Industry West Electronics. Which appears to have been bought out by EMTech. I don't see anything like that on the EMTech page, but it might be worth checking with FM Group as to what is in their catalog. I know I've seen a collection of podiums in the past with internal speaker/amps.

On the commercial side, what about this? 8.5 lbs and a little over 12" tall.
Thanks! They had a portable integrated podium/speaker system at girls camp but it's more cumbersome than I'd like. I'll see if FM has anything available, but that Samson unit looks like it might be just right.