Ultimate adapter kit - suggestions?

[aclawson]

I am building the ultimate collection of A/V adapters - the goal is to be able to connect anything to everything for $30 or less. Can anybody think of any adapters I might have left out? (Total cost of this collection is around $25 from monoprice)

RCA-m to XLR-m, 10'
mobile 3.5mm-m - mobile 3.5mm-m, 10'
RCA-f - 3.5mm-m (plug)
3.5mm-f - RCA-m (plug)
1/4"-m - 3.5mm-f (plug)
3.5mm-m - 1/4"-f (plug)
S-video+stereo 3.5mm - composite video/audio, 10'
(this last one is perfect to go from a laptop to any TV without a modulator)

[mprusse]

How do you play a video from an iOS device such as iPhone, iPad, etc.? The Gospel Library app has videos and you'll need an adapter for the iOS device. I use one all the time but they are pricey.

Also, adapter 8119 from Monoprice.com is great for laptops that have only a Mini DisplayPort; i.e., some Dells, Apple, etc.

[russellhltn]

RCA-m to XLR-m, 10'

Hopefully that includes a line to mic-level attenuator. Otherwise it's going to be of limited use.

[gregwanderson]

It would help to know what items you're trying to connect to each other... unless this "ultimate" kit is designed to connect anything to... anything!

[russellhltn]

Anything to anything is pretty broad. I can see interest in "anything" to the church sound system - which usually translates to anything consumer to mic-level XLR.

[michaelfish]

For decades, I've building up an adapter kit for hook-ups that has proved very flexible.

It consists of various stereo connectors (3.5 mm, 1/4 inch, RCA, etc.) at one end, but the other end is XLR. This combination allows adapting any combination simply by connecting them together.

The reason I chose XLR ends is so I can run any length of cable easily with standard microphone cables.

For attenuating signals, I use a Nady DB-1 Direct Box ($10) to tap off any signal and convert anything from speaker or line levels to balanced XLR output. It also has 3 attenuation selections.

[Columbo2]

I am a meetinghouse librarian and have discovered a supposed how-to adapter called a Apple TV which is really a little black box that supposedly connects your smartphones, macs, I-Pads, tablets, etc. wirelessly onto your TV screen. A lot of teachers are techy and using all these different mediums. How easy is it to wirelessly connect and is there a write up about it. Rather than have HDM1 cables connect to an adapter for mac and one for 4g and then have a connector to connect for a 5G and 5c, etc. it would be cheaper in the long run to get the box, right?

[russellhltn]

I am a meetinghouse librarian and have discovered a supposed how-to adapter called a Apple TV which is really a little black box that supposedly connects your smartphones, macs, I-Pads, tablets, etc. wirelessly onto your TV screen.

The only "Apple TV" I know allows you to connect an Apple ecosystem to your TV. Android, not so much. There are Android apps to interface to Apple TV, but looking at the reviews, many of them are split between 5 star and 1 star - not a good sign.

Then there's the whole question of how well the wireless will work and is it secure enough to prevent disruption while still being easy for the teacher?

[stephmur]

I own an Apple TV and it is slick when used with Apple devices. Anything that is on the iPhone/iPad display can be "mirrored" to the TV attached to the Apple TV. Other apps, like the BYUTV app in the app store, support a special kind of mirroring called AirPlay. BYU TV looks amazing using AirPlay and can play what appears to be full HD from not just my wife's iPad but from my iPhone too. I agree that Android users will be left out in the cold with this setup. All told, it might not be all that useful in a church setting.