Computer to TV Display

[tennyson]

Tech Gurus,

I would like to know if it is possible to have a laptop connected to a TV for display, but only have certain windows (as opposed to whole desktop) visible. Can I configure the TV as a dual display, perhaps?

A real world example would be to display a map of the area on the TV, but still allow me to access monster stats and things that should be hidden. Thanks for your help!

 

[Alan Shutko]

Yes, depending on the laptop and the TV.

If it is a recent laptop and TV, the TV will have a HDMI input and possibly a DVI input. It might also have a VGA input. The laptop will have an external video connector, usually VGA, DVI, or HDMI. If the connectors don't match exactly, you can usually get an adapter.

If you plug it in, the laptop can be configured to use the TV as a separate screen, or to mirror the screen. If you use it as a separate screen, you get exactly what you wanted.

That's all a bit general. Post your TV and laptop model, and I'm sure someone can help give you more details as to how to do it.

 

[tennyson]

Thanks, Alan!

 

[Merkuri]

People do this sort of thing with MapTool all the time. They run two instances of MapTool, one as the GM and one as the player. The GM instance stays on the computer/laptop monitor and the player instance goes on the TV or projector. That way you can even hide bits of the map from players, but the GM sees the full map on their monitor.