Connecting Steam Link to a Projector?

[Qai]

Has anyone tried this to see if it works? HDMI ports on projectors are fairly common these days.

I would be interested to get this working as a general remote desktop app in conjunction with my laptop for group presentations. It wouldn't be so much for other people to use, but rather a way for me to avoid using a USB stick to transfer my presentation files to the group's laptop (I don't ever do this given how easy it is to get a virus) or e-mailing my files to someone else and have them load it on the group's laptop (current approach, but one I would like to eliminate). I'd also like to avoid connecting my laptop to the projector directly (if I connect at the beginning, then I can't take notes, or play games during boring presentations ; if I connect during my time slot, then too much hassle to setup and disconnect on the spot - with the Link I can just set it up at the beginning and everything is good to go).

We're about 40 people in the group at any one time with frequent transients. So very ripe grounds for viruses/malware/security breaches etc.

[zombie cat]

it wouldnt be practical seeing as you need a powerline to power up the steam link and a laptop and a controller or keyboard/mouse

[Qai]

Originally posted by Zombie Cat:

it wouldnt be practical seeing as you need a powerline to power up the steam link and a laptop and a controller or keyboard/mouse

Please read my post carefully.

[DirtyCamper]

Thinking the right things. I love that.
The problem with the link is that it needs more than just a hdmi connector, it also expects a tv resolution like 720p or 1080p. If it can't find that in the edid, it will fall back to 720x480 or less. I have a 1366x768 monitor which doesn't work, even with force overrides to 720p. It ignores that and use the lowest fallback resolution.
So in that respect, you have to try.

[retro_Ed]

I have a 1080p projector=display. It works just fine. The better LAN connection the better experience...
It is easy controlling with only Steam Controller or wireless mouse when adding on screen keyboard (...at least under Ubuntu... no hassle at all)
Extra comment:
DirtyCamper ! If you set your Big Pictures resolution from host to 1280x720 in windowed mode what happens. It should scale nicely to your 1366x768 display with link.

[DirtyCamper]

Originally posted by retro_Ed:

It should scale nicely to your 1366x768 display with link.

Ah, no. The link does not support 1366x768, so it falls back to the lowest resolution. With forced 720p it would work, but the latest version of the link doesn't allow forcing an output resolution. The link hardware itself doesn't seem to have any problem with it, but the link gui doesn't accept it since a year or so.

[Qai]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll just have to give it a shot and see what works. Not sure the specs of the projector, though (I don't even know the make and model... just a device I took for granted up to this point). My laptop, though, is a MBP with 1280x800 (16:10), which I don't think is a standard resolution supported by the Link (which, if I'm not mistaken is 16:9). I wont have access to test things out until maybe next week or the week after, it's just guesswork/research on my part at the moment.

Would 1280x800 Big Screen native mode get rescaled by the Link to 1280x720? I'm just taking a wild guess that the projector is natively 16:9. What do you recommend the different settings/approaches to try (just planning ahead to be as efficient as possible when I actually get access to test)?

[retro_Ed]

Originally posted by DirtyCamper:

Originally posted by retro_Ed:

It should scale nicely to your 1366x768 display with link.

Ah, no. The link does not support 1366x768, so it falls back to the lowest resolution. With forced 720p it would work, but the latest version of the link doesn't allow forcing an output resolution. The link hardware itself doesn't seem to have any problem with it, but the link gui doesn't accept it since a year or so.

So you have tested Big Picture in WINDOWED mode (720p) in host pc...

[retro_Ed]

Originally posted by Qai:

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll just have to give it a shot and see what works. Not sure the specs of the projector, though (I don't even know the make and model... just a device I took for granted up to this point). My laptop, though, is a MBP with 1280x800 (16:10), which I don't think is a standard resolution supported by the Link (which, if I'm not mistaken is 16:9). I wont have access to test things out until maybe next week or the week after, it's just guesswork/research on my part at the moment.

Would 1280x800 Big Screen native mode get rescaled by the Link to 1280x720? I'm just taking a wild guess that the projector is natively 16:9. What do you recommend the different settings/approaches to try (just planning ahead to be as efficient as possible when I actually get access to test)?

I recommend changing laptops resolution to 1280x720 because then it is proper 16:9 ratio.

There is an option to boot Link straight to desktop mode and after that it is like using normal pc.
Booting Big picture mode is just optional.

[DirtyCamper]

Originally posted by retro_Ed:

So you have tested Big Picture in WINDOWED mode (720p) in host pc...

I am sorry, but we haven't even connected to the PC. From the moment it starts the link uses 720x576@50Hz, no matter what I try to configure, either forced using usb, or using the menu.
I can try to fix the edid of my monitor of course and put in a decent 1280x720 so the link will not refuse to use it.
But usually I can get by with just adding an override of the edid in the linux boot parameters.
It's just that the link GUI doesn't work like that.

[PROblem*]

Originally posted by retro_Ed:

I have a 1080p projector=display. It works just fine. The better LAN connection the better experience...
It is easy controlling with only Steam Controller or wireless mouse when adding on screen keyboard (...at least under Ubuntu... no hassle at all)
Extra comment:
DirtyCamper ! If you set your Big Pictures resolution from host to 1280x720 in windowed mode what happens. It should scale nicely to your 1366x768 display with link.

Hi mate, im thinking to buy a projector (XGIMI H2) which has a 60ms lag...

Do u got any problems with that?