[XDreams] Mac OS and Windows making wired and wireless connections to projectors

[Graham Perrin]

On 9 Nov 2006, at 11:41, Lela Tong wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Wow... 4/11/05?
>
> I wanted to double check with Circuit City and Office Depot --  
> where sales reps told me that their projectors work with Windows only.

With respect to them, I seriously doubt that wisdom!

As a blanket statement about projectors in general, it's certainly  
not true.

I provide I.T. support to scores of users in a mixed Mac/Windows  
environment (two universities under the same roof) with all sorts of  
projectors and it's FAR more common for Windows users to have trouble  
with them.

> Situation:  I teach, and use projectors which belong to hotels and  
> companies -- many moons ago, I was told that these projectors won't  
> work with Apple and so, I wanted to check again.   Again, Windows  
> only... that is, the sales rep at OD told me today.

Next time you hear this, if practical, find out the make and model of  
the projector.

> Thus, I was wondering if the Mac's new ability to use Windows would  
> allow me to get a Mac since I need a new laptop.  I had crossed  
> over to the dark side awhile ago, but would like to rejoin the  
> Apple world.

Don't hesitate to return to the bright side :-)

Without wishing to complicate this off-topic discussion:

it's true that there were (probably still are) some Windows-only  
products for making wireless connections to Mac-friendly projectors.

An ordinary projector works fine with Mac OS and Windows and whatever  
when connected using traditional VGA or DVI cables ... but wireless  
video is more of a novelty -- developers of the wireless stuff may be  
less inclined to cater for Mac OS users.

(Historically, when this type of wireless video was a *real* novelty,  
then it *was* difficult to get the wireless video stuff for Mac.)

More recently, sensible developers have made their wireless products  
work with both Mac OS and Windows.

See for example the WiJET series:
<http://www.pegasuswirelesscorp.com/products/products.html#video>
<http://www.pegasuswirelesscorp.com/specs/specifications.html>
<http://www.pegasuswirelesscorp.com/specs/WiJET.Gmac.pdf>
<http://www.pegasuswirelesscorp.com/specs/WiJET.Video.pdf>
et cetera.

(By coincidence in the past few days I have been re-educating myself  
about these video-over-wireless gizmos.)