Other uses for your Schoshe Fmt-4 Transmitter! Here’s how I am using mine!
It helps me watch internet TV on a standard Television, with great Hi-Fi sound.
Project Rating: Too easy! 🙂
Other uses for your Schoshe Fmt-4 Transmitter! Here’s how I am using mine!
It helps me watch internet TV on a standard Television, with great Hi-Fi sound.
Project Rating: Too easy! 🙂
Quality of the Video on the TV: Excellent!
Quality of the Audio on the HiFi/Radio Receiver: Excellent
Outlay for the project: $25
I’ve been using the Schoshe Fmt-4 Transmitter as the audio part of my laptop to Television setup. With sites like Fancast, Hulu, ABC, CBS screening programs legally it is much better to watch them on the television than on the tiny laptop screen. Outlay for this whole and simple project is about $25.
OK what you need first is to check if you have an S-Video connection on your laptop, typically it is the 7 pin type these days, if it’s the 4 pin then also great because it’s the 4 pin that’s getting used. NOTE THE 4 PIN CABLE WILL FIT WELL INTO THE 7 PIN SOCKET! 🙂 What is important is that you have an S-video connection.
I have a Dell laptop, here’s what it looks like on a Dell;
http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/710m_right.JPG
It’s the round connector at the far right of the picture – it even has a TV icon below it telling you exactly what it is!
OK, so you have that great! Let’s move on.
Next check your TV for a similar connector. More likely your TV has the same ‘type’ of connector but it may have only 4 pins – IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. The other pins of the 7 from the laptop would have been for the audio portion, but that makes no difference because you are going to be using your Schoshe Fmt-4 Transmitter available from Walmart for $12 (for your audio) which you’ll find in the auto parts section.
OK so basically having checked you have both connectors, you need the lead and the transmitter.
Next you get your Transmitter and Lead:
Get your transmitter from Walmart.
This is the correct lead you need: http://tinyurl.com/yaj9aa5
Note: This 12 foot long lead is an ideal length to get across most sitting rooms. I can sit on my sofa, with my laptop close by, on a table beside me, and coordinate what I am watching on the TV across the room.
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Okay so let’s assume you now have the Schoshe transmitter and the lead, simply tune your Schoshe to your hi-fi and plug it into the headphone socket of your laptop (a radio shack extension lead might be a useful addition to your setup but not essential).
Next simply plug the S-video connector into your laptop and television.
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To get an image on the TV, you must configure the laptop computer to display an external signal. DON’T WORRY, IT’S EASY! 😀
Typically, this is done by toggling the “Fn” key + “Fx” where x=1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8. The actual function key varies with each laptop computer. Your laptop could be Function key and F8 key. Refer to your computer’s User Manual for specific instructions for displaying an external signal.
On the TV you should press the TV/Audio button (this should be almost right beside the S-Video connection on the TV panel of controls) until you find the Video channel that your laptop is going out on. On my Panasonic TV it is on Video 3.
ON SOME LAPTOPS – EG THE DELL INSPIRON I USE THE F8 KEY IS LABELLED CRT/LCD, so in that case it’s the F8 KEY. Your laptop might also have similar writing on the correct function key. To get back to your normal screen you just press Fn + F8 and it cycles through choices of either the laptop screen, the tv screen or both at the same time.
The “Fn” + “Fx” toggles between three settings, laptop display, TV only and TV and laptop together.
One other tip is that when you get the show started click on the FULL SCREEN option (which will be on the webpage) on the show you are watching.
This should be all you need to get it to work, but if you want to read more here’s a useful website:
http://columbiaisa.googlepages.com/laptop_to_tv.htm
This is also a brilliant way of adding spice to a class lecture or similar by getting what is on your laptop onto the big screen easily and cheaply! It should also work well with Powerpoint presentations.
Enjoy! 🙂
That’s really cool
I like the way you think, by the way… right after our walmart “remodeled” the Scosche fmt-4 was brought back on the shelf in the automotive dept. (at least it was here)
The price was raised a couple dollars.
$12 up from $9.99
And I have to say this, the super center not only remodeled they condensed the inventory. Sorry but the truth is better than bull**** any day and smells alot better too. lol
Thanks, the Walmart near us
Thanks, the Walmart near us has been the same way since the changes, more space to walk around but less stuff.
It just dawned on me that I should have added one last thing to my posting so here it is.
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What if my Display Settings have changed?
If on rebooting you find that your settings have defaulted to 800 x 600, after using the TV as your monitor then that’s easily fixed.
Just right click on the desktop – select Graphic Settings – and change your settings to the maximum eg. 32 Bit, 1024 x768.
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Also
If you try this, Right Click on Desktop select Graphic Properties.
Select Display Devices > Select Multiple Display – Check the Box > Intel (R) Display Clone> Set Primary Device to Notebook, Set Secondary Device to Television.
That might stop happening whenever you switch from TV to Laptop screen. (I’m still testing this bit to see what it actually does!) 😉 Has it’s uses but you have to do this bit every time on my computer, once you start it in order to see your computer on the television, however one benefit is that you see the whole screen on the television like a standard computer monitor.
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So looks like there are two options, either the first which means you might have to reset your display properties sometimes (as explained at the start of this message, or that you will have to tell the computer what Display Devices you are doing to see it on the Television, see paragraph prior to this.
It’s easy and really worth it though, for watching movies, giving talks/lectures or playing games. All the instructions are in these messages.
I’m currently playing Painkiller – ‘Heaven’s got a Hitman’ on my television, with the sound booming out of my hi-fi thanks to the little Schoshe! 🙂