How to Connect a Video Camera With an LCD Projector

While many businesses use their LCD projectors to share data presentations, LCD projectors are also fully capable of displaying video images, such as a live feed from a camera. This can be helpful if you are speaking to a large group and want to magnify your image so that everyone can see you well, especially if you are displaying an item or demonstrating a product. Using a live video feed can also be useful if you want to watch a group, such as a focus group, without being in the room.

Connect your camera's audio/video cable to its video output. Most camcorders come with an analog audio/video cable, which typically has three 3.5mm plugs on each end: one Composite video plug (yellow) and two audio plugs (red and white). Connect one end of the A/V cable to the corresponding jacks on the camcorder. Pay attention to the color coding, putting a yellow plug into the yellow Composite video jack, etc. If the camcorder has a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) output and cable, and if the projector supports HDMI, plug that cable into the corresponding port on the camcorder instead. HDMI will provide a clearer picture.

Connect the other end of the A/V or HDMI cable to the LCD projector's input ports. Again, if you're using an analog A/V cable, follow the color coding and use all three plugs. If you're using a HDMI cable, there is only one right way that it will fit.

Press the camcorder's "Power" button to turn it on. Use the camcorder's mode selector to select the appropriate mode -- for example, "record" to show a live video stream from the camcorder or "play" to play back a recorded image.

Press the projector's "Power" button to turn it on. Wait for it to warm up.

Projectors vary, so choose the device-specific button (often "input" or "source") to select the port to which you connected the camcorder. The projector is now ready to receive video from the camcorder.