UKH

I need some advice please.
I am giving a short talk about using smartphones for photography and I will be using a digital projector for a computer presentation. However I would also like to demonstrate things on my phone and show that through the projector. Can I use my digital camera in live mode to show the demo and feed that out using the HDMI connection it has? Could I then use a different output from the computer (USB?) and switch between them on the projector inputs?
Thanks

Depends on the video output options from your computer, the video input options on the projector and what wiring is available in the venue (or how accessible the projector is). In principle, the plan works but it's very dependent on details that I don't know (and it sounds like you don't either?)

If you know that at least one HDMI input to the projector is an option, you could always have the fallback option of just switching the HDMI cable back and forth between phone and computer. It might be a little more faffy but it should be reliably available.

Some projectors, or their associated equipment in fancier setups, will have multiple HDMI inputs that you could switch between, so that would be easy. (Reading between the lines of what you said, I'm assuming that your computer has HDMI output.)

You mention USB, which isn't a video output by default but yes, you can use adapters to output video over USB. You would need to buy an adapter. If the projector doesn't have multiple digital inputs, you could use a USB to VGA adapter because lots of older/simpler/cheaper projectors still have VGA as an option for older computers.

The other option would be to install screen mirroring software on your computer that would let your phone send what's on its screen straight to the computer over the network. I've not had cause to do this myself but colleagues have recommended AirServer: http://www.airserver.com/

It's not free but it might be worth considering. The exact options for screen mirroring will depend on your phone and computer.

If yer giving presentations about AV stuff, you really shouldn’t be asking AV questions

how about a cheapo HDMI stitches from yer local Cotsco or similar. Plug both phone/camera & laptop to it (most run on 5v, so you can power it from laptop USB). Easy to switch feed from presentation to live. 

Hi Luke

Thanks for this info. 

My laptop has HDMI & USB output only so I was going to use the HDMI for the Powerpoint. The projector has both VGA & HDMI input so what I could do is get a USB/VGA converter and switch to that for the laptop. The HDMI on the projector is then free for the connection to the camera filming the demo.

What I can't work out (until I try it) is if a camera in LiveView or video (D90 or D7100) can be used to show what it is seeing via its HDMI output. My manuals only refer to using HDMI output to show stored images/videos from the camera.

Any ideas please?

somebody i know uses pdf as a static (yes, static!) form of presentation as a contingency plan as he doesn't know in advance what the software/PC/projector/network/other setup will be

If you have a video demo (slick but unedited?) on youtube then you can be pretty confident you'll have a demo as a contingency plan if you can't do a live demo.

Google.

nikon d90 HDMI live view

https://www.dummies.com/photography/cameras/nikon-camera/how-to-display-the...

first hit

Oh, I misread your original post. I think the option of mirroring the phone screen to the computer using software like AirServer would probably be much better than pointing a camera at the phone screen.

What phone are you using and what software is it running?

I am using an iphone SE but it is not just the screen I want to show - it is the way you hold it and capture images. Any advice is welcome. I have now established that I can use a tripod mounted DSLR in LiveView mode to show live feed of the demo.

Thanks for your link to site that clarifies that I can link LiveView on my D7100 to a projector. That is really useful and what I was looking for.

However your comment 'If yer giving presentations about AV stuff, you really shouldn’t be asking AV questions ;' was most unhelpful as I had not aspired to doing that. What I want to do is to deliver a presentation that incorporates Powerpoint slides with live feed of a demonstration of how to use an iphone to take better pictures - it is not about how to deliver AV presentations. I have been delivering digital presentation from Powerpoint since 1995 - indeed I made my living from it and was respected by colleagues for adapting PP to make it a more engaging method of delivery. But what I haven't kept up with is how to incorporate other live inputs into a presentation. 

Following your link above my solution is to use the D7100 on a tripod looking at my use of the phone to compliment the slides I have prepared. A pre-prepared video is another option but doesn't allow for interaction and I am keen to incorporate that element.

Thanks again for the link.

That makes sense. Until you've found out what inputs are available where you're presenting, I think I've given all the advice I can.

Thanks Luke

 > However your comment 'If yer giving presentations about AV stuff, you really shouldn’t be asking AV questions

Emoticons, sarcarms and irony... look up those... start with emoticons and see what         means .

Oh and I'd seriously look into the HDMI hub option. Often  easier to switch feeds from your hub than from the projector.