How to prepare to host the online service

Here's how to connect your computer to your home theater system.

We would like to provide an overview of what most hosts will need to connect their home computers or laptops to a bigger screen, allowing a large group of people to watch the webcasts together. If a host has the ability to accomplish this using a different method it is only recommended that the hosts ensures their solution is as stable as possible to avoid any issues during viewing.

Equipment needed:

1. Computer or laptop with a high speed internet connection:
     (preferably wired instead of wireless) with the ability to play Flash video. The computer or        laptop does not need to be top of the line by any means, but the host is encouraged to try    watching one of the video streams to ensure the computer can handle the resources needed    for viewing.
    Software required: Any operating system with a web browser that can display the Flash            plugin, located at http://www.flash.com

2. TV or Projector with a Video/Audio in port:
   the back or front of the TV will have jacks that look like the following:

3. PC-to-TV Video Converter
    This device converts the picture from your computer to a format the TV is able to display.
    These devices generally cost around $70, the one we recommend can be found here:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815323003

4. PC-to-RCA Audio Adapter
    This device can generally be found at RadioShack, Bestbuy or Walmart, and usually costs        around $5. It converts the speaker plug on the back of the computer or headphone jack
    on the side of the laptop to a RCA jack that we can use to connect the computer
    audio to the TV.

5. RCA cable
    Finally, to connect the PC-to-TV Video and Audio, we require an RCA cable with video and        audio connections. This needs to be as long as the distance is between your TV and                computer. A 12' cable on Newegg.com is about $10:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882641145
    You do NOT need any type of "gold plating" (no matter what a sales person says), this item        should not be expensive for our needs.

Installation:

Here is an image of the back of an average computer:

1. Connecting the VGA-to-TV converter:

Unplug the cable leading from your monitor/lcd screen, and plug the VGA cable from the VGA/TV Converter into the port that your monitor was connected to (the VGA port). Usually there is only one place this will fit. You can then plug your monitor/lcd screen cable into the "Monitor" cable coming from the VGA/TV converter.

2. Connecting the Audio adapter:

Then plug the Audio adapter into the port that your speakers or headphones would normally connect to, which is usually colored green on most computers. In the above picture it is labeled "Line Out".

3. Connecting the RCA Cable to the computer and then to the tv

Now take one end of the RCA cable and plug the yellow (video) jack into the video plug on the VGA/TV converter. Take the red and white jacks (audio) and plug them into the Audio adapter you just connected your computer.

Now take the other end of the RCA cable and plug the yellow/video end into the Video-In jack on the TV/Projector. Then take the red/white jacks and plug them into the Audio-In jacks on the TV/Projector/Sound System.

4. Changing your TV input mode

On the TV/Projector remote there should be a button that says "Input". When you push this button the TV will attempt to detect other signals coming in the Aux Video/Audio ports. On older TVs you may have to change the channel on the TV to 3, 4, "Video" or "Aux". Your computer screen should appear on the TV on one of these channels/inputs.

5. Extra info for laptops:

If you are using a laptop, sometimes you have to take an extra step to tell the laptop to display to an external screen. Usually this option is activated by holding down the "fn" (function) button and pressing the "f" key that has a picture of a screen (usually just a square) at the very top of the keyboard. This picture and the "fn" key are usually a blue color. When you push these buttons together you may have to wait a moment for the screen to appear, usually the laptop screen will blink as well. If you can not get this to work, try shutting the laptop down and booting with the VGA/TV converter already attached.