Best Solutions of Your Projector Fails to Play Video

June 25, 2020

Watching movies at home has never been so much better. With your very own projector, you and your family can have the same experience as going to the cinema - and perhaps even more convenient. But looking up after all connection has been made and seeing the 'No signal' message on your projector makes you feel like you've made the wrong decision not to go to the cinema after all.

Like almost every electronic device, there are times when your projector decides to pack up on you, an annoying example is the issue of it not playing videos. There are times when you connect your device to the projector and instead of playing the video as it is on the source device, there is just a black box where the video should be. While it might seem like a big deal initially, the good news is that it is a relatively simple issue that can be fixed in a few steps depending on the cause.

In this blog post, we will be providing solutions to the question "why the video is unable to play in a projector?" Thus, we are going to show you the nitty-gritty of why video is not presenting on your projector and gateways by which you can fix them.

Reasons That Can Cause Your Video Not to Show (And the Solutions)

There are many reasons why your projector fails to play videos. Before we dive right in, here are something that you need to pay attention to

• The U-disk should be formatted in FAT, which supports the maximum capacity of 32G;
• The format of videos should always meet the proper specification of the product;
• Besides, there are 2 files of each video if it is downloaded from the IOS system, one of which shall be able to play;

However, if the problem still exists, you may go through the details listed below.

1. Projector Not Set Up

If you want to watch videos through the projector, you have to connect it to the source of the video. This can be your phone or laptop, the methods of connection are very similar. Connecting the devices together usually need some kind of cables or adapters, and you have to be sure that you are using the correct cables for the connection.

 

• Plug in the projector video connection as required in the projector's video port.
• Click on Start and click Settings
• Select System and then click on Display
• After which you then select Connect to a wireless display
• Then choose your projector
• You can now make any necessary modifications to the display size as required.

 

2. Does the Device Connect to the Correct Source?

If the video still doesn't play on the projector, you may have to confirm that the correct connections are made. It is possible that in the moment of rush, you accidentally made some wrong connections or use the wrong cables and adapters.

• Check whether the cables and adapters are properly plugged in and into the correct ports.
• Also take note of the cables and/or adapters that are used for the connections and ensure that the correct ones are used.For example, if the projector is one that makes use of a USB type C port, it will only display videos when connected through the USB type C video cable and not the USB type C charge cable. Also, if the projector is to be connected using a VGA port, it is important that you use the VGA to HDMI converter. Using the HDMI to VGA converter cable will not display videos.

3. Source Device Does Not Output Video Signal

If all the connections seem to be accurate and the video still isn’t playing, it is possible that the device connected to the projector is not sending out any video signal.

 

• It could be that you selected the wrong input mode for the projector. If your projector has multiple input modes, you are sure that you select the correct input to which the cable is connected to.
• Likewise it is possible that either the projector or the video card is bad. The motherboard of your laptop might be spoilt and is preventing the video signal from reaching the video card and the projector. The simplest way to check which is defective is by connecting them to a different device. If your projector works with another laptop, then the fault is from the laptop. But if the laptop works with another projector then you have to fix the projector.

4. Resolution of the Laptop too High

Some projectors cannot play certain video resolutions, those kinds of videos may fail to play when connected. The simple way to fix it is to reduce the resolution to one that can be played on the projector. It is normally better to set the resolution at 720p or 1080p.

• Press Windows
• Search for adjusting screen resolution and click enter
• Find display on the drop down menu
• Choose the appropriate device resolution
• Click Apply and click Ok

5. Display Driver Has Not Been Upgraded

The projector and laptop can be incompatible to display videos at the same time. This is normally due to the fact that the brands of the video card and drivers are different. To beat this, check the manufacturer's website for updated drivers and download the latest versions.

• Click on Windows+R to open Run.
• Type devmgmt.ms and press OK to open the device manager.
• When you are in the device manager, open display adapter. Right-click on it and select update driver.
• Then search automatically for an updated driver.
• Let the system download the needed updates and install them. After which you should restart the system and confirm the changes.

If updating the driver doesn't still allow the video to play on both devices at the same time, then the viable option is to allow the video to play only on the projector.

• Depending on the brand of the system, you can switch between screens by using the Fn and one of the function keys. This will allow you to choose whether to play only on the laptop screen, on both the laptop and projector screen or whether you will be playing using the projector screen only.

6. The Projector Lamp is Burnt Out

Although projectors are made to last for a very long time, their lamp bulbs don't usually last as long. Even though the lifespan of the lamp varies, it is necessary to know that eventually, the lamp is going to burn out. Average lamp life is about 3000-4000 hours and overuse and overheating can cause the lamp to burn out more quickly.

So if you have been using your projector for quite a while and it is flashing red or orange light, then it is time to replace the lamp bulb. The few steps should put you on your way to changing the lamp.

• The first thing you have to do is to switch off the projector, also remove the projector’s power cable from the power source.
• Then you open the door of the projector’s lamp compartment.
• After which you have to separate the lamp from the other components in the compartment and then remove the lamp.
• The next thing is to replace the components of the lamp compartment and put the power cables back.
• Fix the door of the projector’s lamp compartment and reset the timer of the lamp.
• Finally switch on the projector and confirm if the lamp has been fixed.

To reset the timer of the lamp:

While replacing the lamp, you would have to reset the timer, you can do that in these 6 simple steps.

1. Switch on the projector.
2. Press the Menu button and select the Reset menu. Click the Enter button.
3. Choose the option to reset lamp hour and click Enter.
4. A dialog box will come up to confirm if you want to reset the timing of the lamp. Select the Yes option and hit the Enter key.
5. Use the Menu key or Esc key to exit the menu.
6. And you are through with resetting the timer of the lamp!

Final Thoughts

And so there we have it! The reasons why your projector is not displaying videos and solutions. We hope that we have been able to cover everything you need to know about your projector not showing videos.

While it is pretty uncommon to have your projector not display videos that are playing on the source device, the truth is that the solutions are usually very simple that can be easily done by you right there.

So before you go hiring a technician to come to check your projector out, it is important that you check for basic problems and follow the above guidelines in resolving any of the issues that you may have. And if the problems tally with the ones above, well you already know what to do.

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