Blank Screens...?

[kerncraftergold]

Hey All,

Quick question.  On my laptop (Dell 7567) is there any software or something that will allow an external monitor (like a projector) show a image (or blank) until I tell it otherwise?

What I'm trying to do is play videos (some YouTube, some through VLC) on a projector, but not have people see me open or close those certain videos between clips if that makes sense. 

It would be amazing also if it was free, or very cheap...

 

Thanks in advance!

[Avocado Diaboli]

The cheapest option would probably be to use the integrated projection modes of Windows (assuming you're running Windows to begin with). If you hit Windows+P, you open up the projection settings. You can set it so it only shows an image on the main screen, set it so that the external device mirrors what's on your main screen or acts as an extension of your main screen, the typical second screen behavior.

 

Alternatively, if you have PowerPoint, make presentation that already has all the videos embedded, it supports YouTube videos as well. That way, if you really need to have a blank screen somewhere, you can just hit B on the keyboard to show a black screen.