MS Teams does this natively, without needing any extra hardware. It can load up PowerPoint slides internally (no need to run PowerPoint separately) and it automatically shows you the Presenter view with notes and slide previews. You can also turn on/off a feature which lets participants navigate themselves around your slide deck and then catch back up to where you are.
What made Zoom so different was that it was easy for Mac and Windows users to use as guests. You just click a link in an email and if it’s not already installed it installs itself. Most of the Zoom competitors had extra friction, such as requiring guests to create accounts first, or something else that made it just hard enough for a wide margin of regular users to not get it to work.
For those of us that are confused (like me), a Ghost Monitor makes our PC (or Mac) recognize an additional monitor (that isn't physically there) and is great to use for presentations. You would share or stream the ghost monitor instead of your physical monitor, that way you can use that for notes or to do other tasks without sharing it on screen with everyone else
Just a small technical correction to avoid any confusion. When she discusses the physical interfaces that are available, at the end of the video, she refers to one as DisplayLink. The correct physical interface is called DIsplayPort which is found on may devices in both full size and Mini-DisplayPort. (DisplayLink is a mirroring software by Synaptics that is used primarily for docking stations and not unique to any one physical interface.)
These were used a lot for headless mac minis in server cabinets. It increased the graphic performance when remote desktoping to the mac mini. Using this for a presentation? Really cool
You learn something new every day. I've been in IT since the Dark Times i.e. pre-Windows 95 and had never come across ghost monitors. I have been wondering about the clarity of my screen recordings and screen shares. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Excellent content! Many thanks!!
It took me to 7:00 and after reading the title of this video again, to understand what the purpose of this all is. I still prefer to see what I share, but get the physical space saving.
Some special Server setups for specific applications do need a dummy monitor plug, to avoid the GPU from shutting down. When you want to Remote connect to the PC the GPU needs to be active. Some software also needs an active GPU, 3D Rendering, Crypto mining an other stuff..
Cat, this was excellent. Can you do some videos on Teams. I use both, and I like Teams better, especially for PowerPoint as now you can integrate it into the presentation (go figure Microsoft make both). Thx, Don
Wow, I am a gadget freak but never come across this one. Thanks a lot. Sidecar doesnt help for me, again it would tricky with my office laptop (windows) or when I am presenting away from home. I will try and see if it is any better than other software options available. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
I love this idea. But can you accidentally open an software that is going to open a window on top of the full screen sharing slides without you knowing it? It would scare me to display something to the whole audience without noticing it.
Very cool. But I’ve never had problems screen sharing in zoom. Will you demo this in MSTeams, as well? That’s where screen sharing is truly problematic for me.
I got one of these and it killed my HDMI port. I am just glad that it killed one of my extra HDMI ports in my docking station. It could have been a fluke... I was really hopeful about it since I have a ridiculously large Ultrawide monitor. Unfortunately, doing full screen shares is just better with Teams... having to stop sharing and reshare a new window is a tedious process. I have used CleanPresenter and it creates a "virtual monitor" without hardware... but, it puts it on a background and doesn't let you do "full screen" in the virtual monitor.
I don't think you need some physical item to use this functionally, there is probably a way to just create a virtual output on Windows and Mac (I'm not really sure, I use Linux and this is very easy here)
Did you have any issues when you originally plug it in, and it just causes things to lock up? I can't get it to function properly, it seems to appear and not appear and cause all other monitors to freeze and bounce.
This seems like a problem that can be solved with Software - afterall the presenter notes etc are all features of the software (Google Slides/Microsoft Powerpoint)
It’s really a good option, maybe a cheaper one it’s to use an old phone with an app to use it as a monitor, but that makes me thing about your teleprompter maybe some of us don’t have one and a old phone or tablet it’s a good option for that too…
Here is what I tried to do. I have two monitors and a " ghost" monitor on a HDMI plugin. I can't figure out how to send anything to it or see anything from it. My Keynotes are done for church service. Usually 40 or so slides. What I want to do is have me in one frame and them in another probably through a screen share. My notes are going to my primary monitor and split to the teleprompter monitor. I tried to use Stream Deck XL to advance slides and to change ecamm scenes. Problem sometimes the slide advance works and some times it doesn't same with scene changes. Is there any way to when I advance slides to have a multi action bring Keynote to the active screen and then advance and do the same thing when I change scenes make sure ecamm is active and then change scenes. I don't want to use Live video within Keynote not enough time in a day to change all the slides for that. I just need Keynote slide show started in a window on ecam my notes on the telepromter plus be able to see a monitor to know Im actually recording the program. I was hoping to use the dummy adapter for that. I use a MacMini with a Caldigi hub. Any ideas appreciated.
Well you actually don’t need a ghost monitor to do this. When you present in PowerPoint you switch the view by clicking the button on the bottom left. Then an extra PowerPoint window will show up. Now when you go to zoom you’ll be able to share only the PowerPoint present window which does the exact same thing in this video.
I find ppt on Mac doesn’t let you resize your windows so I’m constantly switching between ppt and zoom to bring it to the foreground. Any else find the same?
Can this get around the 1 external screen only limit of the basic M1,M2 and M3 Mac machines? Or does it only work with older Mac or the higher end M chips that allow more than 1 external screen.
Dude mac users need a dongle for everything. I was given a MacBook and it might as well be from another planet. I had to buy $70 worth of generic adapters just to use my stuff. Mac users are suckers.
Ohhh, I have one of these because Apple, in their infinite wisdom, don’t let you remote access into a Mac without a display connected, but I’ve never thought to use it as a monitor for zoom….
Missing: Computer requirements. You're using a monitor port so presumably you need a graphic card/chip that supports the number of monitors that you want because the computer believes that there is a monitor connected.
What? Almost every PC has more than one port for display out (atleast more with than without), even the ones without a dGPU, laptops too in fact, so I'm really not sure what your point here is
I watched this entire video and I still have no clue at all what the actual value-add is of having a "ghost monitor". If you want to see the output that you are generating with your presentation then why not just go out and buy yourself a second monitor and be done with it? What is the point of setting up a virtual/ghost monitor that you can't even actually see output on? What have you accomplished by doing that?
MS Teams does this natively, without needing any extra hardware. It can load up PowerPoint slides internally (no need to run PowerPoint separately) and it automatically shows you the Presenter view with notes and slide previews. You can also turn on/off a feature which lets participants navigate themselves around your slide deck and then catch back up to where you are.
You can then join the meeting from a phone or tablet to get the audience’s view.
It’s wild how companies jumped onto Zoom when it’s literally bottom tier compared to a lot of other options
@@AtracBreezy It's that marketing. During covid Zoom was pushed so heavily in the media.
I like MS Teams for meeting, it's reliable. Slack organizes chats a lot better and is easier. Never liked Zoom and refuse to use it lol
What made Zoom so different was that it was easy for Mac and Windows users to use as guests. You just click a link in an email and if it’s not already installed it installs itself. Most of the Zoom competitors had extra friction, such as requiring guests to create accounts first, or something else that made it just hard enough for a wide margin of regular users to not get it to work.
For those of us that are confused (like me), a Ghost Monitor makes our PC (or Mac) recognize an additional monitor (that isn't physically there) and is great to use for presentations. You would share or stream the ghost monitor instead of your physical monitor, that way you can use that for notes or to do other tasks without sharing it on screen with everyone else
Just a small technical correction to avoid any confusion. When she discusses the physical interfaces that are available, at the end of the video, she refers to one as DisplayLink. The correct physical interface is called DIsplayPort which is found on may devices in both full size and Mini-DisplayPort. (DisplayLink is a mirroring software by Synaptics that is used primarily for docking stations and not unique to any one physical interface.)
These were used a lot for headless mac minis in server cabinets. It increased the graphic performance when remote desktoping to the mac mini. Using this for a presentation? Really cool
You learn something new every day. I've been in IT since the Dark Times i.e. pre-Windows 95 and had never come across ghost monitors. I have been wondering about the clarity of my screen recordings and screen shares. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Excellent content! Many thanks!!
My first time learning on this channel. Very well done. You are a good teacher.
It took me to 7:00 and after reading the title of this video again, to understand what the purpose of this all is.
I still prefer to see what I share, but get the physical space saving.
It is a genius idea. As others mentioned, if you are on Mac and have an iPad, you can also use it as an additional monitor which can be very helpful.
Some special Server setups for specific applications do need a dummy monitor plug, to avoid the GPU from shutting down. When you want to Remote connect to the PC the GPU needs to be active. Some software also needs an active GPU, 3D Rendering, Crypto mining an other stuff..
Very helpful, as always! More than anythng though, it reminds me why I sould be using a real second monitor when presenting. Thanks
On windows, you can also use an additional desktop to put the presentation window, no hardware needed (Win+Tab and click new desktop).
This is so interesting I haven't thought about slideshow presentations since school
0n mac both BetterDummy and BetterDisplay can do this in software without the need to use up a physical HDMI port or buy a dummy dongle
Thanks Cat. Right on the money. I have a couple of these but never really used them. I will have another shot at them now.
Great advice, super useful for me as I have a large, curved monitor that does not have PIP/PBP.
Cat, this was excellent. Can you do some videos on Teams. I use both, and I like Teams better, especially for PowerPoint as now you can integrate it into the presentation (go figure Microsoft make both). Thx, Don
you can use a virtual monitor via software alone(and yes i have use 30 of dongle like this before)
Well done, and this has rocked my presenting world. Thank you for the excellent and clear content!
Wow, I am a gadget freak but never come across this one. Thanks a lot. Sidecar doesnt help for me, again it would tricky with my office laptop (windows) or when I am presenting away from home. I will try and see if it is any better than other software options available. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
Great little unit, and you've demoed it so well. Kudos!
I love this idea. But can you accidentally open an software that is going to open a window on top of the full screen sharing slides without you knowing it? It would scare me to display something to the whole audience without noticing it.
Interesting and worth my thinking more about for teaching applications. Thanks for showing it!
Very cool. But I’ve never had problems screen sharing in zoom. Will you demo this in MSTeams, as well? That’s where screen sharing is truly problematic for me.
For the person that has more ports than monitors this is a great option. Maybe we should stick to the more accurate term of "virtual"?
This is a game changer! Any recommended brands that are better than others? Or are they pretty much all the same?
If you're using Windows you can press WIN+TAB and use the built-in multiple desktops.
You’re not understand what she’s doing. The ghost monitor is for teams/zoom
I got one of these and it killed my HDMI port. I am just glad that it killed one of my extra HDMI ports in my docking station. It could have been a fluke... I was really hopeful about it since I have a ridiculously large Ultrawide monitor. Unfortunately, doing full screen shares is just better with Teams... having to stop sharing and reshare a new window is a tedious process. I have used CleanPresenter and it creates a "virtual monitor" without hardware... but, it puts it on a background and doesn't let you do "full screen" in the virtual monitor.
Great idea, thanks!
I never knew this was possible 🤯 Thank you for sharing this 🙏
You could use a BetterDisplay's virtual monitor instead
have you tried sidecar? ipad via cable (or wireless) for keynote? it works for me :)
I don't think you need some physical item to use this functionally, there is probably a way to just create a virtual output on Windows and Mac (I'm not really sure, I use Linux and this is very easy here)
I find, when presenting, simpler is ALWAYS better.
Hi Cat, great video. I have a different idea for this little do-dad. If I can make it work, I will send you a video of it. Many thanks, Peter.
Did you have any issues when you originally plug it in, and it just causes things to lock up? I can't get it to function properly, it seems to appear and not appear and cause all other monitors to freeze and bounce.
This seems like a problem that can be solved with Software - afterall the presenter notes etc are all features of the software (Google Slides/Microsoft Powerpoint)
Another challenge with this is if the audience is annotating on the presentation, those annotations end up not visible.
It’s really a good option, maybe a cheaper one it’s to use an old phone with an app to use it as a monitor, but that makes me thing about your teleprompter maybe some of us don’t have one and a old phone or tablet it’s a good option for that too…
How do I send keynote slide show to ghost monitor and share that monitor in ecamm?
You don't need extra hardware for this. You can easily create a virtual monitor that does the same thing of your ghost monitor device.
Here is what I tried to do. I have two monitors and a " ghost" monitor on a HDMI plugin. I can't figure out how to send anything to it or see anything from it. My Keynotes are done for church service. Usually 40 or so slides. What I want to do is have me in one frame and them in another probably through a screen share. My notes are going to my primary monitor and split to the teleprompter monitor. I tried to use Stream Deck XL to advance slides and to change ecamm scenes. Problem sometimes the slide advance works and some times it doesn't same with scene changes. Is there any way to when I advance slides to have a multi action bring Keynote to the active screen and then advance and do the same thing when I change scenes make sure ecamm is active and then change scenes. I don't want to use Live video within Keynote not enough time in a day to change all the slides for that. I just need Keynote slide show started in a window on ecam my notes on the telepromter plus be able to see a monitor to know Im actually recording the program. I was hoping to use the dummy adapter for that. I use a MacMini with a Caldigi hub. Any ideas appreciated.
Well you actually don’t need a ghost monitor to do this. When you present in PowerPoint you switch the view by clicking the button on the bottom left. Then an extra PowerPoint window will show up. Now when you go to zoom you’ll be able to share only the PowerPoint present window which does the exact same thing in this video.
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Thanks Tech Diane Lane 👍👍
I used to use the hdmi virtual monitor but it was kind of weird knowing it was there but I couldn’t see an actual monitor
Great idea! Thanks
You are a truly amazing nerd. :)
I find ppt on Mac doesn’t let you resize your windows so I’m constantly switching between ppt and zoom to bring it to the foreground. Any else find the same?
Can this get around the 1 external screen only limit of the basic M1,M2 and M3 Mac machines? Or does it only work with older Mac or the higher end M chips that allow more than 1 external screen.
No
What about “region to share” in power tools in windows? No Mac version I don’t think.
Also this is a great idea if you don’t have a big monitor or multiple monitors
You Mac users have to BUY HARDWARE for this? In linux I can just create a virtual monitor.
Dude mac users need a dongle for everything. I was given a MacBook and it might as well be from another planet. I had to buy $70 worth of generic adapters just to use my stuff. Mac users are suckers.
Nope, there are several apps
Display emulators / whatever else she called them are the easiest way to do this in Windows too.
Okay, this is kind of genius.
What is the resolution of the ghost screen such that the slides aren't pixelated?
Today's max is 1080 X 1920 if your video card/CPU supports this.
and not just iPad works, also second TV, setup as "extended". So you are not right in Apple Keynote. No need dummy dongle
Is it possible to do this with Keynote? If so, how?
Yeah why not
Have you tried having your Mac settings to ‘displays have separate spaces’? May solve your Keynote issues with multiple screens.
Can you explain?
Ohhh, I have one of these because Apple, in their infinite wisdom, don’t let you remote access into a Mac without a display connected, but I’ve never thought to use it as a monitor for zoom….
Can't you just use a second desktop on windows to do this?
Because that’s not how second desktops work…
Missing: Computer requirements. You're using a monitor port so presumably you need a graphic card/chip that supports the number of monitors that you want because the computer believes that there is a monitor connected.
The requirements and options are discussed at 6:50. You don’t necessarily need a spare HDMI port.
What? Almost every PC has more than one port for display out (atleast more with than without), even the ones without a dGPU, laptops too in fact, so I'm really not sure what your point here is
"a computer manufactured in the past 10 years"
professional degree in yapping; didn’t even watch the video, or have common sense lmao
Keynote has a way to show notes on your screen.
I watched this entire video and I still have no clue at all what the actual value-add is of having a "ghost monitor". If you want to see the output that you are generating with your presentation then why not just go out and buy yourself a second monitor and be done with it? What is the point of setting up a virtual/ghost monitor that you can't even actually see output on? What have you accomplished by doing that?
If you're travelling, you don't always have access to a second monitor.
Send OBS to a virtual monitor and then output the virtual monitor to Zoom full screen. Higher resolution too!
how does one pronounce your name ?
Uh... how's this better than virtual desktops???
What a shame for the blind Zoom and Webex developers to busy developing useless unwanted features instead of what customer wants.
Woah you look like Naomi Watts.
How's this woman looking 35 and 55 at the same time?
Sorry, but I dont see the point of the hardware.
I can do all of that using Chrome and Google Meet.
Great content, but I have to say it: what a beautiful face beaming of positivity...stunning
If you are a Mac user and doing presentations.. get a Windows machine instead. ;)
You look so cute ❤
and finally MS Powerpoint is definitely not ahead of Keynote, its just opposite