Connecting room computers and guest laptops

Use the Input app to view a connected computer’s input on the display.

To view a connected computer’s input

1. Connect the computer to the display.

2. Do one of the following:

   If iQ is enabled	If iQ is disabled
   Tap Input on the Home screen. OR Press Input on the remote control.	Press the Home button or the Input button on the remote control.

   The display shows thumbnails of the devices that are connected to the display:

   • A grey thumbnail indicates no device is connected to an input.

   • A black thumbnail indicates a device is connected to an input but is in Sleep mode.

   • A thumbnail showing a preview screen indicates an active device is connected to an input.

   Tip 

   If iQ is disabled and you want a computer’s input to appear whenever you wake up the display, tap the star in the upper-left corner of the computer’s thumbnail.

3. Tap the computer’s thumbnail.

This table presents the recommend resolutions and refresh rates for the display’s inputs:

If possible, set connected computers to these resolutions and refresh rates. See the computers’ operating system documentation for instructions.

About resolutions

SMART Board 6000S series interactive displays support full high definition (FHD) 1080p and 4K ultra high definition (4K UHD) resolutions, provided the source device meets the minimum requirements for such resolutions.

Resolution	Pixels	Details
FHD (1080p)	1920 × 1080 (2.1 megapixels)	Most modern video devices (computers, laptops, DVD players and Blu‑ray disc players) support FHD resolutions. Check a device’s specifications to see which resolutions it supports. SMART recommends a digital HDMI connection for best results with FHD. Although an analog VGA connection might support FHD, the video quality may be degraded, particularly if the VGA cable is longer than 16' (5 m).
4K UHD	3840 × 2160 (8.3 megapixels)	A 4K UHD display has greater pixel density than an FHD display. A 4K UHD display can show up to four times as much visual information as FHD displays. Notes  Some video hardware described as “4K” or “UHD” may be capable of displaying a 3840 × 2160 image but will not perform well with video at the same resolution. See the knowledge base article, Minimum requirements for Ultra High Definition or 4K on your interactive flat panel. SMART software may have additional requirements. See smarttech.com/downloads for more information.

SMART advises against the use of an analog video connection for displaying FHD or 4K UHD because analog video connections can not display high-resolution images with adequate picture quality. If you want to use FHD or 4K UHD resolutions and the source device supports only an analog video connection, you will likely need to upgrade the source device.

About refresh rates

Displays can support different refresh rates, typically 30 Hz or 60 Hz. Higher refresh rates can result in smoother, flicker-free video. This is most evident when using 4K UHD.

Most computers support a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Using the highest frame refresh rate possible will provide a better experience when using the display, provided the connected device supports the refresh rate. If it doesn’t, you may need to set the device’s display settings to a lower refresh rate.

SMART recommends the following varieties of cable:

Using cables that exceed these maximum lengths may produce unexpected results, intermittent loss of picture, or degraded picture quality and USB connectivity.

You can use USB drives, peripherals, and other devices with a computer connected to the display using the display’s USB plugs.

For more information, see Connecting USB drives, peripherals, and other devices.

For troubleshooting information for connected computers, see Troubleshooting your display.