Increase sound to projector.

Hello,I run a small church film club (under licence) using a DVD, laptop and projector.The sound emanates from the projector. The sound on both devices are shown as maximum, but I still need a bit more sound. Can I fit an external speaker to the projector or laptop and will I need an amplifier. Funds are limited. many thanks Lyndon

You should just be able to plug in a pair of run of the mill active PC speakers to the laptop and use those. These come in two types, active and passive. The active ones have the amp built in but will likely need a plug socket for power. They are a little more than passive ones but make more noise. You can pay from £5 to lots but £45 would see you with plenty of volume of a reasonable quality from any of the big chains. Might be worth asking around as somebody you know will have a pair in the cupboard doing nothing.

The other option is to find an old stereo amp and speakers in the charity shop. You can just connect the headphone socket on the laptop to the amp and use normal hi-fi speakers. Somewhere like Cash Converters could see you sorted for a very low price but it would be a bit bulky however the sound quality might well be better for the same expenditure.