Multiple HD TV's W/ Remote Boxes

firemike

I have a commercial client, a sports bar, that presently has seventeen 42" inch flatscreen TV's. Presently the TVs are standard definition with either RG6 or RG6Q cable run to them (dedicated home run from each TV to the office).

They want to switch them all to high definition TV and they got a quote from DirecTV for almost $6000 to convert them over and to have all the boxes in the office, or for $2000, they can hook it up with the present cable wire but the boxes will be mounted to the wall next to each TV.

They told the owner that it required special cable to run between the boxes in the TVs if they wanted the boxes remotely mounted in the office. They really don't want the cable boxes mounted on the walls next to the TV's, yet $4000 is a bit pricey to put them in the office.

Now, there is another bar down the street that has several HD TVs, the boxes are mounted in a rack that is back in the waitress station, and each TV has a pink colored coax-looking cable running from the box to the TV. Supposedly all the TVs are high definition according to the manager, but I don't know if they're true high definition are not.

Can you get high definition TV signals through coax or do you need a HDMI or component video cable to each TV? Is there a difference in the pink colored coax, or is the pink color just to identify it as a video cable? I might have to stop in to the other bar and check out what system they have and see exactly what it is.

If anyone can point me to the proper way this should be done so I can let them know if what they have will work or what they really need to do to have it done right. Thanks!

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-Mike-

SelfContract

Yes, they are different electrical standards for HDMI from RG-6 cable. You need to use HDMI port to have clear hi-def pix signals carrying. Otherwise, what is the use of that port originally designed for hi-def TV right? Go ask any sales rep in BestBuy or Circuit City they would tell the right wire/cable will be need, and how long & how many cable or if any specical converters you need. Give them your feet measurements from kitchen to wall. Also, give TV model # to Bestbuy.

GregS

Can all the displays be showing the same thing, or does he want to be able to show multiple programs?

If multiple programs, then he'll need a stack of boxes, one per display somewhere and then cabling run to each.

You can run 3 RG6 cables to get component video. This is usually fine for about 40-50'. If longer, then I might recommend the use of a balun over cat5e. Muxlab makes a bunch of these.

http://www.muxlab.com/products/ve_vg...dio_balun.html

The colour of a cable means nothing except to the original person who installed it. And in most cases they picked that colour because that's what they had left in the truck.

If the ceilings are all open or drop, then running new cable would be pretty easy.

hbiss

As was stated for high def you need to use either a DVI cable and separate audio cables or HDMI which carries both video and audio. Both are digital, component video/audio is not. These would connect each TV and it's sat receiver or high def cable box. You can check, but the last time I looked the longest HDMI cable I could find was less than 50 feet (there is a length limit) and you have to buy them pre-made. Bulk cable and connectors are not available and you wouldn't want to do it anyway.

There are a few manufacturers that now make converters (not baluns) that will put HDMI on two runs of CAT5e or CAT6 cable up to I think 150 feet.

-Hal

GregS

RapidRun will do up to 65 feet with active wall plates. But it's much more expensive compared to component.


Another option is to maybe pick up Russounds Video Matrix.

It allows you to feed up to 8 sources to up to 8 displays. Set up a few sat boxes as sources and distribute them to all the displays and pick and choose what you want to see.

It does all of this via cat5.

http://www.russound.com/video.htm

hbiss

The point is that if you want high def (and I assume that's what they wanted and paid for when they bought those TVs) then the only way is DVI or HDMI. You would be surprised how many people go out and buy a new high def TV, connect it to the RF or component out of their old cable box and think they are looking at HDTV just because the TV says "HDTV" on it.

-Hal

GregS

Just to clarify, in order to view a high-definition picture you need the following:

1) A display capable of high-definition resolutions

2) A tuner capable of decoding high-definition signals (ATSC,DVB,etc), be it built into your display or a digital cable or satellite box

3) A cable/sat provider that offers high-definition channels

4) The appropriate cabling to connect all of the above (component or DVI/HDMI)

4) Actual content shot and broadcast in high-definition

Jayson

Component Video - YPbPR - will carry up to a 1080i/720p. HDMI and DVI are NOT required for HD!!!!!! Component is still the preferred connection for HDTV distribution.

giddonah

run RGB-Mini and one cat5 or 3 cat5's. RGB-Mini will handle your component video and stereo audio and you can use the cat5 for IR or RS232. Otherwise, use one cat5 and baluns for component video and another with baluns for stereo audio and the 3rd for control. That's 4 baluns per tv. If you use powered baluns, you can send the power over a 4th cat5 (it's usually 12v) or have 3 outlets at each tv.



Edit: you can do 1080p over component. the problem is finding something that will output 1080p over component and something that will accept 1080p over component.

mdshunk

k;jf'bmkmadfv .

Speedy Petey

Marc, did you actually make a post at 11:59pm on 12/31/07 ???

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mdshunk

Uh-huh.

Speedy Petey

btw


HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

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mdshunk

Happy New Year to you too.

I'm just sitting here having a party by myself. Eating crab flavored potato chips and drinking Dr. Pepper.

firemike

Looks like someone spiked your Dr. Pepper!

Happy New Year all!

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-Mike-

GregS

You were just waiting for some sort of emergency fiasco calls right?

crystal_clear

One alternative for the hd tv's is using fiber. You can get a converter that will turn dvi to fiber. Fiber can be ran up to 1000 meters. Then use another converter to turn fiber back to dvi for the tv. One vender is Think Logical (video extenders).

I have used that for extending hd video for projectors and is true HD.

Roberts Ren

How about trying a "Den" cord :-o

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