AV Tech-Simple: The Long and the Short of It ! You say “AV” and most people will say that’s just a “laptop and a projector”, but there is more to it. There can be much more.

Presenters: Eric Johnson Events Manager - E.H. Hereford University Center University of Texas Arlington Lester Stewart III Asst Events Manager - E.H. Hereford University Center University of Texas Arlington

It is easier than you think. Ever hear of “Simulcast” and “Multi-cast” ? Does it scare you to even think it ?

KEEPING IT SIMPLE: Simple setups Extended setups Simulcast Large Simulcast What You Need Important Specs COST $ $ $ $ vs. NEEDS Sources & Notes

TYPICAL SETUP: Laptop - Cable - LCD Projector

TYPICAL SETUP: DVD Unit - Cable - LCD Projector

More Distance !! Get longer cables. Maybe a signal amplifier.

Get longer cables & maybe a signal amplifier. Laptop - Cable - Signal booster/amplifier - Cable - LCD Projector Simple Setup Extended

SWITCHING AN INPUT. Laptop1 – to cable - Laptop2 – to cable - to Switcher – to Cable - to Signal booster/amplifier - to Cable - to LCD Projector

SWITCHERS

Can we do this on two screens ? Distributing your signal to more places. SVGA video to 2 LCD Projectors

SIMULCASTING Source - to cable – - to distribution amplifier – - to cable one and LCD projector 1 - to cable two and LCD projector 2

Could we show this across the hall and maybe in the lobby? Showing in more and more places … at the same time.

LARGE-SCALE SIMULCASTING Laptop – to cable – To Distribution Amplifier – to cables – To LCD Projector1 To LCD Projector2 To another room & Projector3 To another room & Projector4

SIMULCASTING

LARGE-SCALE SIMULCASTING In our facility we have taken a laptop signal from the stage in the ballroom, sent it to the booth, sent it from the booth to multiple LCD projectors in the ballroom, also sent it on to the Theater across the hall for broadcast and control there, and branched it off to show the same signal in the Foyer area, with a separate sound system in each room. We also have the capability to do multiple signals in both directions simultaneously.

WHAT YOU NEED: CABLES SIGNAL AMPLIFIER CONVERTORS & SWITCHERS

CABLES High quality amplifiers will send signals up to 450’ or more. Extremely long distances may need an additional amplifier inserted further along your cable run (determined by type and quality of cable). The longer the distance the better your cable will need to be. Look for multiple shielding and “ferrites”. SVGA rated cables have both. Short distances are mostly forgiving of lower quality cables, but rooms with heavy interference may require better cables. Audio Notes: If you are using the LCD speakers, you will need cables with an audio line built in. In 99.9 % of our usage we send the audio separately to a sound system.

CABLE TYPES SVGA VGA ADAPTERS: BNC-to-RCAm RCAf-TO-BNC SVGA VGA RCA-w/sound Cat5 BNC COAX “F” COAX Cat5 (unwired) RCAF-to-BNCm Adapter

SIGNAL AMPLIFIER Signal Boosters are consumer versions of Line Amplifiers. Both do the same thing: Increase your video signal to get it where you want it. Line Amplifiers will hold up better to lots of use and user errors. Commercial versions have buffering and other compensation circuitry. Distribution Amplifiers have more than one Line Amplifier and can send your signal to 2 or more places, like to a local monitor and to a remote LCD projector for only a little more money than a Line Amplifier.

DISTRIBUTION AMPLIFIER

CONVERTERS & SWITCHERS Converters change your Video signal from one format to another (SVGA to Composite Video) or change it to facilitate transfer from one place to another (SVGA to Cat5 and then Cat5 back to SVGA). Switchers allow two or more inputs to be sent one or the other to another unit or location.

CONVERTERS & SWITCHERS

Converter with Distribution Amp.

TWISTED PAIR SYSTEMS: Twisted-Pair Cables (like Cat5 cables) come in two versions: – Passive (self-powered), with no additional amplification – Active (external power and amplification)

Passive (self-powered) Passive Baluns have extended range and can go around 150’ to 300’ or more with some quality and resolution lost as you go further and also have risk of RF and EM interference.

ACTIVE TWISTED PAIR SYSTEMS: Active Baluns or Twisted-Pair converter-amplifiers have better distance capabilities (up to around 900’) and boost the signal on one or both ends to increase resolution, quality of images, and reduce effects of any RFI and EMI. The best units have alignment and skew correcting circuits to compensate for the conversion loss and cable irregularities. NOTE: Use Skew-Corrected cable for better images on long runs.

IMPORTANT SPECS: Two main ratings: Bandwidth (Mhz) and Decibels (db) The higher the number, the better the unit or cable: 200 – 500 Mhz Bandwidth (also applies to cable) 70 db or higher Video S/N Ratio Data signals are also rated by screen resolution (pixels): VGA (640x480), SVGA (800x600), XGA (1024x768), WXGA (1280x800), SXGA (1280x1024), UXGA (1600x1200) Most times you want an output voltage (usually “Vpp”) of 1.0v or more. Digital video should be about 800mV or more.

COST $ $ $ $ : Planning Cables Amplifiers & Distribution Switchers

PLANNING: Plan well and avoid un-necessary expenses. If you do not have mostly HDMI units or high demand for HDMI or Mac Computer connections, then don’t spend money in those directions, except as needed. Most units with HDMI also accept SVGA and Composite signals (also Component). Cables and distribution units for these signals are less expensive than HDMI. Mac Computers have many different types of interface cables and adapters, which are relatively expensive ($40-$60 each, using 6 or 7 different plugs) and are worthwhile only with high demand. We have very few requests for Mac- to-LCD connections and so have a policy where the user must bring their own adapter to fit HD15 cables (SVGA/XGA). If your demand for Mac-sourced programs is high enough, then invest in the adapters.

CABLE COSTS RCA Cable: 6’ $3+ 50’ $13+ Coax Cable: 6’ $5+ 50’ $ ’ $33+ Digital/Plenum-rated Coax Cable: 1000’ about $800-$3000+

CABLE COSTS VGA Cable: 6’ $3+ SVGA Cable: 6’ $4+ 50’ $ ’ $ ’ $80+ SVGA w/Audio: 6’ $10+ 50’ $26+100’ $38+

CABLE COSTS Cat5 Cable: 25’$5+50’$9+ 100’$ ’$25+ Cat6 Cable: 25’$6+50’ ’$22+ Cat5 – Plenum-rated Cable: generally about 5-times the cost of regular

CABLE COSTS DVI Cable: 25’ $34+ 50’ $59+ 75’ $90+ DVI High Resolution Cable: 50’ $88+ 75’ $200+ DVI-HDMI Cable: 50’ $78+

Signal Amplifiers Consumer VGA Signal booster:$50+ VGA Line Amplifier:$76 Composite Line Amplifier:$88+ Composite Video DA:$144+ Distribution Amplifier (XGA):$104+

Twisted-Pair Units Active XGA/Cat5 Transmitter: $156+ Active Cat5/XGA Receiver: $156+ (takes at least one of each)

Signal Converters Signal Converter – Consumer: $35+ Signal Converter – Commercial: $200+

SWITCHERS SwitcherVGA A-B (2-way):$12+ SwitcherSVGA A-B-C-D (4-Way):$39+ SwitcherElectronic:can start as low as $100

SWITCHER NOTES: Be careful: some inexpensive electronic switchers can cause issues with your signals (delays, latency, buffering, etc.). If you need a switcher, stick with a mechanical switcher or invest in a good electronic one (usually start about $500+).

Other Formats Composite Video (single yellow RCA cable) S-Video (also SVHS) Component Video (RGB, Red-Green-Blue) HDMI DVI EVC (M1-DA)

Sources of Cables These sources all have websites that are user-friendly and the last two have educational information available to help you understand how cables work and to choose properly for your application. All sites have specials on cables at different times. BTX.com also carries Kramer Electronics units

SOURCES Manufacturer Manufacturer Manufacturer Manufacturer Manufacturer

SOURCES Dealer/Installer/HUB vendor Dealer/Installer Dealer/Installer Dealer/Installer

SOURCES vendor Websellers often have a lot of units in stock across a broad range of equipment types and at good prices. Some of the dealer/installers have good and better prices than a simple webseller, keep some units in stock, and/or can have units drop-shipped from the manufacturers.

INSTALLERS Dealer/Installer If you have started out buying equipment from these dealers, then you can also use them for the next step, when you decide to make permanent or built-in connections.

Trouble-shooting It is a good idea to lay out all your cable and connections and test the setup with a live signal before securing the cabling to the floor. I like to keep a signal running while taping to know when a loose connection issue pops up and fix it as I go. If you are doing very large setups, like multi-casting, there is a limit to how many conversions your video signals can go through before you have issues with quality, resolution, or signal mismatch between distribution-amplifier-conversion units. Setup and test as you go with each added segment. Active Cat5 Baluns need power to operate, but may not require power on both ends of shorter runs of cable. Check your operating manual for your situation. When possible, operate send-receive units and conversion units on the same breaker or power phase in multi-phase buildings. Mac Computer use: Mac output uses a different scan rate, which needs to be changed on the computer to match up to many LCD projectors. Have the client do it, if needed.