Wiring up multiple plasmas in a bar

[Antony N. Lord]

I've been asked to help install 6 plasma televisions in a bar.

The current system has an electronic video switcher with 4 sources / 4
destinations for feeding the right stuff (Foxtel, DVD, video, etc) to
the right screens. It is a composite video switcher.

S-Video would have been nice but I don't think all the sources have it
and it would mean replacing a fair bit of gear.

Looks like all the displays will be on 1 "destination".

I was going to run them daisy chained (I've yet to see the TVs selected
and figure they should have composite in / out to allow looping like this).

Alternatively it could be a "star" topology - what kind of splitter
should I use and where might I find a 6 channel version?

This method obviously has better "fault tolerance".

Cable runs will be RG59 (standard CCTV coax) of not more than 25 meters.

All comments welcome.

Cheers, Antony

*** Fix the typo in my address if replying via e-mail ***

 

[KLR]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:29:05 +0800, "Antony N. Lord"
<newsgroups@antonylord.kom> wrote:

I've been asked to help install 6 plasma televisions in a bar.

The current system has an electronic video switcher with 4 sources / 4
destinations for feeding the right stuff (Foxtel, DVD, video, etc) to
the right screens. It is a composite video switcher.

S-Video would have been nice but I don't think all the sources have it
and it would mean replacing a fair bit of gear.

Looks like all the displays will be on 1 "destination".

I was going to run them daisy chained (I've yet to see the TVs selected
and figure they should have composite in / out to allow looping like this).

Alternatively it could be a "star" topology - what kind of splitter
should I use and where might I find a 6 channel version?

This method obviously has better "fault tolerance".

Cable runs will be RG59 (standard CCTV coax) of not more than 25 meters.

All comments welcome.

Cheers, Antony

*** Fix the typo in my address if replying via e-mail ***

As long as ALL the sets in this system are ALWAYS showing the same
program at the same time, I would just run them in series, I have done
this many times in the past with no problems. Every (RCA) AV set that
I have seen has got AV in and AV out RCA type connectors fitted.

Note that also ALL sets will have to be in AV mode to make this work,
otherwise every set downstream from the one that isnt in that mode,
will not show the wanted program. With the crappy designed sets that
dont stay in AV mode when the mains is turned on/off - this can be a
nightmare

With SCART type systems, you will need to make up an adaptor to access
the in/out signals individually. With some sets (TEAC often) there
isn't any way to go into AV mode from the front panel controls of the
set, you need to apply +12v to one of the SCART pins to force AV mode.

For AV type video, you dont need coax for most installations.
Shielded audio cable works quite well.

 

[Ken Taylor]

"KLR" <kenreed@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dflh31p6jnlndq6rjsquesuqlm5m26he77@4ax.com...

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:29:05 +0800, "Antony N. Lord"
newsgroups@antonylord.kom> wrote:

I've been asked to help install 6 plasma televisions in a bar.

The current system has an electronic video switcher with 4 sources / 4
destinations for feeding the right stuff (Foxtel, DVD, video, etc) to
the right screens. It is a composite video switcher.

S-Video would have been nice but I don't think all the sources have it
and it would mean replacing a fair bit of gear.

Looks like all the displays will be on 1 "destination".

I was going to run them daisy chained (I've yet to see the TVs selected
and figure they should have composite in / out to allow looping like
this).

Alternatively it could be a "star" topology - what kind of splitter
should I use and where might I find a 6 channel version?

This method obviously has better "fault tolerance".

Cable runs will be RG59 (standard CCTV coax) of not more than 25 meters.

All comments welcome.

Cheers, Antony

*** Fix the typo in my address if replying via e-mail ***


As long as ALL the sets in this system are ALWAYS showing the same
program at the same time, I would just run them in series, I have done
this many times in the past with no problems. Every (RCA) AV set that
I have seen has got AV in and AV out RCA type connectors fitted.

Note that also ALL sets will have to be in AV mode to make this work,
otherwise every set downstream from the one that isnt in that mode,
will not show the wanted program. With the crappy designed sets that
dont stay in AV mode when the mains is turned on/off - this can be a
nightmare

With SCART type systems, you will need to make up an adaptor to access
the in/out signals individually. With some sets (TEAC often) there
isn't any way to go into AV mode from the front panel controls of the
set, you need to apply +12v to one of the SCART pins to force AV mode.

For AV type video, you dont need coax for most installations.
Shielded audio cable works quite well.

If OP wants to use the existing switcher use 4 destinations and have two of
the sets each run in parallel with another. This may require a buffer amp if
the sets don't have a hi-impedance input mode (first TV set to Hi-Z, second
one terminates). This gets around the aforementioned problem of sets messing
up others further down the chain, albeit with the added complexity/cost of
needing to account for impedances. Mind you, trial may show it doesn't
matter - you could give it a shot and make a call from that (free-to-air TV
may not look as bad as Foxtel, DVD, etc, so careful selection of destination
to match cabling may obviate the problem).

Ken

 

[Poxy]

Antony N. Lord wrote:

I've been asked to help install 6 plasma televisions in a bar.

Cable runs will be RG59 (standard CCTV coax) of not more than 25
meters.

The nice way to do it is with a 1 to 6 S-Video video distribution amp -
There is a Jaycar kit which performs very well, although I think you'd need
2 of them, or Questronix make them http://www.questronix.com.au/ or you can
look around on Ebay and such for old broadcast units like Talia etc.

 

[Rod]

"KLR" <kenreed@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dflh31p6jnlndq6rjsquesuqlm5m26he77@4ax.com...

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 22:29:05 +0800, "Antony N. Lord"
newsgroups@antonylord.kom> wrote:

I've been asked to help install 6 plasma televisions in a bar.

The current system has an electronic video switcher with 4 sources / 4
destinations for feeding the right stuff (Foxtel, DVD, video, etc) to
the right screens. It is a composite video switcher.

S-Video would have been nice but I don't think all the sources have it
and it would mean replacing a fair bit of gear.

Looks like all the displays will be on 1 "destination".

I was going to run them daisy chained (I've yet to see the TVs selected
and figure they should have composite in / out to allow looping like
this).

Alternatively it could be a "star" topology - what kind of splitter
should I use and where might I find a 6 channel version?

This method obviously has better "fault tolerance".

Cable runs will be RG59 (standard CCTV coax) of not more than 25 meters.

All comments welcome.

Cheers, Antony

*** Fix the typo in my address if replying via e-mail ***


As long as ALL the sets in this system are ALWAYS showing the same
program at the same time, I would just run them in series, I have done
this many times in the past with no problems. Every (RCA) AV set that
I have seen has got AV in and AV out RCA type connectors fitted.

Note that also ALL sets will have to be in AV mode to make this work,
otherwise every set downstream from the one that isnt in that mode,
will not show the wanted program. With the crappy designed sets that
dont stay in AV mode when the mains is turned on/off - this can be a
nightmare

With SCART type systems, you will need to make up an adaptor to access
the in/out signals individually. With some sets (TEAC often) there
isn't any way to go into AV mode from the front panel controls of the
set, you need to apply +12v to one of the SCART pins to force AV mode.

For AV type video, you dont need coax for most installations.
Shielded audio cable works quite well.

For a commercial application, why bother trying to do it on a shoestring!
Do it properly with a video or s-viseo distribution amplifier in a star
configuration, and it does not matter what each plasma is doing, as one does
not affect the other.
Don't use audio cable for a video job - the difference in cost for the runs
is minimal compared to the total cost of the installation. do it properly,
and do it once. Don't know how many installations we have to rip out due to
the wrong cable being used - it's not worth the angst.
What happens when the client wants to go to high definition? Will your
audio cable still do the job? Not likely.
Use decent coax as well, not the cheapest shit you can find, and also
terminate in BNC connectors if possible, NOT RCA - they fall out too easily.

Rod