SVideo, Composite, Tally over Cat5

[jkdawg]

Is it possible to send S-Video, Composite Video, and tally signal over a cat5 wire?

It is four pairs, so I would use one for composite, two for svideo, one for 5v tally light signal.

SVideo would go to the VT4 BOB, the composite to a set of small monitors for previewing cameras in a live switch.

[Bass]

Good concept - it wou dbe great if that would work. I'm going to watch this thread to see what the guys who know about these things come up with.

A guess though, is that it would work for SVHS, which is serial, but not composite, as that in my experience has always required co-ax cable.

Technically, it would also work for the tally light , but at 3 volts (or 5 volts for the new BOB), it may cause interference with the S-video.

My 2 cents

Bass

[jkdawg]

The cat5 does have twisted pairs though. i don't have enough experience with this to know if that would help.

[Silkrooster]

If you want to do the wiring your self, yes it is technically possible. As a matter of fact, some security monitors and cameras use rj45 connectors, the same connectors used for phone connections and cat5 connections.
The problem you may face is poor quality do to singal loss. As the the coax cable used for svideo and composite cable provides better sheilding. So I think it will depend on how long your cable will be.
Silk

[jkdawg]

something around 50 ft, 100ft, or 150ft

[lgg]

Hello,

There is a company here in the UK that makes such a product.

http://www.sprintdv.com

Get in touch with Ben (Tell him I sent you ) he will help to intergrate into exsiting infrastructure.

Also for a cheap fully working cat5 system check out MUXLABs new XLR over cat 5 solution http://www.muxlab.com/products/ve_avd_monopro_xlr.html

All you have to do is Buy some Cat5 Patchbays and recreate $100,000's dollars worth of studio automation and convenience.

Hope this helps, we are fitting this kind of system for community projects here in the UK, and getting a fantastic response.

**Using colour coding with cat5 cables, we can train NEW users to LIVE production and enable easy understaning of studio 'routing'. Instead of traditional CAM1 CAM2 etc, we say "plug RED camera into RED cable and attach to RED Sprint box..... easy huh? who said this television stuff was for professionals?


Also if anybody is interested in a tradition style BNC unit, check out the Camplex PRO-X1 (also tell them you heard from us ) this sytem includes power for DV Cams http://www.pro-x1.com/


Paul Spensley
Lets Go Global
www.superchannel.org

[mikkowilson]

Originally Posted by Bass

A guess though, is that it would work for SVHS, which is serial, but not composite, as that in my experience has always required co-ax cable.

Bass

Sorry, but if you mean serial as in "digtal" (and i know of no other serial signal) then i'm sorry, but it's much cloer to composite.
- I'ts not quite composite, but rather Luma (Y) channel in once conductor, and the Color (Chromanance - "C") signal in another. beacuse the signals are Seperated (hence "S-video") it is better quatlity, but it's still analog, and each signal should be treated just as a composite signal - and remember to keep teh cables the same length or you will get color timing erros (not fun!)

- Mikko

[nelsonm]

Hello jkdawg,

Yes you can send a variety of v/a and control signals via Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6. Some of the sites highlighted in the above replies provide units and converters that are suitable for direct camera attachment. I don't know if Extron has camera attachment accessories but their units are useful for many applications like field recording, event staging, studio wiring, distribution, switching...

Extron Twisted Pair products permit long distance distribution of RGB video, component video, S-video, composite video, stereo audio, and serial control signals over shielded or unshielded twisted pair cable. Extron manufactures twisted pair transmitters & receivers, switchers, matrix switchers, distribution amplifiers, and accessories, enabling integrators to create complete A/V systems using twisted pair cable.

Extron twisted pair products allow A/V professionals to take advantage of the benefits of Extron Enhanced Skew-Free™ A/V UTP Cable or any other CAT 5, 5e, or 6 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. Twisted pair cabling is a fraction of the size of coaxial cable, as well as being much lighter, more flexible, and less expensive. This makes twisted pair products useful alternatives in many applications: for routing signals in smaller conduit for environments where traditional A/V cabling is too bulky, for maintaining signal integrity over long cable runs (see Figure 1), for environments with an existing CAT 5, 5e, or 6 infrastructure, and for temporary installations.

http://www.extron.com/product/prodtype08.asp