Video/Compsite cable degradation. [Archive]

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11-10-2006, 08:29 AM

Last year my family purchased a Projector and DD 5.1 Surround System. We mounted it to the ceiling and projected it onto the wall... well.. The room is fairly large, it was once a two car garage that we closed in and made into a spare room. The Surround Sound and TV Tuner are both located in the very front of the room so that the video cables are run up the wall through the ceiling and then back down to the projector. My question is how can I boost the signal so that there's not any signal degradation? I know in comp networking there is what is called a repeater, so what can I put there? We have composite and standard 1 channel RCA cables running to it (yellow). I just wanna make sure that I get the best looking picture possible when I get my Wii or watch the original trilogy on DVD. Thanks.

What5647

11-10-2006, 10:12 AM

11-10-2006, 10:19 AM

i know they sell little signal boost units for RF stuff, so it'd guess there are similar things for component. i'd wire it all together with similar lengthed cables first to see if it even is a problem to begin with.

and going fiber optic when possible never hurts either.

and i wouldn't be too concerned with a good picture from the wii, seeing as it's got less power than a PS2. (sorry, gotta hit the wii however i can.)

No, the Wii has much higher graphics capabilities than the PS2, just not as good as the PS3 or X360. Fiber optic isn't an option. And we've had the thing in place for almost a year and there is a little degradation, as there is over 50ft. of cable length.

What5647

11-10-2006, 10:23 AM

so is this a non-issue then?

11-10-2006, 10:24 AM

so is this a non-issue then?

No, there's degradation, and I wanna eliminate it.

What5647

11-10-2006, 11:27 AM

are we talking degradation as in loss of volage from the internal resistance of the cables, or degradation from interference? how many, and which of these cables are carrying digital signals?

11-10-2006, 12:11 PM

are we talking degradation as in loss of volage from the internal resistance of the cables, or degradation from interference? how many, and which of these cables are carrying digital signals?

they're all carrying video signals, and i can definitely tell a difference in using a short cable and a longer cable... the picture loses quality...

Brent

11-10-2006, 01:32 PM

Sounds to me like you ought to be able to shorten your cable run significantly. The average two-car garage is about 25 feet wide and maybe 30 feet deep. I don't see any reason for you to be using 50 feet of cable. Your projector is likely 15 to 20 feet back at most and even if your equipment is in the front furthest corner of the room that should still only add another 10 feet floor to ceiling. Sounds like you should only have 30 to 35 feet of cable tops. Shouldn't be an issue with noticeable degradation on a run that short, IMO.

What5647

11-10-2006, 04:29 PM

brent has some good advice.
also, be sure it's cable length and not interference causing the degredation.. granted, good cables aren't cheap, but you'll also find they have less internal resistance.

Brent

11-10-2006, 11:11 PM

Good points, too, especially when dealing with a garage. Don't know if yours has living space above it or attic space, but especially if there's attic space it's likely that there are a lot of wires up there carrying electrical voltage and other services for your house. If your cable is just lying up there crossing over and touching these other cables there's a good possibility for interference, too. All of the phone, electrical and cable connections for my house come in on the far side of my garage, so every single line of that stuff that goes throughout our house runs across that attic space. If interference is an issue you may need to either make sure your cabling is not touching any of the others and is at least a few inches away from any of them or invest in some good shielded cable.