|   Maximum length for S-Video and RCA cables? | MikeInMo
Jun 18, 2002 7:15 PM | | Faced with a quandry...My TV and Audio/Source equipment are on different walls in my listening/viewing area. It is approx. a 20 foot run from one source to the other if I run cables along the base board and approx. 40-50 feet if I run it up inside the wall across the drop ceiling and down again.
My questions:
1)Is the long run too long?
2) Will I experience (or how much) signal loss am I looking at?
3) What cables, at a reasonable price, should I be looking at?
4) What are the design limits for each type of cable (S-vid and RCA) and effective loss levels?
5) Additionally I picked up a spool of Belden Quad shielded RG-6 cable cheap (Stereo Store Bankruptcy auction) so have a ton of it but limited knowledge in soldering, terminating, etc. Would this be good cable to use for these applications?
I have a 3 and 6 year old and a very tidy wife so I would prefer to run the cables in the wall if there are no serious audio/video sacrifices. System usage is approx. 75% Home Theater and 25% Music (did I mention I have a 3 and 6 year old?:-) The system usage really shifts with Kids, no more just sitting and listening.) I plan to swap the TV for a front projector and drop down screen down the road so want to allow for future flexibility. |
| re: Maximum length for S-Video and RCA cables? | MonstrousMike
Jun 19, 2002 6:49 AM | | 1) The maximum length is always determined by the properties of the cable. Therefore, it is different for every cable.
2) Signal loss is related to the length of the cable, the properties of the cable, and the type of signal being passed. 50 feet for S-video seems like a lot for me. Even 20 feet would need a better than average cable.
3) If you are going to run 40-50 feet of RCA cable, whether it is for composite video or analog audio, I would recommend RG-59 TV coax cable with F-type to RCA adapters. A 50 foot S-video cable seems like a special item. I'm not sure where to get one but I'll bet it's not cheap.
4) Depends on the cable but 50 feet of RG-59 can carry signals up to the mHz range with very little loss. This means it is good for audio and composite video.
5) RG-6 is slightly better than RG-59 so it would a good cable. But it can't be used for S-video. Cutting and terminated coax cable is relatively easy. All you need is a crimping tool and 2 minutes of instruction. The crimping tool might even come with instructions. |
| re: Maximum length for S-Video and RCA cables? | Spiky
Jun 19, 2002 7:15 AM | | > 5) RG-6 is slightly better than RG-59 so it would a good cable. But it can't be used for S-video. Cutting and terminated coax cable is relatively easy. All you need is a crimping tool and 2 minutes of instruction. The crimping tool might even come with instructions.
RG-6 can be used for Svideo. It's just a major pain in the ass to use it since the DIN4 connector sucks. And so, it's typically not worth using it. |
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