Component video over cat 5 or 6 ?

[Richard Crowley]

More detail required. Is this RGB out of the Tricaster to somewhere (WHERE?). Is this RGB (VGA) from a computer (for example) INTO the Tricaster?

Note that sending computer VGA video over Cat5 cable is quite regularly done. And most computer VGA is higher resolution than NTSC or PAL, etc. But we don’t really know exactly what you are asking here, so duck when you hear us shooting in the dark.

Cat6 cable is very similar to Cat5 but has more stringent standards which allows use up to 500MHz (vs. 250MHz for Cat5).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat6

[Al Kohout]

I’m sorry…my goal to to run 3 cameras to the tricaster using something other than component because its far less work and wiring.

I heard about the BALUN/Cat5/6 option and wonder what the pros think.

We would stream the signal or record for later editing.

Will the quality of this concept be as good as straight component?

Hope that helps.

[Richard Crowley]

Which Tricaster model? What cameras? It could be that your cameras don’t put out anything that Cat5 couldn’t handle.

[Gary Hazen]

[Al Kohout] “Will the quality of this concept be as good as straight component?”

No

[Richard Crowley]

The quality of the concept depends on exactly what Me. Kohout is proposing to do. It is still not clear to me exactly what he is asking for. Does he really have cameras with component out? That is why I asked for clarification on exactly what we are talking about here. I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Cat5 as a quality transmission medium.

[Al Kohout]

my cameras put out HDMI— component and composite and firewire… we use Sony Z-7
my only goal is less cabling…but retain quality…so the cat5 was suggested.

[Bob Zelin]

Al,
you are crazy. When you run camera cables, don’t you need AC power and intercom too ? Analog component or HDMI over CAT5e or CAT6 is used for A/V installations, where they are trying to save money on expensive Coax cable. This is used in hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, etc. Not for broadcast installations. Sometimes Cat5e works, sometimes Cat 6 works. Sometimes you have to use SHIELDED Cat6. Depends on your enviornment, and how long the runs you have.

Now, if you were a pro, and wanted to do this the right way (which I know you don’t) you would buy armored Cat6 cable with Neutrik ethernet connectors (that look like XLR connectors). This is what is used to run multicore audio snakes with multiplexers.

But alas, you will want cheap. So you will use an Intelix or Mux Labs Cat5 balun extender (would you spend the money for Atlona, or Gefen – of course you wouldn’t). There are other companies that make this too, like ETS, Kramer, Extron, and others too.

Will this work – I don’t know – buy it and try it. “But I want someone who has done this to tell me if it works, so I don’t have to spend the money for shipping to return it if it’s really not good”.
Creative Cow is a professional forum that is used by professionals that have professional equipment, and do things the right way. What’s the right way – run analog component cables. If you want a single core cable with YPbPr in it, Gepco makes very nice snake cable with the three lines all built in. BUT NOOOOO – that costs too much money.

Bob Zelin

[Al Kohout]

Thank you for your rude…but complete reply

[Richard Crowley]

Yes, you can use an inexpensive balun to send composite or Y/C or component video over Cat5 cable. Something like this…
https://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=4596

Depending on many other factors you have not revealed here, it might work to your satisfaction, or it might not. We can not predict whether you would be satisfied with the performance or not.

But Mr. Zelin is correct that sending any kind of video over Cat5/6 cable is a low-end compromise compared to the “right” way of doing it, which would be to use proper coaxial cable.

Note that if you are talking about a fixed location where you have enough room for cable runs, and depending on the cable run lengths, the kind of RG6 cable that is used for cable and satellite TV systems is more than adequate even for HD-SDI (at least up to ~100m) and certainly for any varieties of analog video.

I have installed systems where I used RG6 for both analog and digital (HD-SDI) video runs out to camera locations. And additional wires as needed for power, intercom, tally, remote control, viewfinder return, etc. etc. When terminated in a wall plate with the proper connector(s) to interface to the camera, the type of cable inside the wall is immaterial to the actual performance.

RG6 coaxial cable is good up to many times higher frequency than is required for base-band analog or digital video. And it is DIRT-CHEAP. A few months ago I bought six 1000 foot rolls for $20 per 1000 foot roll from a guy I found on Craig’s List. And he has as many more rolls as I could ever need. But, of course RG6 is to big and stiff for connecting directly to a small camera. Although it would be fine at the Tricaster end.

I use RG6 for my “suitcase-pack” HD-SDI video production unit. I have 100m cables for my cameras and have never had the slightest problem with this ultra-cheap cable even for the highest resolution digital video.

Note that you asked this question in the “Broadcasting” forum where the discussions tend to be about higher-end equipment. Perhaps you would have got a different reaction if you had asked this in the “Corporate Video” forum. I thought at one time there was a Newtek and/or Tricaster forum here, but I don’t see it now. Note that things like good lighting may actually make more difference to the quality of your video than what kind of camera cable you use.

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Al –
I try to be as rude (and as complete) as possible. Without doing both, I would not be doing my job.

Bob Zelin