Michael, thank you for the response.
michaelfish wrote:Terry,
Question: How is the picture out of the CCTV system if you were to test it with a different source - like from a DVD player (play a DVD through the CCTV system)? Or, if you were to play a video on the computer, how is that picture? Test also by connecting a regular TV monitor instead of the CCTV RF modulator and describe that picture. What kind of RF Modulator are you using? Are there any adjustments on it?
On Thursday night, the other STS and I will go to the building to hook up a straight VCR (RCA) at the projector, the switch at the satellite cabinet and then at the computer in the clerks' office and check the picture quality. As far as I can remember, we have our Satellite receiver coming out RCA and going into the CCTV system and directly to the podium for the projector. From what I remember the picture is fine, clear and looks good. But that is broadcast quality video over the satellite. The RF Modulator that we have in our buildings is the Pico Macom PCM55, but the connection to the podium does not go through one of the RF modulators.
I was using the video from General Conference on the computer and I have some pictures, but I can't upload them at this time. Any picture from the computer to the projector using RCA is fuzzy at best.
To run a projector and RF Modulator in our set ups, we take the VGA signal out of the computer and plug it directly to the projector's Computer Input. Since our projector has a VGA loop output, we connect it's output from the projector to the input of the VGA Scan Converter. That provides us with a composite video output (from the VGA Scan Converter).
If your projector does not have a VGA loop through, I would connect the computer to the VGA Scan Converter and connect that output to a video distribution amplifier (DA). One of the outputs of the DA could then feed the projector's composite (yellow) input and the other output could feed the CCTV RF modulator.
The projector we are using is a Sony VPL-CS2. The first year of manufacturing for this model was 2000. We have told that the FM group won't pay for an new model until this one dies. BTW, we are using the clerk's computers as our receivers. We take the video out and put it to this scan converter:
http://www.ambery.com/expctotvvico1.html Then we put the output the video and audio to a balum and run the signal over Cat5e cable to the satellite cabinet. There is another balum and then we put the video and audio into a manual switch so that we can switch between satellite and computer. From there we then send the sound to the chapel amplifiers just like it would be coming off the satellite and the video onto a RG6 coaxial cable to the podium, to the RCA port on the projector. We have not amplified the signal anywhere. So for the chapel no RF modulator.
The run from the computer to the satellite cabinet is probably within 200 feet and from from the satellite cabinet to the podium is probably just over 100 feet. So I'm not pushing the signal a long distance.
As you probably know when you convert VGA to RCA, we lose the sharpness of the picture because we are "dumbing" it down. It works, but my stake president wants it to be a lot better and so do I. The other thing that I'm going to try is to use the display ports on the back of the Dell to a RCA connector and by-pass the scan converter.
Thanks again for the reply and helping me with this. I believe that I'm doing everything right, except for the amplification.
Terry