neojoker Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 All, I'm working on a project where I need to transfer an audio/video feed between two adjacent buildings. The video then go to a projector in the second building, with the audio going to a mixing console. I'm guessing that fiber is the safest choice for running between the buildings in order to avoid potential electrical problems (potential difference between buildings, in case of lightning, etc.). My problem: How in the world do I get my a/v feed onto the fiber? This is going to be most likely a VGA video connection. So far, most of the equipment I'm seeing is pretty expensive, and I'd like to keep it as low as possible without buying absolute junk. I found this SDI-Fiber converter (look for Mini Converter Optical Fiber): http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/miniconverters/models Then I've seen some VGA/Audio-to-SDI converters in the range of $500 to $700. Combined with the $300 for the above device, and multiplied by 2 since I'd have to make the fiber-to-VGA/audio connectino on the other end, it looks like it would run about $2000, plus the cost of the fiber. Has anyone else ever done anything like this, or know of any alternatives? Thanks! (Note: I wasn't quite sure which part of the forum this should go in, so "home theater" sounded closest even though it's not for home. If a mod sees that it fits better elsewhere, certainly feel free to move it there.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neojoker Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Sorry for bumping my own post, but I just had another thought and can no longer find an edit button for the original post... I'm wondering if some sort of video over IP solution would be a more reasonable approach. I could possibly utilize a fiber connection for the networking side of things between the buildings, rather than as a transport for a single video source. And then maybe I could just ensure that all of this resides on its own network switch, isolated from any other network activity? So if anyone has had any video over IP experience, that might be really useful to know about as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aergan Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Slightly on topic, I've had success with HDMI To CAT5e for 2x29 meters (From outside one wall of the house and around the front to the other side of the house). They're rated up to 50 metres with CAT6 and not had any issues other than keep to the same specification HDMI cable at both ends. Price comparison wise the whole solution (Box and outdoor grade solid copper CAT5e) cost me ?32 which is around $53 USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srbeen Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 You could use fibre. Its not cheap, is totally overkill, and generally fragile. Just your connectors are going to run you a few bucks a piece. You could also use cat5e and one of the many adaptors (USB, HDMI, A/V) or make your own to send down a few pairs and interface the way you want. connectors are like $2 for a dozen and the cat5 cabling is like $0.30 a foot, maybe. You could also do a wireless link. Not sure how you are interfacing but you can get UHF/Wifi transceivers which would probably work with virtually no physical infrastructure, if cabling/grounds are going to be a problem. Not sure how much throughput you are going to need, or that atmospheric conditions wouldn't case a drop/loss in signal. If you want to isolate via network like a VPN/tunnel you are going to need some managed switches of sorts or a well-configured firewall. Setup your ports and isolating/QOS the datastream is quite easy to do. The how-to is is well above advice neowin'ers can really provide. I'd say if physical infrastructure exists (fast internet between buildings) I wouldn't reinvent the wheel. You can definitely use an IP-solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xendrome Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Not my department since this isn't IP/network communications, but anyone recommending CAT5 between buildings aerial or in the ground, if this is in an area that is prone to lightning strikes, don't do it.... run fiber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neojoker Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Not my department since this isn't IP/network communications, but anyone recommending CAT5 between buildings aerial or in the ground, if this is in an area that is prone to lightning strikes, don't do it.... run fiber. That's exactly why I was thinking fiber. I want something stable and safe. I don't want to use wireless simply because I don't trust it to maintain a good connection between the buildings. The more I look around, the more it seems like an IP-based solution would be better, rather than just try to run a pure video/audio signal over the fiber. The IP-based solutions also seem like they would be more expandable for future applications (ex: needing another remote display of the same video source). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmeunit Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Wireless can be pretty darn fast and reliable without being too expensive. We use some Ubiquiti NanoBridges at work and we can get 20Mb/sec typically. That's just a speed test from Speedtest.net on my phone. Those were only $80/each and can go several miles. Unless you're serving several HD feeds, you'd be fine. And they have more expensive/better options. Engenius has decent cheap stuff as well. You'll always get better/faster with wired, and I typically use when possible, but sometimes, it's just mroe cost effective/easier to do wireless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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