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Church and H.O.W. – Forums for HOW Sound and AV - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Church and HOW Forums => H.O.W. AV Archive => Topic started by: Mark E. Smith on January 13, 2009, 06:04:27 PM

Title: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: Mark E. Smith on January 13, 2009, 06:04:27 PM
Hi,

I have a need to pipe audio and video to an overflow room.
I am wondering if a matrix switcher might be appropriate.

Inputs: 1 - camera composite
       2 - computers VGA
       1 - DVD/VCR composite

The overflow room is ~500 ft away from the sound booth.
(Considering A/V over Cat5 for the cable run)

When playing DVD's , using powerpoints, Etc, we would like the displayed video to be as good as what it is in the main room. i.e. not using a video camera to create a 2nd generation display.

I was considering a 4x2 type device just to make it easy for the guy running the A/V booth to control both the main and overflow room video from one point.

Any thoughts/suggestions on a solution?

Thanks,

Mark
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: Brad Weber on January 13, 2009, 07:06:31 PM
First, you need to change your alias to your real name, it is a forum rule and the thread will be locked if you don't.

bamasmith wrote on Tue, 13 January 2009 18:04

Inputs: 1 - camera composite
       2 - computers VGA
       1 - DVD/VCR composite

The overflow room is ~500 ft away from the sound booth.
(Considering A/V over Cat5 for the cable run)

When playing DVD's , using powerpoints, Etc, we would like the displayed video to be as good as what it is in the main room. i.e. not using a video camera to create a 2nd generation display.

You have two different video formats, composite video and VGA, and you did not note how you are addressing that for both rooms.  Do you switch the projector inputs?

Also, are you wanting to send the same signal to both rooms at all times or do you want to be able to send different signals to each room?  A matrix switcher would usually be used if you wanted to be able to control the sources for each destination independent of one another.
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: Mark E. Smith on January 14, 2009, 08:05:34 AM
Brad Weber wrote on Tue, 13 January 2009 19:06

First, you need to change your alias to your real name, it is a forum rule and the thread will be locked if you don't.

bamasmith wrote on Tue, 13 January 2009 18:04

Inputs: 1 - camera composite
       2 - computers VGA
       1 - DVD/VCR composite

The overflow room is ~500 ft away from the sound booth.
(Considering A/V over Cat5 for the cable run)

When playing DVD's , using powerpoints, Etc, we would like the displayed video to be as good as what it is in the main room. i.e. not using a video camera to create a 2nd generation display.

You have two different video formats, composite video and VGA, and you did not note how you are addressing that for both rooms.  Do you switch the projector inputs?

Also, are you wanting to send the same signal to both rooms at all times or do you want to be able to send different signals to each room?  A matrix switcher would usually be used if you wanted to be able to control the sources for each destination independent of one another.


Thanks for the reminder on the alias.

I am thinking of up-scaling the composite signals to vga or using a matrix switch that can handle different signals, so I don't have to switch inputs on the remote projector.

For the local room we are currently switching inputs on the projector.

I need to be able to send a different signals to each room.

Thanks,

Mark
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: John Fiorello on January 14, 2009, 05:11:10 PM
How often are you changing inputs?

Are you doing it 'live'?

If I'm reading this right, you have 4 video inputs on your current projector and you're switching between those 4 inputs when you need to?

Are you planning on being able to preview what the overflow projector is seeing from the main room?

I'm assuming you don't have a video scaler since you're switching between inputs on the projector.  We use a Kramer scaler that allows us to control multiple sources onto 3 separate projectors.  Is that what you're looking to do, or do you want to have access to the different inputs from the overflow room?


JF
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: Mark E. Smith on January 14, 2009, 05:56:27 PM
For the overflow room during a basic service we would only switch from the camera to the A/V Computer for hymns/praise songs
(3-4 times per service)

During a sermon with powerpoints we may switch 10-12 times during the message.

Yes we are doing it live.

The ability to preview the video that is being fed to the overflow room would be of significant value since the output to the main room projector will normally be different than the video to the overflow room.

We currently don't have a video scaler.  It appears that this type of device will meet our basic needs if we keep the main room projection configured the same (using the projector as the main room switch).  We are wanting to have access to different inputs (i.e. camera) for the overflow room.

I was mainly looking at a matrix switcher to make it easier for the A/V guys to control both video feeds from one place. Do they make such a thing as a matrix scaler?

Mark
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: John Fiorello on January 14, 2009, 06:04:03 PM
Mark E. Smith wrote on Wed, 14 January 2009 17:56

 Do they make such a thing as a matrix scaler?

Mark



This might work:  http://www.fullcompass.com/product/232393.html


But,

If you're already going to have someone else punching up what the overflow room sees, would it make more sense to just use your presentation software to run between IMAG and the slides you use?

It may be cheaper to do something like that anyway...


JF
Title: Re: Potential use for vga matrix switcher
Post by: Brad Weber on January 14, 2009, 06:34:21 PM
Mark E. Smith wrote on Wed, 14 January 2009 17:56

I was mainly looking at a matrix switcher to make it easier for the A/V guys to control both video feeds from one place. Do they make such a thing as a matrix scaler?

http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=ism824&sub type=140.  Outputs can be a scaler, scan converter or direct.  However, they are not inexpensive, you would have to talk to an Extron dealer to get pricing for the output configuration that you want.