TD 101 – Explaining Video Distribution Systems to End Users

CAT 5 cable, with its relatively loose twists per inch and being UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair), is not built to carry for any great length the bandwidth and throughput speeds required. A close reading of the manufactures specifications and limitations when using CAT 5 or CAT6e is very important.

It may be possible to install a well known twisted pair distribution solution utilizing an existing cable. In many cases this will result in shorter distances or requirements for more intermediary booster boxes to accomplish the same coverage.

For high reliability, future proofing and less need for signal compression and processing it is always advisable to replace CAT 5 with CAT6e when installing for media distribution.

Matrix (More of The to More of Those)

It is highly unlikely that any campus or corporate offices would desire only the ability to send a single source to a set of widely separated monitors all the time. With the variety of content sources available we need a way to smoothly route these to one, all or a selected number of video sinks.

The matrix provides us with the ability to take in these disparate sources and formats and send them along to where they are requested or needed.  All of this must be accomplished without interrupting the viewers watching other content on the same network.

A matrix of any quality should be able to handle the switch transition between sources, regardless of formats being switched between with no artifacts. This may seem a small thing to point attention to, but in fact it is very important. When using a system over the long term a matrix which produces glitches, flashes or artifacts between sources becomes an annoyance to users, distracting to viewers and looks less than professional.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!