VGA over ethernet or similar

[localzuk]

I've been asked to investigate a solution to a problem we will soon have.

 

We have 2 buildings, all networked just fine - with fibre between the 2.

 

We will be getting some form of Nettopbox to run our foyer screen and will be putting a second screen in the second building.

 

How can I go about displaying the video from the one NTB on 2 screens? There is roughly 100m between the 2 locations.

 

A standard VGA-ethernet adapter doesn't seem like it would be much use, as I can't run CAT5 between the 2 buildings.

 

So, suggestions?

[DSapseid]

Could you set up a VLAN that just the two ports the screens are connected to? I dont know if this is posible as i have never played with VLAN's just an idea!

[Geoff]

VGA -> Capture Card -> Stream -> Display ?

[ICT_GUY]

VGA cable will cover 100M with a booster (I looked into this a while back), coax will not.

Other options are to have two PCS and use real VNC to set them running. I have one in the foyer of my school, joined to the domain, no kbd or mouse and with just a network connection. Its an old 600mhz celeron that runs powerpoint all day long, with photo stories and video embeded along with normal slides. Cheap as chips.

 

There are other options depending on what you want to display.

Edited January 16, 2008 by ICT_GUY

[K.C.Leblanc]

We've got a OneLan system here. It has a feature where NetTopBoxes can be set up as slaves that just dupplicate what another NTB is doing.

 

EDIT: It's explained better here.

Edited January 16, 2008 by K.C.Leblanc

[localzuk]

I think I may need to explain better.

 

We don't wish to buy an extra box, as this would cost us £1300.

 

A capture card -> stream -> display would require some form of driver computer at the other end, ie. another few hundred quid.

 

VNC would not be suitable due to the possibility of a) lag and b) video being played on the main box, with sound.

 

Cable itself can't simply be ran between the buildings as this would mean either having it above ground, and therefore being a lightning risk, or below ground, meaning having to digg up the ground.

 

What I want is a system which works via IP to transmit to a receiver - like VGA over Cat5 but via IP instead.

[Sylv3r]

I think I may need to explain better.

A capture card -> stream -> display would require some form of driver computer at the other end, ie. another few hundred quid.

 

This is what we do - the machine we use is an old average workstation that we no longer used across the school. Do you not have any old PC's lieing about?

[m25man]

My AV job for this easter consists of,

2 x Panasonic Astrovisions

56 x LCD Screens

4 x Exterity Encoders (check these out if you want IP TV)

56 x Decoders

5 segments of 32 core OM3

(Thats 64 x 5 lots of terminations)

10Gbe Procurve throughout.

 

The budget has 6 0's in it.

 

Life's a bitch.

[localzuk]

This is what we do - the machine we use is an old average workstation that we no longer used across the school. Do you not have any old PC's lieing about?

 

No, as we have a policy of not keeping old computers.

[strawberry]

this lot do a decent system, it sends the video over a network as IP.

 

http://www.networkandcabling.co.uk

[K.C.Leblanc]

I know it's not cheap, but how about an IP enabled KMV.

[ICT_GUY]

£1300 for a box?

A super fast over spec PC would cost no more than £150 to build inc XP licence.

 

You can even build a super small form factor one for that price.

[localzuk]

£1300 for a box?

A super fast over spec PC would cost no more than £150 to build inc XP licence.

 

You can even build a super small form factor one for that price.

 

That is the price for the OneLan system, per box.

[strawberry]

That is the price for the OneLan system, per box.

£250 for the decoder for the version i recommended!.

[sahmeepee]

We're in an almost identical situation with cabling - 2 buildings with a catenary carrying fibre between them and a requirement for a single digital signage setup managed from reception.

 

I was looking at using the Samsung PX400N/PXN400 (i forget the exact part number) screens. They have a built-in XP embedded pc which can run web/flash/java/divx/blah and you can push data out to them rather than stream it continually and it will store on flash memory. The whole thing can be scheduled from an idiot-friendly interface (MagicNet i think it's called) on a standard PC.

 

Insight were selling them at the time if you want to get a rough idea of pricing.

[rpenhale]

what about a Slingbox and Slingcatcher?

[michael2k6]

You should be able to run a cable through the buildings where the fibre exists? There must be a pipe between the two to carry the fibre, there should be a pull through left in the pipe.

 

Otherwise, what about running VGA to a wifi video sender and then reciever at the other end to take the VGA onwards? Obviously this depends on the range of the video sender and the distance between the building. I can't think of the company off the top of my head, but i know wireless VGA senders are fairly common. I've used them quite a few times in sitiuations where projectors are in ridiculous places and we didn't want to cable the VGA to a wall, so we just had a sender with a male D plug on it. That went straight into the laptop VGA socket, of anyones laptop and the projecter had the reciever on the other end. I've done distances of about 200m but it was probably only travelling through air of an average humidity. I don't know what it would be like outside, through walls, or in the winter when the humidty increases and the air becomes denser.

I'm going round in circles now in my head, but if i think of anything else i'll post again.

[djdohboy]

you could try this lot:

 

Manufacturers of Video Switches, Routers and Extenders.

 

We use smart-e stuff for exactly this one box vga to rj45 into a multiple output transmitter then back to vga at both screens

 

Hope this helps

[shota]

Hello all

please help me I have same problem too

I need VGA signal from PC(which is in building 1) to monitor (wich is in building 2)

but between this bildings is ~20 km (10-12 mile)

it is fiber cable support between this buildings

 

any idea?

 

thnx

Edited September 15, 2009 by shota

[Dom_]

Logmein pro? :-)

[shota]

It is not remote desktop with two PCs or something like this

[WBS]

This may work but i have not tried it

 

Cat5 VGA sender to fibre media convertor - other building fibre media convertor to cat5 vga receiver.

 

for the above it would cost around £150, but it may not work (in theory it should).

[shota]

WBS its likes good maybe I'll try it thnx

[plexer]

that won't work as most simple cat5 vga baluns don't convert the signal to an ip stream just send the analog signal over the cable.

[shota]

Do you know any manual link how to send the analog signal over the cable?