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VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 9:39 pm
by craiggsmith
I would like to convert a VGA signal to a composite signal to send through the buildings' video cabling. I see converters out there from $1 to $100. I assume there's a difference -- can anyone give me any advice on this? I can't imagine that you could simply connect 5 VGA wires to a single wire.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 10:05 pm
by russellhltn
I'd suggest bugging FM for a AVDH-2.

(Or maybe a -1 if your site might be originating a broadcast.)

There might be better and cheaper, but it would keep things standardized as well as eliminating the need to rewire a rack everytime you want to change modes.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 3:05 am
by Mikerowaved
If you want to keep it cheap, I've had pretty good results from this $30 Sewell Direct SW-23000 converter found on Amazon.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:15 pm
by craiggsmith
Thanks very much. We were thinking on the cheap end, so I'll look at that Sewell unit. But I didn't know about those AVDH units. I didn't realize they have everything necessary to hook up a remote camera, including the serial to network cable converter. Very pricey though.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:25 pm
by russellhltn
craiggsmith wrote:Very pricey though.
Yes, doing things "right" is rarely cheap. In this case, the stake president might be able to persuade FM to get it. (The church price might be less.) Particularly if they have any extra funds at the end of the year.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:40 pm
by craiggsmith
Thanks, I'll look at that option.

But it just doesn't seem like it offers much for the cost. I think there are cheaper "right" ways to do it, but I'll have to do more research.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 3:02 pm
by russellhltn
"Right" way is subjective. When dealing with a large operation, a standardized way is always good. Particularly as people go on vacation, move out of the stake, or change callings. The AVHD is standardized and can be supported by both CHQ and the forum. Other options - not quite so well. Switches eliminate the need to re-cabling when switching between different modes of operation.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:12 pm
by craiggsmith
I apologize that I didn't clearly explain what I was trying to do or what we already have. We have a source switcher in our rack, and I was looking for a converter to put on the rostrum, not at the rack.

This actually would require re-cabling though, as the jack on the rostrum is an output, not an input. But I don't see any way around it, unless we can re-purpose the RF cable. We don't use it, but I'm told those outputs are daisy-chained, so not sure if it's possible.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:44 pm
by russellhltn
craiggsmith wrote:This actually would require re-cabling though, as the jack on the rostrum is an output, not an input. But I don't see any way around it, unless we can re-purpose the RF cable. We don't use it, but I'm told those outputs are daisy-chained, so not sure if it's possible.
Yes, RF cable can be run differently and it may prevent you from repurposing it. You'd have to make sure the run from the cabinet to the podium is only for the podium and nothing else.

Re: VGA to Composite Converter

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 2:03 am
by Mikerowaved
craiggsmith wrote:This actually would require re-cabling though, as the jack on the rostrum is an output, not an input. But I don't see any way around it, unless we can re-purpose the RF cable. We don't use it, but I'm told those outputs are daisy-chained, so not sure if it's possible.
Just to be clear, are you talking about possibly repurposing an RF cable that has an F connector, or is it a composite video cable with an RCA jack? If it's the latter, I wouldn't permanently repurpose it, as it's great to connect your satellite system to a projector for conferences and other broadcasts.

If you have an RCA wall jack in the chapel overflow area, THAT will be your composite video input point. If you only need this setup on rare occasions, you could get a long RG-59 cable and temporarily run it along the chapel wall to the overflow area. At Monoprice, $20 (plus shipping) gets you 100' of twin RG-59 coax with RCA plugs that can be pulled apart to make TWO 100' runs.