Video Signal Choices – Part 1

Don\'t use VGA cords

Stop using VGA!!!

When it comes to planning out the video distribution of your event, there are numerous choices. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. Here is our first post to help you on your video distribution journey!

Input cords for audio and video.Let’s Stop with – VGA (Video Graphics Array)

Created by IBM in 1987, this was the gold standard of hotel AV for many years. Carrying the Red, Blue, Green, Horizontal Sync, and Vertical Sync signals, it could support many resolutions. The 15 pins that made up the connector were fragile and would often fall off or lose a solder joint causing the image to loss a Red, Green, Blue, or drop all together. It was limited in range and would have to have an amplifier in line to help reach a display with any integrity over 100′ (sometimes less). Although the resolutions could reach HD quality, the signal was almost always degraded and AV-terms like “ghosting” and “horizontal and vertical crawl” were in everyday discussion. However, the benefit was that there was no EDID (Extended Display Identification Data ) to be of concern. It didn’t require a “handshake” in order to pass signal. The connector also had two screws to insert into the display insuring that it would not fall out during use (Hello, HDMI?! What were you thinking?!). Many technicians reminisce about how easy it use to be to just plug something in and watch it work, even if it didn’t work well.

Look out for our next article to learn about the latest digital options that bury VGA into the ground where it belongs!!!

In the meantime take a look the these options for video signal distribution. FIber  CONVERTERS AND SCALERS 

Video Signal Choices-VGA cableVideo Signal Choices

Get a quote today for your next event or installation!