Setting up 2 plasmas

[chipper]

I would be grateful for a bit of advice setting up 2 plasmas (panny p6's) to one sky box and dvd player.

I originally wanted one palsma and my wiring for that was

dvd player via component out to plasma componont board

sky via rgb2vga convertor to plasma vga socket

I now need 2 plasmas and to be able to watch sky in one room and a dvd in the other and vice versa and also to watch sky on any screen and a dvd on any screen

Now that i need 2 plasmas I am thinking about some kind of scart rgb switching box were both inputs go into it and two outputs come out into each screen, would this be possibe?

 

[BiggieBig]

every store i've been into where they have mulitple screens running from one box always has a very poor picture even when using component.

so would you need both screens to be on at the same time ?.

I guess a switching box is no good for this may be a splitter...

i've heard of scart amplifers which maybe of some help ?

suppose this doesn't help you much but at least it starts the ball rolling

 

[Joe Fernand]

chipper

What you need is a 2x2 (or larger) Video + Audio Matrix switcher - forget about any SCART solutions being up to the job (unless you want to sacrifice picture quality for the sake of budget).

Stick with YUV distributed to two screens and you will be fine - you need to consider what your doing in the 'remote' location with sound (Stereo or 5:1 Digital) and how you want to select what your viewing on Output 02 of the Matrix.

Many of the low cost (sub £1k) Matrix solutions will offer front panel or RS232 control - with a very few offering IR control; if its RS232 you'll need to think though how to control the Matrix from the 'remote' location (or simply pre select on the front panel at the AV rack).

Once you know what your doing with audio and source selection in the 'remote' location it will be relatively straightforward to get you up and running.

I'd normally recommend/supply the Kramer VPS-2042 4:2 YUV Matrix (SRP £820) to look after the video signals and use a Kramer Audio Matrix along side it.

See http://www.kramerelectronics.com/indexes/desc.asp?p=VS-2042

Best regards

Joe

PS If you had the budget (£3K) I'd use one of these - http://www.autopatch.com/series_precis/ht/index.html

 

[MAW]

I've used VGA distribution systems to good effect for multiple screens, with JS VGA converters for the sources. It's certainly cost effective, £280 inc js box if you use scart pass through, but this is not a 'matrix' system. Same source only on both screens. Joe's solution is certainly the most cost effective matrix switching.

 

[chipper]

Thanks for the replies, how about if I buy 2 dvd players, each going to their own plasma via component this would leave one sky box to be shared by both plasmas.
Could I use an RGB2VGA convertor for the sky and then to a vga distribution system?

If I did it this way am I right in thinking I could watch either source at any time on each TV?

 

[MAW]

Genius, mate. By far the cheapest 2 source solution. Kramer for the VGA multiplier, a distibution amplifier is what you need. And a JS RGB to VGA. You will of course only have 1 sky channel between 2, but maybe complete the thing with a freeview box for 1 screen?

 

[chipper]

I've seen the kramer ones, would a
KRAMER 1:3 VGA/XGA DISTRIBUTION AMPLIFIER be what I need?

I just need to sort the audio out for the sky now, does the rgb2vga convertor have scart in and vga out and also stereo phono out as thats what it looks like from the picture, if this is the case do I just get a couple of Y leads and split this with a signal going to each amp or would I loose signal strenght this way and need to do it some other way?

 

[MAW]

That all seems OK. There is of course a loss of audio quality, but not too serious I shouldn't think. Maybe take 1 source from the sky box and 1 from JS?