Length of Cables

[Ron Anderson]

Hello all,

I have a couple of questions concerning using a projector to display a logo on a wall during a convention. First, the source pc for the projector is approx. 100ft away. Would using a 100ft RCA cable degrade the video quality? second, would running a projector 8 hours a day for 3 days turn out to be problematic for the projector? Due to finance issues, creating a banner is not an option.

v/r
Ron

[Don Bloom]

I've run 100 feet but using a VGA cable not RCA or S.

Depending on the projector it MIGHT be a problem. The small presentation type projectors today may not be able to take the time. One thing for sure I would absolutely keep an extra bulb or 2 handy as well as a glove to change it with just in case.

Don

[Ben Winter]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

I would absolutely keep an extra bulb or 2 handy as well as a glove to change it with just in case.

Don

Yikes. Bulbs for pc projectors run about $300-500 each.

They're designed to run for long periods, if the projector gets too hot it will automatically shut off to protect itself.

Absolutely, running a 100 foot RCA cable will degrade the signal and introduce a ton of noise. It depends on how much it bothers you...a lot of detail gets hidden by the (lack of) quality of projectors.

[Mike Teutsch]

I had a presentation to do that required me to send the signal to one big screen and two additional TV sets 50 feet away. I bought a splitter with a booster in it and it worked great! Can't remember if I got it on eBay or at Radio Shack?!

OK, just checked it. Radio Shack Video Distribution Amplifier, Cat. No. 15-1172. It has RCA and S-Video connections, one input and four outputs. It is a powered unit, so you need a 110v power source too. If memory serves me correctly and it seldom does lately, it was about $35.00

Hope that helps.

M something

PS: Just checked, it's now $49.99, ya inflation sucks! But, It did work well!

m

[Don Bloom]

I've had one of those for about 5 years and they absolutely work great for those and many other situations where you need to split the signal out. A good $35 or now $50 investment.

As for the bulbs yes they can be expensive but I don't think the smaller presentation type projects use the 300 to 500 dollar bulbs anymore. It seems to me and I could be wrong but Offce Depot, and the like carry not only the smaller projectors but the bulbs as well and the bulbs are well under $100. If they were anymore it would almost be more cost effective to buy 2 projectors and forget the extra bulb. I've seen 1600 lumien projectors for about $800 and 2200 for not much more.
Now if you're talking about the BIG projectors then yeah $500 is about right but then generally it's AV houses that own them so it's not a major deal for them to have extra bulbs just in case. Hell the last time I set one of those up it took 4 of us to get it up 6 feet onto the scoffolding where it lived for the show. Not exactly something you just carry around.
I'm assuming Ron was talking about one of the smaller portable presentation type projectors.

Don

[Ben Winter]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

I've had one of those for about 5 years and they absolutely work great for those and many other situations where you need to split the signal out. A good $35 or now $50 investment.

As for the bulbs yes they can be expensive but I don't think the smaller presentation type projects use the 300 to 500 dollar bulbs anymore. It seems to me and I could be wrong but Offce Depot, and the like carry not only the smaller projectors but the bulbs as well and the bulbs are well under $100. If they were anymore it would almost be more cost effective to buy 2 projectors and forget the extra bulb. I've seen 1600 lumien projectors for about $800 and 2200 for not much more.
Now if you're talking about the BIG projectors then yeah $500 is about right but then generally it's AV houses that own them so it's not a major deal for them to have extra bulbs just in case. Hell the last time I set one of those up it took 4 of us to get it up 6 feet onto the scoffolding where it lived for the show. Not exactly something you just carry around.
I'm assuming Ron was talking about one of the smaller portable presentation type projectors.

Don

Send me to your office depot! I've been through 5 different types of projectors over the years and never has the replacement bulb cost less than $200. Check the prices these days and you'll get an idea of how expensive they are. Bulbs well under $100...hah boy would that be nice!

Home/small business projectors typically have bulb replacement costs around 200-300 easy. Now the big AV departments...bulbs can cost thousands!

[Ron Anderson]

Yes Don, the projector will be your typical smaller projector. Around 2,000 lumens I believe. I will try to talk them out of it, but not sure it will help. I think they have their minds set. I told them it could get just as costly as having something made. Mike I will certainly look into the booster/splitter. All of you have given me some good info to take into consideration.

Ron

[Daniel Browning]

Originally Posted by Ron Anderson

Would using a 100ft RCA cable degrade the video quality?

Yes. If you can, use S-video or component instead. But even composite may look good enough for your purposes.

Originally Posted by Ron Anderson

second, would running a projector 8 hours a day for 3 days turn out to be problematic for the projector? Due to finance issues, creating a banner is not an option.

It will not be problematic. It might be a good idea to blow the dust out if it has seen a lot of use already, otherwise it should be able to keep cool just fine. As far as the finances go, most bulbs have a 2000 hour lifespan in the specification, but I've seen many fail much, much earlier.