As detailed here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782601) I'm converting a detached garage into my theater.

This is where I will have my DISH PVR 622. And I'll be connecting the unit via HDMI to my Sony Pearl, and via optical cable to my av controller.

But there is an LCD TV in the main house, and I'd like to use the component output, and stereo RCA, to drive the TV in the main house.

This would take a run of about 100 feet of component cable, and rca audio cable. It's a 720p, 37 inch LCD TV, used for more casual viewing, so a little signal loss probably won't matter.

Am I safe picking up a 100 foot cable from for this purpose from MONOPRICE? Or should I be considering a balun at each end, and using cat 5 or cat 6 cable, for the run?

(If it makes a difference, I'll be running this in a conduit underground between the two buildings, along with some cat 6 and rg 6 and telephone cables.... which will only be a little ways away from another conduit, with the power running from the house to the garage. The trench is not yet dug, and the conduit is not yet purchased, so I can design and construct those in the most advantageous way, if I know what that is.)

And yes, I know that this setup means the person at the LCD tv and the person in the theater have to watch the same thing. That's okay. And I know that that 622 can send a different SD signal to another TV via RG6 cable. I'll probably make use of that for another small TV.

Hmmm. I'm going to assume that the lack of a response to this question is NOT an indication that the two options produce the same results, but, rather, that few people here have encountered this? I'm thinking that's unlikely, too, given how many whole house distribution systems some folks are crafting.

I know the best way to tell would be to try each one, and go with the one that is better -- or, if they are the same, go with the one that is easier and cheaper. But since each needs to be mail ordered, I don't want to waste time and money returning one option, if there is a foregone winner in this contest.

A 100 foot run of high-impedance unbalanced audio cable is likely to pick up noise. If it is driving a cheap TV, you probably won't hear this. But if not, switching to a balanced line for the run is probably a very good idea.

- Terry

Thanks for the guidance. By using a component video -> balun -> CAT6 -> balun -> component video run, do I have a "balanced" line? (In contrast, I assume that doing a run of component video the whole way is "unbalanced," right?)

Thanks for the guidance. By using a component video -> balun -> CAT6 -> balun -> component video run, do I have a "balanced" line? (In contrast, I assume that doing a run of component video the whole way is "unbalanced," right?)
Correct. But make sure you use video baluns for these lines. They will have the necessary additional bandwidth for video signals.

- Terry

You mean something like this:

http://www.avovercat5.com/products/avov3ad.htm

or this:

http://www.svideo.com/1080i.html

right?

100' of qsrg-6 will work fine, thousands of people make runs that long everyday.


A 100 foot run of high-impedance unbalanced audio cable is likely to pick up noise. If it is driving a cheap TV, you probably won't hear this. But if not, switching to a balanced line for the run is probably a very good idea.

- Terry

100' of qsrg-6 will work fine, thousands of people make runs that long everyday.Yes, many people successfully get away with unbalanced line-level audio runs as long as 100'. I still don't recommend it, as there is no guarantee of hum-free operation, as there is with balanced.

I'm less worried about the audio, than the video, since it requires even more bandwidth and that is where I have occasionally gotten interference when doing long runs (and not paying attention to things like power cables) in the past. This time, the power and the audio/video will be in separate conduits, in the ground, separated by 12 inches.