Elan V883 vs Avatrix 661

You must use the wallplates with our system, which serve as receivers. You can't just run Cat-5 directly into the back of your TV, so the wallplates serve to provide conversion back to RCA plugs, and perform the gain equalization for long runs.

Trent

Hi CPO,

What you'll find is that in all Cat 5 solutions (whether actively powered systems like from Audio Authority and Elan, or passive "balun" transformers", there needs to be a change made to pass signal over Cat 5, then "bring it back". The wallplates aren't simply pass-throughs, they are active, powered electronics that make the conversion from balanced lines to unbalanced RCA-jack compatible signals.

So, the simple answer would be that you do have to buy a "receiver unit" - right now, all we have available is the 9878 wallplate, but soon we'll have a single-gang decora style wallplate, and a self-contained breakout box for situations where wallplates don't work.

Trent

The AVATRIX wall pates are an integral part of their proprietary system, so they are not replaceable.

To use any matrix switcher, you will have to use some kind of baluns to convert the component video output of the switcher to travel on category wire and reconvert it at the display. Your wiring is inadequate to do it any other way.

So your real choice is between any component video matrix switcher with baluns and the Avatrix. The AVATRIX is basically a switcher and baluns in one solution.

The V883 is a strictly video switcher. 8 component video in and 8 component video out. It is designed for integration into an Elan dist audio system like you have. If you are only going to use the audio through your S6, then this will work very well. If you want to send audio directly to the TVs, then this won't work.

The Avatrix is component video, digital, and analog audio switcher. So the functionality is greater if you need it.

The AVATRIX wall pates are an integral part of their proprietary system, so they are not replaceable.

To use any matrix switcher, you will have to use some kind of baluns to convert the component video output of the switcher to travel on category wire and reconvert it at the display. Your wiring is inadequate to do it any other way.

So your real choice is between any component video matrix switcher with baluns and the Avatrix. The AVATRIX is basically a switcher and baluns in one solution.

The V883 is a strictly video switcher. 8 component video in and 8 component video out. It is designed for integration into an Elan dist audio system like you have. If you are only going to use the audio through your S6, then this will work very well. If you want to send audio directly to the TVs, then this won't work.

The Avatrix is component video, digital, and analog audio switcher. So the functionality is greater if you need it.

You would still need the baluns with the S12 unless you can run more wire.

IMHO, if you are set on using cat5/6 for your mode of transmission, then the AVAtrix will be a much cleaner and integrated install vs a component switcher with baluns hanging off of it on both ends. Just realize, that whichever route you go, the cat5/6 cables you use will be dedicated for the video/audio transmission only. You won't be able to use them for data/phone anymore, so I'm not sure why you are concerned about using your existing wall plates. They won't really be any good anyway unless you want to use them with the external baluns, and then you'll have little black boxes hanging off the wall plate.

the V883 does not need the Key pad as long as you have the correct IR codes then you can setup any type of control you want to control that unit.

i have heard of guys using the component to distribute coax digital! there is enough bandwidth there to accomidate it.

50K without touchscreens sounds very, very steep. 50K sounds steep to me period but thats because Im a DIY guy and my point of view is completely different.

All the cabling is done and you are still decided what hardware to install by a CI or are you considering more of a DIY approach? I doubt this is a DIY situation since you could not tell on your own if you had enough RG6 for component.

So lets just assume CI solution. If you are not under contract with a CI, I would consider contacting a CI that installs something like CQC. Dont know if any are in your area though. The reason I say CQC because then you have great flexibility on the hardware you choose and for 50K you would have all the bells and whistles like touch screens, etc.

I can only speak for CQC as a possible option because it seems to be the only new product out there that is really hardware independant and has professional Customer Installers involved (dont know how many though).


lol....you can probably ignore this...I read your other posts and it does sound like you are on contract already with a CI.

3 Coax will send Y/Pr/Pb which is component video (HD quality). As long as the video cards in the switch handle I think a min 200Mhz they can handle HD.

I have RG6 run throughout my house....some runs over a 100 feet to and I get HD Video at all those location.

let me re phrase that component video over 3 coax cable is correct but if you have a extra coax cable you can use the v883 to switch coax digital audio as well. or you can use the CVWP to run component over cat5 up to 500 feet and use your coax cables to distribute coax digital.

1080i/720p require less than 40 MHz bandwidth (sometimes more based on what's in the image). 1080p requires twice that. 200 MHz is nice, but not at all necessary.

Trent

I thought the amount of bandwidth required depended on whether the 1080i or 720p image was coming from a Blu-Ray disc, HD-DVD disc or an HD broadcast as there is varying amounts of data in each stream.

Am I wrong?

Trent,

Do you have a timeframe on when these will be released? Any pictures, diagrams, or technical information yet?

Thanks,

John

I'll preface this with the disclaimer that I am no broadcast engineer or electrical engineer, so If I'm wrong, someone who is an expert can feel free to correct me.

I don't believe it matters what the bitrate from the disc or other source is - the output resolution is what dictates the bandwidth requirement.

Let's imagine a 50 mbps signal flowing from a disc. That would be translated into a 1080p signal for output, for example. Let's say that signal takes 80 MHz of bandwidth to transmit without degradation.

If you cut the bitrate on that same scene to 25 mbps, the bandwidth wouldn't decrease - you would just see a less crisp image with more compression artifacts and less detail.

The advantage of higher bitrates from the disc is a better presentation - cleaner, crisper, with more detail, since the image can be refreshed more completely and more quickly. Cutting down on bitrate doesn't change the output resolution - the lines of resolution are still there, and therefore take the same amount of bandwidth to convey the information - the transmission method doesn't care if we're seeing a clear image or compressed junk - the pixels still need to be transmitted.

Trent

In sales we've received some information, but nothing I'm at liberty to release yet, from a picture or diagram standpoint.

I can tell you that it will have component video, analog audio, and digital audio jacks, along with a front and rear IR jack. It eliminates the "F" connector that the 9878 has, due to space restrictions.

It will function identically to the 9878 that's already out. It just will be single-gang, and won't be stainless steel.

Trent