Cost: Cat5 + Baluns vs. RG6

Originally Posted by stickyfingers

I'm getting ready to do another project, having recently completed a Cat5e distro system, and was considering using RG6 this time around, as the runs are shorter, but mostly because I was considering the "baluns are too expensive" (myth) - but I think I think that's hooey... :P

Bear with me momentarily...

Generally speaking (we could quibble all day on exact pricing), I could pickup 1000ft of nice Cat5e for ~$100, or 1000ft of RG6 (say 1694A) for ~$300.

On a system that's just HD video distribution, I'm going to have to run either 1 Cat5e or 3 RG6, (yes, we'd all run more than that, I know) so not only is it 3x more in cost, but you need to run 3x more in cabling.

So, say the project has 500ft of total run distance (to all locations) from the closet to each location. That'd cost me ~$50 in Cat5e cabling or $450 in RG6.

With baluns running ~$120ish/pair, that's enough to add in three locations at a lower total cost that running RG6, and if you have a fourth location it'd only be ~$80 more.

Moreover, isn't Cat5e more extensible than RG6?

I've watched HD over RG6 runs, and HD over Cat5e + component balun runs, and I swear they're (dang near) indistinguishable. However, with RG6, you're not going to be running anything else down those lines besides component video (are you?).

That said, there's already HDMI (fully HDCP compliant) baluns as well as VGA baluns (at 1920 x 1200). Now, both the HDMI and the VGA baluns are ridiculously expensive, but so were HD matrix switches not too long ago...

So this is more of a thinking-out-loud post, I'm not claiming to have definitively settled anything, but it sure seems like pulling a handful of Cat5e (other runs for IR, data, etc) might be a better long run investment than RG6 - not only in terms of price, but future flexibility as well.

Whatdya guys think..?

(I might well have omitted some key factor... :P )

Cheers.

Originally Posted by stickyfingers

Sorta.

What I was trying to say is that, as much as I've considered it, for a typical install with three or fewer locations, it sure seems Cat5e + baluns comes out ahead. If you have 4 locations (many/most folks seem to be using 8 x 4 switches) then it's darn near a wash (as regards cost).

Most importantly though, is the fact that you can re-task Cat5e much more readily than you can RG6.
I'd run more Cat5e as well, but I just comparing apples to apples.
Yep.

Many (most) folks here have more experience pulling cable than I do, but in my limited experience, I'd rather do Cat5 runs anyday (over RG6).
There's few (if any) "Cat5e" matrix switches, as that's what the baluns do.

It's like this:

Device --> Switch --> Balun --> Balun --> Device

Everything's RCA (or BNC or whatever flavor you use) except for the run between balun and balun, which is Cat5e.

In my case, I use a Neothings Borrego, which is a component switch (with RCA plugs).
I bought mine from Lashen, though they look to be ~$140/pr (if you opt for one balun being the wallplate version) at the moment.

Froogle might find something lower, but I have been super pleased with my experiences with the folks at Lashen and it's work a few bucks to do business with good folks (though I never take that too far ).

Also, I'm partial to Intelix, but there might be other brands that work equally well, which might drop you back to ~$120/pr.

Originally Posted by stickyfingers

Sorry. Had to bump this. Two hours later, and I sat at my desk, chuckling to myself over how funny that statement was...

(You out in Cali Trent..? That sounded like a connoisseur of Mexican cuisine, and that's tough to do in lots o' places...)

Cheers.

Originally Posted by miltimj

I'm currently in Iraq at the moment. I think that's the furthest thing from Cali..

But seriously, Trent - what do you recommend for a balun that will not likely be great distances (<100ft) but quality is of the most importance? (1680x1050) Would a passive device be adequate, or are there certain types of active devices that would be a good compromise? It seems that to be able to handle the higher resolution, they step up immensely in price, but also go 500+ft, which I'll never need.

Thanks for contributing - I already learned quite a bit.

Originally Posted by miltimj

what do you recommend for a balun that will not likely be great distances (<100ft) but quality is of the most importance? (1680x1050) Would a passive device be adequate, or are there certain types of active devices that would be a good compromise? It seems that to be able to handle the higher resolution, they step up immensely in price, but also go 500+ft, which I'll never need.

Originally Posted by stickyfingers

...you sure it's not beer, cheese and tacos..?

Originally Posted by bvsquidley

Yes indeed. Wisconsin is the land of beer, cheese, and baluns.

Originally Posted by bvsquidley

Intelix offers both--active and passive (though the active are not truly "baluns"). It depends on the signal you are trying to send and the distance.

Over the past 12 years, we have found out what works where. For example, signals such as VGA inherently have a high incedence for skewing/ghosting so we added an active circuit which compensates for pair differential. On the other hand, signals such as composite video perform just fine without an active circuit--provided you are within the specified range.