Need a quality 50'+ VGA cable

[ipalindromei]

I'm shopping for a 50' (or longer) VGA cable that will be used to run an LCD projector from a remote location. Questions:

1) Some people I've talked to say that you need a hi-quality cable, or else you run the risk of picking up a lot of interference. Is this true?

2) If #1 is true, what are some of the better brands of VGA cable? I'm looking to spend less than $100 (US).


Thanks,

ipalindromei

 

[Harvey]

Regarding your first question, I don't know the max length VGA can run, but longer cable has higher capacitance which will roll off high frequencies which could cause degradation of the picture quailty. How capacitance will effect your picture is also a function of the quality of the actual driver circuitry on your vid card.

If it's made, a VGA "booster" amp placed somewhere in the middle of your cable run, might solve your problem. In fact, an external powered VGA distribution box might do the same thing for you. The only difference would be, you would get extra outputs you don't need.

Good luck.

 

[zephyrprime]

Longer cables are problematic as I learned first hand. But there aren't really any brands of vga cable. They're all generic. They're simply rebadged sometimes in the US.

 

[BG4533]

I know some are a lot better than others, but it is usually obvious in how thick they are. I bought a cheap 6' one a while back and at 1024x768 I could barely make things out on my monitor it was so bad. Goodluck with 50' and prepare to spend a decent amount of money on it.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime
Longer cables are problematic as I learned first hand. But there aren't really any brands of vga cable. They're all generic. They're simply rebadged sometimes in the US.

They are not all the same. Frequently the cable will specify right on the packaging the resolution and frequency that the cable can handle (which you heard correctly is a funciton of the cable length).

Yes there are also amplifiers meant to allow longer cable lengths (this one claims up to 100 feet). No I don't have any idea on which are good and which are bad amplifiers.

You can also buy 50 foot or longer video cables that are of high quality. Belkin is known to make high quality parts. Their 50 foot cable costs $200 though.

Oh and welcome to Anandtech, ipalindromei.

 

[buleyb]

I've 'seen' the 50' Belkin used before, they had a 1024x768 projector running alright, but $200 is steep...


I know they also take the RGB wires and run them over dedicated individually shielded co-ax in the same bundle as the rest of the signal wires. I currently have a 12' version of this, and it works, but like others have said...distance matters

good luck

 

[dexvx]

How is $200 steep?

The product is highly customized for a niche market. Low volume = low production = higher cost per production. 50' SCSI cables are over $100.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Perhaps not what you're looking for, but if the vid card has an adaptor to have like say RCA out, you could get a wireless transmitter and receiver station.

I've got oneand it seems to work fairly well.

 

[oldfart]

I bought a 100' VGA cable from PCCables for use with an LCD projector, and it has worked very well. Great prices too.

 

[Dug]

PCCables is recommended a lot.

I wouldn't bother looking anywhere else as you'll just waste money.

I don't know what size your monitor is, but don't expect really high resolutions.

 

[Challenger]

Why would you need a 50' VGA cable?

 

[Perplx]

I would put the computer right beside the LCD monitor and use a second computer to control it using pcanywhere, remote desktop etc using a long crossover or even wireless ethernet. Think aboout what your transfering full resolution uncompressed video at atleast 60 fps or mouse clicks and keystrokes. This idead wont work if you playing quake though.

 

[Dug]

Why would you need a 50' VGA cable?

Projectors can't always be placed next to the computer.
For instance, my projector is hanging from the ceiling, so I have to have a long cable.

I made my cable from shielded twisted pair though. Works great as I can do high definintion (1920x1080) at a 35' length, (Which no store bought cable I tried could do without tearing or ghosting.)
Shielded twisted pair would probably work at 50' but I wouldn't guarantee it, nor would I expect it to do as high of a resolution.

 

[KristopherKubicki]

This really wont work how you anticipate. I started getting into making my own cables, as dug mentioned, and those are perhaps the highest quality you can get. However, even these are not capable of 50'+. Analog VGA degrades over like 8 feet. You really want to use a component hookup (most projectors have it). High quality component cable for 50' should cost you around 200-250.

I would not recommend moster cable, but any high fidelity store will have something decent for you, although it might be a custom order (or they will make it for you).

Just my two cents.

Kristopher

 

[ipalindromei]

Thanks everybody for your feedback. Oldfart, would you describe the kind of setup you're using?

As for me, the setup I have runs Powerpoint at a small church in LA. I currently run a 6 foot male-to-male cable from a Dell inspiron 1100 to a Dell 2100 MP projector. The projector and laptop are operated from at the front of the auditorium where we meet, and the display is set at 1024 x 768. The sound is mixed at the back of the room (about 40') from where the projector is.

The church sometimes goes on the road for various reasons, so a little extra length might be helpful in the event that we find ourselves in a venue that's larger than our usual setting.

I'd like to move the laptop back to the mixer for two reasons. First, all our electronics will be centralized in one area. Secondly, we will be able to run sound from the laptop to the mixer. Right now, we have no way of doing that.

Thanks,
ipalindromei

 

[ipalindromei]

Originally posted by: JustAnAverageGuy
Perhaps not what you're looking for, but if the vid card has an adaptor to have like say RCA out, you could get a wireless transmitter and receiver station.

I've got oneand it seems to work fairly well.

What brand of wireless are you using? And with what equipment? I saw one on Amazon today called the Terk Wavemaster Leapfrog. The concept is promising, but the reviews were mixed....

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: ipalindromei
I'd like to move the laptop back to the mixer for two reasons. First, all our electronics will be centralized in one area. Secondly, we will be able to run sound from the laptop to the mixer. Right now, we have no way of doing that.

I think it would be much easier (and cheaper) to find a way to transmit the sound over 40 feet versus the video over 40 feet.

 

[ipalindromei]

Thanks, MrChad. That might be true. I'll look into wireless audio transmitters. My guess would be, however, that such equipment would cost as much or more than a 50' VGA cable, which PCcables has for a mere $23.

I could also use an adapter to connect a 1/4" (Hi-Z) cable from the laptop to an input on our mixer. But a 50-foot 1/4" cable costs about the same as a vga cable, and I would need 2 of them to run the sound in stereo.

IMO, the key question is, "How much will a video signal degrade over 50'?"and it seems there are mixed opinions on this. I'll just get a cable and try it out, and it if doesn't work, I can return it and try something else.

 

[addragyn]

Find a broadcast supply. A place where they sell gear for TV studios and the like. They will stock quality long VGA cables for a good price.