Need to capture VGA signal and send it over the network

[imported_romank]

We have a Nortel phone switching system in the office here with a VGA input that you can hook up a monitor to. It displays all the call information on the monitor in this DOS style screen. The owner wants to be able to view this information on a PC that's up on the second floor.

Now before I tell him it cannot be done, I want to be sure of it. Is there any device out there that can capture the VGA signal from this Nortel box and then send it out over the network to a PC so that an operator at that PC can view the data? I assume some sort of software will also be necessary to read this information.

Are there any other ways around it?

Thanks in advance,
Roman

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: romank
We have a Nortel phone switching system in the office here with a VGA input that you can hook up a monitor to. It displays all the call information on the monitor in this DOS style screen. The owner wants to be able to view this information on a PC that's up on the second floor.

Now before I tell him it cannot be done, I want to be sure of it. Is there any device out there that can capture the VGA signal from this Nortel box and then send it out over the network to a PC so that an operator at that PC can view the data? I assume some sort of software will also be necessary to read this information.

Are there any other ways around it?

Thanks in advance,
Roman

Not easily. If the resolution isn't too high (~640x480 or 800x600), you could get a scan converter to go VGA->composite/S-Video, then run it into a PC with a capture card and stream it over the network. But high-resolution VGA capture equipment is VERY expensive.

 

[cleverhandle]

Would KVM-over-IP switches do something like this? I don't really know much about them. But it sounds like that's the idea. I see 1-Port models listed for a mere $500.

 

[imported_romank]

Oh, this is not high resolution at all. Like I said, it's a regular DOS style image. maybe 24x80cpi.

 

[imported_romank]

Didn't even know there were KVM over IP switches! That may work. I'll just be using the VGA input not the keyboard/mouse. I think $500 would be cheaper than a brand new computer with a capture card and the software to stream it over the network.

 

[RebateMonger]

This should work if the distances are too long:
Convert the VGA to composite or S-Video and run the output to a monitor or a capture card on a PC at the operator's location. There are lots of VGA converter boxes that will convert the signal to composite or S-video.

Last time I checked, external VGA converters were $100 or less, and PCI video capture cards are dirt cheap.

There are also low-cost RF transmitters/receivers for sending video signals.

 

[imported_romank]

The problem is that the operator currently only has that monitor that's connected to the switch and an AS400 terminal screen. No computer. I would either need the KVM over IP switch or supply her with a brand new computer with a capture card.

 

[RaiderJ]

Interesting! Too bad there isn't a way to send the data via serial (as it would be more than fast enough for that amount of text).

Off the wall idea - aim a security type camera onto the monitor, run the feed to the room? Might be cheaper than VGA-composite converters.

 

[Arcanedeath]

Just get a cat 5 KVM they are not that expensive you hook up the phone system at one end and the monitor at the other probelem solved far cheaper than any of the other solutions and you can use the existing cat 5 wiring thats already present

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: romank
The problem is that the operator currently only has that monitor that's connected to the switch and an AS400 terminal screen. No computer. I would either need the KVM over IP switch or supply her with a brand new computer with a capture card.

How can an operator work without a PC? Might be time to get one.....

 

[imported_romank]

Hah hah, wouldn't that be great. The guy that runs this company is pretty cheap. He won't buy new equipment unless he absolutely has to.

 

[imported_romank]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
Just get a cat 5 KVM they are not that expensive you hook up the phone system at one end and the monitor at the other probelem solved far cheaper than any of the other solutions and you can use the existing cat 5 wiring thats already present

Just looked at the cat5 KVM switches and looks like they just support one additional monitor with the extender. Since right now we need to have this signal be viewed from 3 different locations in the building, and possibly more in the future, the KVM over IP switch will work better since it allows multiple connections.