Cables and connectors are the backbone of any installation – so it’s always important to make the right choice. As well as pure performance criteria, durability, ease of installation and futureproofing can also be significant considerations, writes James McGrath
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V16/72 sends HD- SDI more than 100m
Techconnect terminates wasted time and excess cable
Vision’s modular installation AV faceplate system, Techconnect, looks to simplify some of the cable termination issues that installers can encounter.
Klotz ais has introduced the V16/72 HD-SDI digital video cables to keep up with the continuing increases in bandwidth transmission rates. The V16/72 is designed as an
ultra-low loss HD-SDI cable for fixed installations, with the core enclosed in a physically foamed polyethylene (PE) dielectric medium to ensure signal transmission with low return loss. What’s more, the cable offers
effective protection against electromagnetic interference thanks to the double shielding provided by the AL double composite layer and an ultra-densely woven copper shield providing 95% screening. This product is especially suited to
installations where cable lengths can reach up to 100m, such as conference centres and facilities that require broadcast-quality video to be distributed throughout without interference. Typical transmission distances under SMPTE standards are 590m for SDI video signals, 160m for 1.5GB/s HD-SDI signals and 116m for 3GB/s signals – although Klotz says that longer distances may be possible depending on the devices used. Three versions of the V16/72 are
available: durable PVC, flame- retardant halogen-free FRNC for fixed installations, or UV-resistant PE for outdoor cabling. www.klotz-ais.com
Installers on site often face a choice – to use pre-terminated cables with moulded connectors on both ends, or to terminate cables on site. Using pre- terminated cables can be faster and less expensive but often lacks flexibility. Terminating on site is more time-consuming and generally requires soldering, which can sometimes go wrong – especially with VGA cables, potentially causing costly go-backs. With the Techconnect system, the installer is provided with a normal connector at one end, and a male phoenix connector on the other. The phoenix connector enables quick plug-in assembly. The phoenix connectors can also be removed to pull cable more easily. In addition, the phoenix connection allows cables to be shortened to a desirable length so
that excess cabling doesn’t affect the appearance of the install. For cables that should not be manually terminated, such as HDMI, Thunderbolt and DisplayPort, the company supplies modules with tails attached. The bend on these tails allows a shallow backbox to be used with the system because the bend radius of HDMI isn’t very tight. Vision also offers installers a configurator on its website, allowing them to make the right selection of mounting hardware for their install. www.visionaudiovisual.com
{} Sommer Cable’s new fibre-hybrid system
The advantages of fibre cables over their copper counterparts are well known: they include increased transmission distances and smaller, lighter cables. Fibre-hybrid systems are becoming more and more attractive to the installation market as they become increasingly affordable.
German cable and connection technology specialist Sommer Cable has developed the new Stagebox with a PUR Fibrecable to Multipin on Cable end. This is a hybrid solution that handles power and control, along with multimode fibres that offer a redundant and secure send and return system. It features four OM3 multimode
fibres, two pairs of AWG24 cables and three 2.5sqmm 240V power cables. The multimode cables can carry 10GBASE-SR Ethernet signals up to 300m, and 1000BASE-LX signals up to
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550m; the AWG24 cables can be used for four sets of control signals or two AES/EBU signals. The system cable (Sommer’s
OCTOPUS HYBRID 443) is extremely lightweight and compact. Its diameter is just 13.5mm so, for example, 100m of cable on an HT481-Schilldrum weighs 27kg. It is also available with four LC-HICON- Connections or a quad-type fibre lens. Available as an option are different fibre spookies, which allow connections to other fibre accessories, such as SC or ST fibre connectors, or the Neutrik opticalCON Quad or Duo. Sommer Cable says that this is a
forward-looking connection system, since future fibre protocols for audio and video signals will enable hundreds of channels to be transmitted down one thin cable. www.sommercable.com