POST-MORTEM on this question
The event is past now and here's what I've learned from this gig.
Chronology :
1. The customer first asked 6 cameras near the stage.
2. I gave them my quote.
3. We had a production meeting with the lighting/audio/video wall company, where I learned that the SDI cable run would be 320'.
4. We have a problem, Lighting/audio/video wall suggest fiber and will prepare a quote.
5. Few days later, customer declined my quote for 6 cameras and decided to go with only 3 cameras.
6. Lighting/audio/video wall company quoted 10 000$ for 6 fiber lines (not knowing I now only have 3 cameras).
7. Customer declined the quote for fiber lines.
8. Lighting/audio/video wall quoted for a 6 SDI snake crossing the crowd from FOH to the stage (still not knowing I now only have 3 cameras)
9. Production agreeded the price for 6 SDI
10. Lighting/audio/video wall installed 100' snake + coupler (f2f) + 100' snake
11. I had to add 1x 25' patch for camera #1 (total 225'), 1x 50' patch per camera for camera #2 and #3 (total 250' each)
12. Lighting/audio/video wall gave me sh*t when they see I only have 3 cameras because 3 fiber lines would have been the same price as 2x 100' SDI snake (6 lines).
Day one, both Sony EX-3 at 250' keeps blanking/flickering (example:
), annoying as hell. I cannot put them on big screen.
Day two, I introduce 3 Decimator between the patch of each cameras and the 200' snake, one for each camera. Now I got a blank frame every two or three minutes.
Day three, everything is perfect, no flickering at all.
Day four, everything is still at is place, nothing changed, flickering is back and more intense.
Day five, Instead of using the loopback (output 1) on the decimators, I decide to go trough the DUC (Output 2), still flickering.
Day six, they've installed a cat walk, distence of the camera is reduced. I decided to break the junction at 100' and tap my camera with a 50' patch. Works perfectly.
Day seven, flickering is back, line is too long, cable in the snake is unidentifiable so I can't read the specs
4 days remaining for this event. I'll have to live with it. FML
A. Decimator did not solve the issue
B. They introduced me to the Xvision SDI repeater, from Theatrixx which is 700$ and reclock 2 SDI lines. I might put a few in my tool box for next time.
C. 225'/250' cables at 1080i 59.94 is not viable.
D. I did not try to put a video hub as my "repeater".
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- Decimator2.jpg (706.99 KiB) Viewed 5819 times