SDI exenders

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Allards

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SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 12:49 pm

Hi all,

We got a 1000 feet , 650 feet and 300 feet SDI cables. The 300 feet work perfectly on 1080I. The 650 feet works on SD and the 1000 feet doesn't work at all. We got the from a closed broadcast company. The told us that the were working with HD. But we forgot to ask them how the managed to get the longer cables to work. I saw there were coupling pieces on these cables, Maybe the used SDI extenders.

I found out that the BM mini converters a a kind of extenders. Is that correct? and should they work with our longer cables?
I know it will lose quality but it isn't a big deal right now.

Thanks a lot.

Allard
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Richard Courtney

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 1:57 pm

Wish I had a direct answer for you. We went with fiber for the distance, lower weight, and space savings.
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Aleksander Steffensen

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 3:53 pm

It all depends on the properties of the cables you have, and the equipment that is sending and receiving the signal.

What kind of converters did you have in mind, since you say that you will lose quality?
Steffensen Multimedia
http://www.stmm.no
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Allards

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 4:04 pm

We use van damme SDI Vision coax LSZH Marine grade low loss 75Ohm cables.
A nx5 is sending the signal and the television studio is receiving.

I hoped for a blackmagic mini converter. But I also found this: extron 3G HD-SDI 101.
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Aleksander Steffensen

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 4:26 pm

Well which one of those cables do you use? There are several of them with different diameters and specs.
Steffensen Multimedia
http://www.stmm.no
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MambaFiber.com

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 4:56 pm

I'd be REALLY surprised to see HD-SDI work through 1000 feet of cable regardless of type... even 650 is pushing it IMO. for us, anything over 500 we use fiber.
Greg Bellotte - owner
MambaFiber.com
FaceBook.com/MambaFiber
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Scott Ryan

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSat Oct 05, 2013 8:10 pm

300 feet is about the limit for HD-SDI so that sounds right. I've tested this first hand with 300 feet of high quality Canare SDI cable from B&H. I attached a barrel to the end and tacked on another 50 ft (or maybe 100 ft) and the signal would intermittently drop out.
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Bo Skelmose

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSun Oct 06, 2013 5:44 am

Hi
If you can go 100 meter with your cable you just have to reclock the signal for every 100 meter. You can use the small BM battery mini converters like the SDI to HDMI converter. It also have a reclocked SDI out. Then you can go for another 100meters. No loss of quality. With a 1000 feet cable you have to reclock twice and maybe once at the end before you deliver the signal.
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Thomas Seewald

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSun Oct 06, 2013 7:50 am

If he has a 1000 feet cable, he can't reclock every 300 feet without cutting the cable ...... :roll:
So the question may be, if I can amplify the signal at start or end of the cable, to run signal for the full distance.
thos-berlin - Thomas S e e w a l d
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Aleksander Steffensen

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSun Oct 06, 2013 10:25 am

Well 1000 feet is very unlikely to work, the best I've seen is from a Spanish company called Percon that showcased a cable that could take HD-SDI about 820 feet I think, a thick and stiff cable not suitable for mobile applications. Fibre is probably the way to go if you need these distances.
Steffensen Multimedia
http://www.stmm.no
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Bo Skelmose

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSun Oct 06, 2013 4:24 pm

No need to cut the cable:
" I saw there were coupling pieces on these cables, Maybe the used SDI extenders. "
I have heard that some run 1500 feet with reclocking several times. I can test with 300 meters /1000 feet one of those days. Blackmagic fiber converter for 3Gbit has fallen in price since the 6Gbit / 4K converter came out. The most expensive by fiber, is the connectors and the mounting that can be 5 times more expensive than the 2 converters that you need. The fiber LC connectors cannot be used daily as connection - you will need something like Mini-eXpanded Beam Optical connectors.
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Brian Hancock

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Re: SDI exenders

PostSun Oct 06, 2013 10:33 pm

theoretically you could run the sdi for ... forever if it continues to get relocked within limitations of the signal ... however this is crazy for 1000 ft you are talking aprox. 3 reclocks don't forget you then have to run power to these devices as well so your running two cables unless you already have power at the appropriate places

fiber fiber fiber ... you can get tac4 for less than 1.00 a ft. !?!
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KnightProductions

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Re: SDI exenders

PostTue Oct 08, 2013 9:14 pm

Using RG6 Canare L5CFW cable I am able to send HD-SDI signal up to 600'. 1920x1080 24p at 600', 1280x720p 59.94hz at 575' and 1920x1080i 59.94hz at 550'
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Scott Ryan

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Re: SDI exenders

PostWed Oct 09, 2013 3:13 am

KnightProductions wrote:Using RG6 Canare L5CFW cable I am able to send HD-SDI signal up to 600'. 1920x1080 24p at 600', 1280x720p 59.94hz at 575' and 1920x1080i 59.94hz at 550'

What is pushing that? That's crazy. Spec sheet even says 3 Gb/s HD-SDI 1080p is 230 feet.
http://store.haveinc.com/download/canar ... echart.pdf
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Jonas Bengtson

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Re: SDI exenders

PostWed Oct 09, 2013 7:24 am

Go fiber.

Redo the cables to shorter patch/monitor cables.
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MambaFiber.com

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Re: SDI exenders

PostThu Oct 10, 2013 12:34 am

+1 for GO FIBER! our short fiber cables are 750 feet...
Greg Bellotte - owner
MambaFiber.com
FaceBook.com/MambaFiber
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Allards

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Re: SDI exenders

PostWed Oct 16, 2013 9:58 am

Oke, Thanks for all your reply's. There is No way to extend a sdi signal. Only reclocking will work.

If someone has a solution I will look forward to it.
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Benjamin Higginbotham

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Re: SDI exenders

PostFri Oct 18, 2013 11:52 pm

scottyd wrote:
KnightProductions wrote:Using RG6 Canare L5CFW cable I am able to send HD-SDI signal up to 600'. 1920x1080 24p at 600', 1280x720p 59.94hz at 575' and 1920x1080i 59.94hz at 550'

What is pushing that? That's crazy. Spec sheet even says 3 Gb/s HD-SDI 1080p is 230 feet.
http://store.haveinc.com/download/canar ... echart.pdf


That's 3G-SDI... At HD-SDI it is 338 feet, but that doesn't mean that the signal is actually dead at 338 feet. In many cases you can get lucky and push the signal even further. You're playing with fire and I don't suggest it, but you could possibly double the given distance and still get a usable picture.

In all these scenarios though... Just go fiber. It is cheap, easy and will ease your headaches. I agree with Jonas. Take the 1000' spool and cut it in to smaller SDI patch cables. Then buy fiber for your 1000' run and you're all set. Heck, with single mode fiber and a good laser you can go 147,840 feet!
Benjamin Higginbotham
TMRO - Making Space Commonplace

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