Satellite system - Web Comm Receiving - Computer

I am going to use Web Communciator to send a broadcast to another building. The receiving building has a satellite system with audio and video. How do I get the computer's audio / video into the building's audio video.

Background:
The satellite has a coax cable to three modulators, then rejoin to go throughout the building.

I have:
I have a computer with a stereo out to a L and R RCA jacks (audio). The 15pin din (VGA) of the computer to a component yellow cable. I don't know where to go from here. I tried going from the yellow cable to a modulator (From Radio Shack) and put that into one of the main modulators. I don't get the video. The Radio Shack modulator wants a channel 3 or 4.

How do people do this? How do I get the video from my laptop into the building's video?

The component (yellow) video and a mono audio signal goes into one of the modulators.

However, long term, I'd suggest you have the FM group get you another modulator for this purpose so you don't have to disconnect anything to add the computer signal.

tyranlewis wrote: Background:
The satellite has a coax cable to three modulators, then rejoin to go throughout the building.

There are three audio video RF modulators to convert the satellite signal and one video camera signal into radio frequency channels that can be distributed throughout the building.

Generally there is one modulator is for English, usually channel 2. Another is for a second language such as Spanish, usually channel 3. And the third is for the in-house camera input somewhere in the cultural hall, usually channel 6. The channels and the second language may vary for each location. But each language and in-house video should be on three separate channels. All three are combined using a passive headend combiner for distribution using only one cable rather than three.

tyranlewis wrote:I have:
I have a computer with a stereo out to a L and R RCA jacks (audio). The 15pin din (VGA) of the computer to a component yellow cable. I don't know where to go from here. I tried going from the yellow cable to a modulator (From Radio Shack) and put that into one of the main modulators. I don't get the video. The Radio Shack modulator wants a channel 3 or 4.

The installed satellite cabinet RF modulators are enterprise pieces of equipment and, depending on the manufacturer and model, can usually be set for the desired channel. Commodity RF modulators usually are only capable of converting video to channel 3/4. One of the satellite RF modulators is already set for channel 3. The RF signal from another modulator should not be put into another modulator unless it is a combination modulator/combiner. The signal has to be combined in the passive headend combiner. But there is still the issue of two modulators set for the same channel.

To inject another channel into the system will require another audio video RF modulator that can be set to a channel different from those already being used and input into the headend combiner. A commodity modulator from Radio Shack will not do. Another option is to share the in-house video modulator; or rather use it instead of a video input from a camera.

I took the long route to explain the usual satellite cabinet setup. But the short answer is what RussellHltn explained - talk to the FM. They are the experts or they have a contract with an expert.

The responsibility for the satellite equipment and its maintenance belongs to the FM. They have the responsibility to ensure all the equipment is properly configured and tuned. By not knowing what you are doing you could cause maintenance problems as well as disrupt the service or quality of service.

jdlessley wrote:The installed satellite cabinet RF modulators are enterprise pieces of equipment and, depending on the manufacturer and model, can usually be set for the desired channel.

You must have different models then the ones I've seen. They appears to be ordered from the factory with a set channel. I don't see any way to change them "in the field".

Something to consider... I don't use the video distribution system on the receive end, but simply use two PC's. One is tied directly to a projector in the chapel using a VGA cable and the chapel sound system with audio cables, and the other is tied to a flat screen TV in the Primary room using an HDMI cable for those with noisy youngins.

How do people do this? How do I get the video from my laptop into the building's video?

You will need a video and audio input in the Satellite cabinet. The simplest way to do this is to use a switch. If there is not one already installed, have the FM group install it. Most satellite receiving stake centers I've seen have a switch to select for (the building TVs) Satellite, VCR, Camera and Black.

On the switch the FM group installs, they should provide you a video AND audio input. All you would need to do is plug the audio and video into the jacks and press the switch's corresponding button.

The 15pin din (VGA) of the computer to a component yellow cable

I am not sure what you are talking about here (and may be why nothing is working...) Computer's 15-pin VGA jacks do not output the video you need (composite). You mentioned a Yellow cable. Unless the laptop has a special video card designed for that cable, it will not give you composite video. An easy way to test this would be to plug your yellow cable into the video input of a TV set, change to that input, and verify that it works. If it does not, you will need a scan converter to convert the VGA TTL signal to composite. (BTW, component cables have 3 colored wires: Green, Blue and Red - composite is a single Yellow cable)

If you are not in a good position with FM, as I was, splitting the feeds going into the sattelite box is not hard at all, the switch method, or a splitter will get you what you need.

michaelfish wrote:Most satellite receiving stake centers I've seen have a switch to select for (the building TVs) Satellite, VCR, Camera and Black.

Our first A/V setup was like that. Then when it was renovated several years ago, they went to multiple modulators and removed the switch.

It may depend on what vendor covers your area, as it seems the church contracts areas out to different vendors. In my area, it's Marshall Industries.

Mikerowaved wrote:Something to consider... use two PC's. One is tied directly to a projector in the chapel, . . . and the other is tied to a flat screen TV in the Primary room.

I saw this suggestion for feeding a second projector in the cultural hall. But how do you keep the two laptops in sync? It would not be so serious in a separate room such as the children's meeting room. But folks would notice if the cultural hall video was not synced with the chapel video while the broadcast sound was going over the building system.

lajackson wrote:

Mikerowaved wrote:Something to consider... use two PC's. One is tied directly to a projector in the chapel, . . . and the other is tied to a flat screen TV in the Primary room.

I saw this suggestion for feeding a second projector in the cultural hall. But how do you keep the two laptops in sync? It would not be so serious in a separate room such as the children's meeting room. But folks would notice if the cultural hall video was not synced with the chapel video while the broadcast sound was going over the building system.

There is no way to sync 2 different receiving PC's together. They could easily be many seconds off from each other. So in the case of 2 projectors using the same sound system, yes, you would probably have to use the video distribution system.

I like to think in terms of trying to keep the video quality as high as possible and every time it's modulated, routed, demodulated, etc., it's never quite as good as the original. This will really be obvious if the webcast is sent over at 720p or 1080i, which many of the projectors can natively handle, but the distribution system will need to convert it back down to the NTSC 480i standard in order to route it.

Mikerowaved wrote:There is no way to sync 2 different receiving PC's together. They could easily be many seconds off from each other. So in the case of 2 projectors using the same sound system, yes, you would probably have to use the video distribution system.

Thanks. That's what I suspected. We may have to ask to have the video distribution system rewired to support the laptop.