Nutz 2011
The week after Thanksgiving means one thing for me. Nutcracker. The theatre I work at does a huge one. For as big and crazy of a production as it is, I like it- if only for the classic feel of it. We use a huge set that has been amalgamated from various productions over the years, some costumes dating back 40 years or more. We use every line-set we have and then some….we actually hang to the back catwalk! For my part, I get to do a little projection naturally and I figured I’d explain the rig: (more…)
Video and Computer Signals over CAT5
Here at Projectionfreak, we were early adopters of this technology. It’s now come into it’s own and is quite popular. With the advent of higher-end home theater installs as well as industrials, tours, and museum/corporate installs, we’ve all seen the need for getting signal to far away places. The thing is, it’s not only for distance. With tour budgets tightening and space/weight at a premium, structured cabling has definitely solved a lot of problems. But what is it all about? Let me just start by saying that this area of the signal transmission industry is HUGE. From manufacturers of cable all the way to people that wire their own home theaters and “swear this will work”, the opinions and info will vary greatly. Your individual project will have unique requirements and you should weigh all the options before purchasing or trying to rig up a system. Keep in mind too, that different cable/balun combos will be able to transmit higher resolutions different distances- so again check the spec! We’ll cover the raw basics:
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Pet Peeve- Connectors
One thing that can go south on a gig faster than losing power, is connectors. I’m talking about cheap, poorly designed connectors that have saturated the market so much that I’m still amazed the industry goes that way. On consumer gear it’s one thing, on pro gear it’s entirely different, but there’s a whole industry of full of people that are between the two. They either can’t afford to have bins full of quality cable with quality connectors, or haven’t made the jump to gear that outputs high-res material such that it’s worth the risk. They can get by with less resolution and more “economical” ways to run their signal. Theatres come to mind. Not cinemas, but working theatres. There’s also the pro-sumer market where the gear itself is designed to carry “just enough” pro features to keep the price margin up. But back to connectors:
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