connections broadcast monitor
 

I am looking into a broadcast monitor, but I would like to know if there is a certain way I need to hook it up or if there is any additional devices I need to hook it up? Currently I have a tv hooked up as a preview monitor. The only cables I have comming form my computer to my tv are a red,white,yellow composites, and a s-video cable. Will I need something else or can I use what I have?

If your cables aren't really wierd, the red is your right channel audio, white is left audio, yellow is composite video and apparently you have two different inputs to your TV for video; the S-video OR the composite.

As to the video, most broadcast monitors will have BNC type connectors for composite - so you'll need an adapter if your cables are the typical RCA type - hit your local Radio Shack and ask for part # 278-254, this is an RCA to BNC male adapter.

Newer broadcast monitors may have stereo audio inputs - if so, they may have either unbalanced RCA connectors, which your existing cables most likely are - they also might have balanced audio inputs, which would require another adapter - don't have the RS part #, but you'd need RCA female to XLR male for that. You'd need to know which broadcast monitor you're getting to be sure which audio connectors you have.

I use an older Sony broadcast trinitron (13") and it has S-video, digital and analog RGB (like component video only on BNC connectors), and 2 different sets of composite video connectors (BNC) - these are what you'd hook your yellow cable up to with the adaptor.

Be careful of proper termination here - most broadcast monitors will likely have TWO connectors for each video input - these are UN-terminated, unlike most consumer gear with only one connection - a video signal, in order to not have problems with levels and ghosting (caused by reflections back down the cable) needs to be terminated in 75 ohms.

In consumer gear, this is built in. With pro gear, it's normally assumed that you may want to run that signal thru 2 or 3 different components so they give you double connectors, NOT terminated. Some units will have a small switch next to the pair of connectors that you can just switch to "terminated" if you're not connecting to anything else - others make you buy a terminator (a BNC connector with a built-in 75 ohm resistor) - it's important to know which you have, and to make sure that you have one, and ONLY one, termination at the END of the chain of monitors - otherwise, your picture will be crap (a highly technical term :=)

IF the pro monitor you get doesn't even HAVE audio (another possibility) you'll need to run your audio to separate audio monitors/amplifiers.

Do you have a particular broadcast monitor in mind? If so, maybe I can help more... Steve

Here is my connections. If you zoom in you will see. Take a look. Thank you for the info. I am still looking at used monitors.

Yup, no surprises there - depending on which monitor you find, you may need the adapters I mentioned... Steve

Steve - I also just got an older sony monitor (bvm 1310).. when i plug the composite into one of the inputs, pictures seems fine to me - do i need to plug a terminator into the second input there?
also, as i understand, some of the inputs on there are equivalent of s-video (y/c?) .. is there some cable available that'll split svideo into bnc's?

Not to jump in for Steve, but I can help you with your question, Mike. The terminator is needed at the end of a daisy chain. So if your monitor has a second, unused input, that's okay. If however, it has a video out for chaining the signal to another device, then the end of that chain must have a terminating resistor as Steve mentioned. So if you're not using another device, the terminating plug would be connected to the video out.

And yes, there are adapters that will split s-video into two BNC plugs for luma and chroma.

-gb-

Thanks Greg,
when I stick the terminator on the video out - am i going to see any difference in the picture?

as far as the s-video to y/c - which is the preferred method of connecting an editing station .. i'm going firewire - > camcorder -> video out to monitor
this video out can be svideo or composite. I've heard from some people that for that kind of work you want to use composite, but i know that y/c is a superior format so which should it be?