Video splitter question... is it possible?

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Shoppinit
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Video splitter question... is it possible?

Post by Shoppinit » Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:35 pm

I finally got the Alpine DVD system working in my car - it turned out that the cables were half cut through inside both of the front seats.

However, there is something strange with the system. The screens can't show the same thing at the same time. Each video output (tuner, DVD, playstation) has a splitter on it going to the inputs of both screens.

eg. Alpine TV tuner output goes to 'Y' splitter then to input 1 of screen1 and input 1 of screen2. It's obviously just a cable splitter, no electronics of any kind in it.

This seems to mean that I can watch the TV on one screen and a DVD on the other, but if I select the same source on both screens, one screen will display it, and the other will just display random lines / interference.

Does this make any sense? It seems unlikely that it is supposed to be this way...

Unfortunately, signals theory is completely lost to me...
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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PetrolDave
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RE: Video splitter question... is it possible?

Post by PetrolDave » Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:31 am

A passive splitter can halve the signal strength, hence making it too weak for some screens to display.

When splitting video you should always use an active splitter.
Gone: 2006 B7 RS4 Avant (Phantom Black)

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Shoppinit
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RE: Video splitter question... is it possible?

Post by Shoppinit » Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:36 am

Thanks for that. That's what I thought, but one screen is perfect and the other is just a noisy mess. I thought it might be an impedence problem or something.

If I connect the other screens as slaves then the problem will go away. Just means that the same thing will be on all screens.
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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Shoppinit
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RE: Video splitter question... is it possible?

Post by Shoppinit » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:32 pm

Problem resolved by slaving the 2nd screen off the first and RNS-D off the second. Good enough for me. It's all back in now. What a mess when you start pulling the tuners and stuff out!

Downside is that the remote control receiver is on the rear screens so need double jointed elbows!
Daytona RS6 C5 Avant. Viper'd, Billies, Waggers, MTM box brain, C6 stoppers, xcarlink, R8 coolant cap (woohoo)
///M3 E46 | XC90 (V8, natch) | Passat GTE | RR Classic V8 flapper
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."

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