Video applications are coming soon to your telecommunications cabling system

Using a structured telecommunications cabling network to support video applications has many benefits, including:

Digital image quality
Ability to communicate and interact with “smart” video devices
Compact and highly efficient storage and retrieval capabilities
Convergence of voice, data, and video applications over one common infrastructure
Full support of standards-based cabling distances and topologies
More effective infrastructure management, service, and scalability
Simplified troubleshooting
Improved asset management (via IPaddressability)
Ability to upgrade to future applications

TWISTED-PAIR CABLING
While most video applications are capable of operating over lengths of twisted-pair cabling greater than 100 meters with proper electronics, maintaining the TIA and ISO/IEC-specified generic maximum 100-meter, 4-connector horizontal channel topology has numerous benefits. Adhering to the generic topology ensures that upgrades to future video applications will occur seamlessly, while providing the flexibility that channels originally designed for highspeed data support can be used for video if necessary and vice-versa.

Video deployment planning consists of bringing video-ready twisted-pair cabling (in addition to data cabling) to each work area or MuTOA (multi-user telecommunications outlet assembly). IP-enabled video devices, such as surveillance cameras, are pre-configured to accept the RJ-45 modular plug interface and offer plug-and-play capability with structured cabling. Generic analog devices, such as CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras, monitors, and television sets, are typically configured with coaxial BNC or Type F connectors and require the use of video baluns to enable transmission

Video baluns can be separate components or integrated into high-performance category 7/7A patch cords.

over twisted-pair cabling.

BROADBAND VIDEO
Broadband video is a class of applications that transmit a wide range of RF frequencies (typically up to 900 MHz) or channels over 75-ohm coax cabling. Examples include cable television (CATV), satellite video signals, off-air or in-house video transmissions in analog or digital cable format, and playback devices such as DVDs and VCRs. Broadband video feeds from multiple sources may be merged with a combiner. A splitter is used to distribute the incoming broadband video source to the work areas (note that 75-ohm port terminators should be applied to all unused splitter ports to prevent electromagnetic emissions). A structured cabling approach for broadband video distribution improves reliability because there are no taps or splitters between the video distribution hub and the television or monitor.

IPTV
The “intelligence” of IP-based technology is enabling IPTV to capture an increasing share of the CATV market. IPTV signals are transmitted via IP packets and a set-top box at the customer location decodes them and sends the image to the display. This emerging technology offers an “on-demand” experience and limited (for now) internet access capability to sites providing information such as local weather forecasts, personalized stock quotes, and streaming videos.

IPTV is a secure, closed system with content that is managed by a service provider or by an end-user that centrally manages in-house IPTV equipment and delivers content to specific locations. The main challenges with IPTV include maximizing the video compression format to ensure that bandwidth requirements are not exceeded, picture quality is not disrupted, and delays associated with changing channels are minimized. IPTV performance will improve significantly once infrastructures become capable of supporting faster Ethernet speeds.

(Source: Siemon)