Twisted pair cabling has been around since the days of Alexander Graham Bell and is still used today to transmit landline telephone signals. As the name implies, twisted pair cabling involves two pairs of metal wires wrapped around each other to prevent electromagnetic interference. A variation of twisted pair cable is unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable where no shielding is used to surround the copper wires. UTP cable is commonly used in Ethernet networks such as computer and video distribution systems.

If you’re responsible for selecting a video distribution system for your organization, you have a few options to consider. Essentially, the choice boils down to whether RF (Radio Frequency) or IP (Internet Protocol) is the technology that will provide the most efficient, and cost-effective, solution. You also need to determine which best serves the needs of your customers, patients, students, etc. so it’s important to obtain their input during the process.

The old school of thought was to get a “respectable” signal level to the television and hope the channel(s) weren’t snowy. Today we are dealing with a broadband spectrum of analog and digital signals on the same distribution network. This creates additional challenges.

If you’re one of the many people who own a smartphone, you’ve probably wondered how you ever got by without one. A similar concept that continues to gain traction is the SMART TV, which offers many of the same integrated Internet capabilities as smartphone devices. A SMART TV is sometimes referred to as a “hybrid TV” or a “Web-based TV” because it facilitates the convergence of RF commercial television signals with Internet-based digital information for a full spectrum of viewing and entertainment options in one device and over one cable.

Few things are more frustrating than a slow computer network. If you manage or own a gaming or hospitality establishment or any other type of commercial business, there’s a good chance that a sluggish network has resulted in angry customers and/or lost revenues at one time or another. In healthcare facilities, government or military installations, or educational institutions, an unresponsive network can hinder the ability to perform key functions or provide essential, even potentially lifesaving, services in a timely manner.

Z-Band Manufactures Two Versions Of Active Baluns:

Standard

Diplexer

As with everything else in the technology world, how we receive and view our video is changing. This leads to the question-which is better “RF Video or IP Video?” If you take away any inherent bias your answer is surprising— “neither.” Both have their place and here is why.