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Video Multiplexing on Large Screens?
videoPIP asks: "I recently finished putting together my home theater (including a projector). As I sit there and watch stuff on the big screen, I remember a time back in college where my housemates and I would have 2 or 3 TVs crammed into the entertainment center, one usually having a football game on and the other playing movies or for video games. This got me to thinking - I know that, for CCTV security systems, they have 4 screens visible at a time, but they are usually black and white (like at Best Buy). I've looked on Google for these, and there are all sorts of configurations (4/9/16 channels), (simplex/duplex,triplex). I was wondering if anyone has married one of these multiplexers with a projector, or even a very large TV to get the ultimate Picture-in-Picture experience?"
"I guess the things that are important are:
1. 16 channels and the ability to combine multiple screen areas to have 'larger' screens.
2. Ability to convert input signals to BNC jacks (which is most boxes I see) or have 'normal' inputs: composite/svideo/component(doubt that last one).
3. Likewise, convertible or normal outputs.
4. Comes with remote control and on-screen-display for setup(don't want to mess with a serial interface).
5. Audio inputs/outputs would be nice, otherwise I would need a similar 16-to 1 audio switcher with remote.
I don't care about alarms/video signal loss/motion capture, so those features I could take or leave.
Another related question is how to provide 10+ cable/satellite inputs that are controllable with a single remote without having to have a freakin' rack of VCRs or other boxes."
1. 16 channels and the ability to combine multiple screen areas to have 'larger' screens.
2. Ability to convert input signals to BNC jacks (which is most boxes I see) or have 'normal' inputs: composite/svideo/component(doubt that last one).
3. Likewise, convertible or normal outputs.
4. Comes with remote control and on-screen-display for setup(don't want to mess with a serial interface).
5. Audio inputs/outputs would be nice, otherwise I would need a similar 16-to 1 audio switcher with remote.
I don't care about alarms/video signal loss/motion capture, so those features I could take or leave.
Another related question is how to provide 10+ cable/satellite inputs that are controllable with a single remote without having to have a freakin' rack of VCRs or other boxes."
Actually, using the prices you quoted but with correct math, the price is $940. But I'm pretty sure that a computer capable of decoding 16 independent USB video streams will cost a bit more than $100. I'd be thinking more along the lines of an Athlon X2 or one of Apple's multiproc beasts. Even then I wouldn't be too certain that the PCI bus could hold up.