How to Output Video from MBP to 4 Antique Televisions?

Gear
kryl's icon

kryl

For an art project, I'd like to have four different videos playing on four different 1950s/1960s televisions at the same time. I don't need audio to output from the TVs. It seems the easiest way to do this is from Max on my rMBP but I have no clue how to do this. Is there a piece of hardware that makes this possible? Like a four channel video output interface? Thanks in advance.

metamax's icon

metamax

If they are all displaying the same image, you probably just a splitter. If you want to control independent video on each TV, you may need an external breakout box. I think the HIS Multiview will do it (up to 6 displays). Not sure about the adapters used with the HIS Multiview but the final stage of each connection will be something like: ----> TV RF modulator/converter ---> coaxial cable ----> TV Matching Transformer ---> antenna screws on your TV.

kryl's icon

kryl

Thanks for the info metamax. I need to control independent video on each TV. Do you know of a breakout box with multiple outputs built-in? So I don't have to buy four seperate HIS Multiviews.

metamax's icon

metamax

This looks like the ticket...

Sabrent UGA-2K-195 + Sabrent HB-ULMS

kryl's icon

kryl

I don't think Metamax's solution of using 4+ USB dongles would work in practice. I was told by someone that all of that bandwidth would overload the USB bus.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

jonah's icon

jonah

i'm not sure it would overload bandwidth because it'd be so low res? (you could also use the mini display port?)

are they black and white? i wonder if you could encode each channel of rgb as greyscale (for 3 at least) vga to rgbhv is cheap.

then maybe you could encode rgb as rf so you could use a simple rca to coax? not sure the math...much faster. :) maybe needs amplification? because it seems like the conversion would be the costly part. think you would have use a box to do computer to composite and another to rf from there?

kryl's icon

kryl

Hi Jonah, yes all of the televisions are black and white. I'm not sure I understand your solution. How would I connect 4 VGA to RGBHV cables to my computer?

Tobias Rosenberger's icon

Tobias Rosenberger

I bought a couple of these
http://www.pixmania.de/kabel/cablematic-displayport-wandler-auf-cinch-audio-und-video/21356010-a.html
(in Taobao/China around 10 Euro each) and used them in connection with Triplehead2go Display Port...

kryl's icon

kryl

Hi Tobias, your installation looks great! It's similar to what I want to do!

I counted 8 televisions. How do you have 8 outputs using a Triplehead2Go which only has 3 outputs?

Tobias Rosenberger's icon

Tobias Rosenberger

10 screens here. i had three triplehead2gos but on desktop computer. you could go with one + 1 usb monitor extension

kryl's icon

kryl

You must be using a Windows computer, right? I'm on a Mac. I don't think I can use more than 1 TripleHead2Go unit. According to the Matrox website, "Multiple GXMs are supported under Windows only."

Is there a USB monitor extension you recommend?

Also, I can't find where that DisplayPort to RCA converter can be found for 10 euro. Could you please provide a link?

jonah's icon

jonah

the rgb is an analog signal, so maybe you could encode it in a way the tv could read it? i guess monochrome tv uses vestigial sideband modulation, which is a type of am? i've only recently started with jitter. just been messing around with sending audio over rgb into monitor direct, but now i'm curious, gonna have to try it with parents vcr - if i can find it. :)

this is someone converting to digital tv over rgb http://bellard.org/dvbt/