Subscriber Discussion

Distribute Camera Over Cable TV System - What Issues Do I Need To Consider?

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Dave Gideon
Mar 27, 2019
IPVMU Certified

Customer wants to distribute lobby camera feed to all Spectrum Cable connected television sets in a 90 apartment complex. I believe I have sourced the appropriate QAM modulator to inject the CCTV signal into the digital TV system but what issues do I need to consider?  How many TVs can one modulator feed? What QAM settings do I need for this specific CATV operator? Has anyone done something similar?

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Mar 27, 2019

I would suggest working with Spectrum as you will need to put it into the building feed, which would cause an outage for phone/internet/cable.  They may also supply the modulators as that is how its done here locally.

 

Also they should have a list of frequencies that are used/open so you do not knock out a bunch of channels or services with your modulator.

 

 

U
Undisclosed #2
Mar 27, 2019

You will have to work with Spectrum on this most likely. The new digital systems are nothing like the older analog systems. The concept of "channels" is not really a thing like it was before. The subscribers STB maps various channel numbers to variants of clear QAM signals, encrypted QAM signals, and IPTV streams. EG: Channel 8 and 9 might be right next to each other logically, but one could be an actual clear QAM signal, and the other could be IP stream. The next month this configuration could be reversed (for whatever reason), but to the subscriber they would still be channel 8 and 9 on their STB.

If the STB is not configured to tune to a certain channel and output it, even if that channel exists on the coax, you have no way to access it via the STB.

Then there are about 50 other variations based on the market, equipment, bandwidth of the system and so forth.

(2)
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Dave Gideon
Mar 27, 2019
IPVMU Certified

Thanks UI2. From this information it appears that the project is virtually all the responsibility of the CATV provider with our scope being limited to supplying the camera and composite video signal-agree?

U
Undisclosed #2
Mar 27, 2019

Yup

They are usually pretty accommodating though. 

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