If you are looking to route a video signal to multiple receivers then you are going to need to use a component video splitter or a cascade of splitters if you want to split a signal a number of times. Your home wiring system may already have a video signal splitter in place, especially if you a have multiple TV points. A video signal splitter allows video data to be transmitted to multiple monitors; be they computer screens or TV screens. It will always split one source into two or more outputs
There are two categories of component video splitter, the digital video splitter and the analog video splitter. You may well have come across the analog video splitter before. They are the simplest and cheapest way of splitting a signal. With a PC as the video source, you can use a VGA Y-splitter. It is a simple Y-shaped cable which can connect a PC to two monitors. It is the cheapest and simplest way to get a 2 monitor display. It will cost next to nothing, however you may get ghosting and there will be some deterioration of the image. If you are after a high resolution image, then this is probably not going to be up to the job.
The S-video splitter will split in the same way. It is used more often with a satellite system, DVD player, or cable box to split the signal to two TV’s or a TV and a projector. It is usually a small plastic connector to which you attached S-video cables.
These are the simplest types and will just split the signal. If there is a long distance between the source and the output, or you require high video quality, then the analog options are going to be insufficient. It is time to go digital. The problem is that when a signal is split, there will be a loss of video quality on the output. The longer the data has to travel, the worse the video quality will be. The more split the signal, the more degradation occurs. Data quality will be reduced by any cable and any splitter. To counter this, digital splitters have a built in amplifier at both ends to boost the signal quality and limit data loss.
A DVI video splitter splits a DVI signal into multiple DVI displays, with 2, 4 or 8 ports. For more displays multiple splitters can be connected. Because of the amplifier, there is low data loss with a DVI video splitter. These are ideal for hotels or for digital signs. In the home or office they can split a PC source to a monitor, TV screen and a projector, and are essential for a full range of visual displays.
Whilst these are better than analog models and perform the splitting well, if you want higher video resolution, then even with the built in amplifiers the signal may not be good enough. If you want to send the signal over 20 feet, then you will start to get problems. The problem is the cabling. Standard coaxial cables even when insulated will cause a reduction in quality. The next step up is to choose a component video splitter which operates on CAT 5 or CAT 6 cabling, such as is used to network PC’s. Even with these they are limited to around 800-1000 feet. Fiber optic systems offer the least interference and signal loss, so for the biggest of jobs then these are the best type of component video splitter to use. The other main type is the HDMI splitter. They offer the highest quality, and will transmit audio and video signals in the same channel however the cable is highly expensive.