video camera to two monitors?

You'll probably need a simple amplifier, I think you can buy video splitters, otherwise I saw a circuit once that was only one or two transistors and a few resistors. You can try just a Y adapter but the image will probably be too dark.

Yes, there will be loss. Each monitor will only get 1/2 the signal, darkening it. You can get a video distribution amp, which will solve the problem.

If these are professional-grade monitors, they may have "looping" inputs, where each video connection has an IN and OUT jack. In that case you can daisy-chain one monitor to the other and turn off the 75 ohm termination on the first monitor. This will get you a good signal without any amplifiers. It sounds like what you have are probably consumer-grade monitors, though, so this probably doesn't help you. (Professional ones usually have BNC inputs instead of RCA.)

The monitor should have either video loop through which is a pair of video connectors, or a switched 75 ohm terminator. The terminator would be marked "75 Ohms/Hi-Z" You only terminate the monitor on the end of the line. Video is 75 ohms, so you want RG-59 or RG-6 coax.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

}A first time post for an electronics novice, so here goes: } }I am helping a non-profit set up their video camera with two }monitors. The camera is 10feet away from one monitor and 50ft away }from another. They are using the camera to show closeups of a cooking }demonstration, so it's video only, and no sound.

First, read the other answers that tell you the right way.

Done?

OK, here's how to do it the very CHEAP way.

Get a free or very cheap, used VCR.

Feed the camera to the video in; feed the near monitor from the video out.

Feed the far monitor (assuming it is a TV/monitor) with coax from the VCR RF OUT.

Added bonus: during breaks or pre-show, you can run a pre-recorded tape with some type of logo, which will appear on the monitors until you're ready to go.

Stan.

If you're using monitors designed for this sort of use they will have video in and out connectors. The end one of the daisy chain will terminate the line in 75 ohms while the other(s) bridge it at high impedance. Either automatically or via user switches.

If using monitors not designed for this sort of use the best answer is a video distribution amp. But so saying try without. You may be able to overcome the double termination and consequent loss of video level with the monitor controls - to an acceptable degree. It is possible this approach will give some ghosting, though.

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*Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Opening the iris on the video camera wider (or putting it in "high gain" mode) sometimes works, too. The nice thing about closed-circuit TV is if it looks good enough, it is good enough. ;)

However, the original poster said the setup had to work right the first time, with no experimentation, so he may not be able to risk this kind of cut-and-try approach.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

If you can't connect the first monitor as a loop-through, definitely try simply connecting the two monitors in parallel (using the RCA adapter, as suggested above). The voltage into each will drop will by about

3.5dB, and instead of the normal video level of 1V, you will only get 0.67V. However, this should be well within the 'tweeking' range of the monitor controls. It's very unlikely that you will get any noticeable ghosting. Ian.