video wiring upgrade?

HDMI HD TV Using Coax

I added a second HD TV to my DTV receiver which was connected with a HDMI cable to the main TV. The remote TV already had 50’ of RG59 coax that I could use. Using a HDMI splitter and coax with SDI capable equipment the connection resulted in a 1080 HD quality picture completely synchronized on both TVs.

For RVers that want to upgrade their video equipment to HD with existing coax this method offers a viable approach.

I used 3 new HDMI cables (4 total) connecting the DTV receiver to a 1x2 HDMI splitter with one splitter output to the main TV and the second HDMI output to a HDMI/SDI box which connects to the coax. The other end of the coax has a SDI to HDMI box which is connected with HDMI to the remote TV. Serial Digital Interface (SDI) is just the protocol used to transmit the data and is typically associated with BNC type connectors. The converter boxes I used have BNC type connectors and a BNC to F adapter is needed for the typical TV type F connector used on coax.

HDMI splitters will normally cause a default to the lowest resolution TV but this is a different type of connection on one splitter output and both of my TVs are 1080. So I can’t comment on the use of different TV resolutions with the SDI equipment.

Equipment used: 4x HDMI cables, fitTech HDMI splitter, Excelvan HDMI to SDI converter, ESYNIC SDI to HDMI converter and 2x uxcel F female to BNC male coax RF connector. The cost was $115. The RG59 coax was already installed; otherwise I would have used RG6 coax. The HDMI splitter and the SDI converters all require 120V AC power. The equipment is available from Amazon and Walmart.

Thanks to Gramps posts for the initial ideas for this project.

I’ve noted one minor problem: The BNC connection between the SDI converters and the adapter is not tight and the signal can be easily disrupted. The problem appears to be the uxcel connector above as I have several other snug fitting BNC connectors. It may be sometime before I can acquire better BNC to F adapters to be sure they are the problem. But the picture which just came online today is the best we’ve ever seen on the remote TV.


An alternate connection could use a splitter and 50’ of HDMI cable for about $40. But the SDI equipment allowed the use of existing coax cable.

Can you run a new cable by drilling small holes in inconspicuous places in the floor? I ran CAT5 cable from the front of my coach to the rear bedroom this way, I ran it with the existing wiring along the chassis frame and came back up through the floor in the bedroom. You can run HDMI using two lengths of CAT5, and adapter exists.

4k (2160p) is the newest standard, both playback and video recording. It isn't cheap because its for tvs 43 inches and larger, but prices are coming down.

Home 3d never really caught on, no surprise there.

Wow, all the technological changes are amazing.

I feel like a neanderthal. It was just last month that I replaced the 24" "glass monster*" with a 32" 720i (or is it P?) flat screen. I usually only go with OTA, although there is a satellite receiver and a magic round dish thingy up on the roof. The picture is so much better. I'm happy with that.

Is "4K" the newest standard for ultra-high definition TV?

*even though it was in a 2006 coach, that TV did not have DTV OTA digital receiver (NTSC only), nor RGB/LR (component) connectors! One of the Zenith digital receivers was spliced in through the antenna feed to the coax selector box. Everything was sent through coax and the satellite receiver had an old Archer (RS) composite (Y/R/W) to coax converter. Both TV's signals were routed through an old coax selector box and had to be tuned to analog channel 3. I know for a fact that we had a tube-type TV's with digital tuners and component video connections back then. When did Winnebago source their TV's - 1998?

Sounds like you are moving in the right direction. If the Blu Ray has a digital audio coax connection on the back (orange) you can take one of the legs of the component cable like the green one and attach it to the orange digital audio in of your surround sound system, if it has one. The connectors on the component cable are already compatible to do this, just a simple connection.

Continuing to study on this.
Doing more research, found a TV I like...lol.

On the wiring... RGB/LR component is "HD" but maxes out at 1080I. That's what I have now, and that's what my hopper3 is delivering to the television.

I have room to put a smallish bluray player back by the TV. I won't be able to connect it to the surround sound, but the DW yells at me if I play anything loud anyway. Maybe I'll get a sound bar?

Still not sure on the hopper. Even if I could run an HDMI cable the spec doesn't support 4k at more than 25 feet.
Considering moving the hopper, using the existing coax for the sat signal. It's the right kind of wire. I'd be giving up park cable to that TV tho...

The hopper3 and wireless access point are over the dash.
wireless joey is in the bedroom.

The TV in the middle is the one I want to upgrade, and yes the new TV will be 4k.

We have a trav'ler satelite antenna. When they were out wiring up the house, I talked the installer out of a new style western arc LNB to upgrade the Trav'ler to work with the hopper 3.

JimM68 wrote:

I use a wireless joey for the bedroom TV.
it's not 4k, but still a possible solution. At $7 a month, it would take a buncha months to cost more than a $300 hdmi over coax or wireless setup.

I may just try pulling the cables through the basement...

Is there existing coax in your RV you could use -- one that runs to your bedroom TV to where you put your Hopper3?

If so, you can just use a wired Joey 2.0 like this example wiring (middle).

BTW, what type of RV antenna do you hook up to your Hopper3?

You could get this
Wireless video extender

But I would spend $10 and try the break out cables before opting to buy and pull cable, or spending even more for wireless

4k is only going to make a difference if your TV is 4k compatible.

I find that most campground cable is bad or very bad. I use OTA and stream off a Windows phone when not at our home base.

You could try this, save you the trouble of running cables thru your basement.

HDMI extender over coax.

plus a couple of these:Bnc to RCA connectors

Pick one section of your component cable, like the green at both ends. If its a decent component cable it is 75 ohms the same as coax cable.

If you plan to run an HDMI cable for 3d or 4k compatibility just remember that 25 feet is the magic number anything longer you will need to do what Winnebago does, run cat 5e (cat 6 is a lot more expensive) and use HDMI over Ethernet convertors. Ethernet twisted pair is a lot smaller than HDMI and you can run the cable and terminate it afterwards. Saves making big holes in your floor.

HDMI over Ethernet extender (4k compatible)