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Long DVI Cable?

M

MarkW19

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 13, 2002
1,209
1
Surrey, UK
I was wondering, is it possible to get quite long DVI cables (20'), and if so, will the quality suffer?

I want to connect my MBP (2.2 at the mo) up to a 23" Apple Cinema Display, but my MBP will be around 20' away from the monitor...

I guess I'd need to get an extra male-female DVI, along with some USB/firewire extension leads, as the ACD will come with its own (shorter) breakout cable?
 
MAW said:
Might be pricey but I found this. Don't know about signal degradation but they have 'em as long as 50'
Click to expand...

Thanks, I guess they're available then. It's M-F I want isn't it, to go from the Apple Cinema Display breakout cable into my MBP? Is it DVI-D or -I I want?

Does anyone know about signal degradation on long DVI cables?

And what about FireWire/USB extensions (USB for camera/iPhone dock/keyboard etc., and FW for camcorder and external HD), is it possible to get them, and nothing will slow down or cause any problems as the cable gets longer?

Thanks :p
 
MarkW19 said:
I was wondering, is it possible to get quite long DVI cables (20'), and if so, will the quality suffer?

I want to connect my MBP (2.2 at the mo) up to a 23" Apple Cinema Display, but my MBP will be around 20' away from the monitor...

I guess I'd need to get an extra male-female DVI, along with some USB/firewire extension leads, as the ACD will come with its own (shorter) breakout cable?
Click to expand...

the answer is yes. I have a 20 footer between preamp and plasma tv
 
I've read that it's mostly after 50' where you experience signal degradation..

In those cases you needs a booster/extender inbetween long lengths of cable.
 
As DVI is digital, attenuation (loss fo signal voltage over distance) occurs as the image becomes MPEGed i.e. blocks appear. You'll have seen it before with cable/satellite tv, it happens because of lack of bandwidth/too much info for the distance or pipeline. You should be able to get away without an amp at distances like these but make sure you get a decent cable to ensure the best quality.
 
Great, thanks for the help guys! :)

How about FW800 and USB 2 - can they be extended over a similar distance with just an extension cable?
 
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