Wide Wall Plate and High Performance RGB Cable
DirectConnect is a large manufacturer of custom installation products that serve the needs of today's audio, video, security, telecom and data networking professional. Their product line is extensive and includes bulk and preterminated cables, connectors, distribution panels, a/v transceivers, punch blocks, splitters installation hardware, tools and of course lots of different wall plates.
One
of their latest product introductions is the new 2-Gang Bulk Wire Plate (DCS2GBWP)
designed to accommodate a large number of A/V wires. Gaining from their success
of the single version of this plate, the new 2-gang version is more of a good
thing. The design of the bulk wire plate includes a curved cover that hugs the
group of wires as they exit the wall. Unlike other wall plates that are designed
for A/V, the bulk wire plate allows a bundle of wires to exit the wall without
having to terminate the signal at the plate. By eliminating the feedthrough connectors,
signal integrity is improved, especially in the case of high bandwidth DVI and
RGB/Component video signals. The mounting holes are standard and attach to any
double wide wall box. The design is ideal for home theater and audio rooms where
many cables need to be placed near the components. It is also very useful near
a ceiling mounted projector where DVI, Component, RGB, s-video and composite cables
often need to be routed. The plates are available in white, ivory, almond or black.
We
tested out the 2-Gang Bulk Wire Plate using Direct Connect's own 100' HQSVGA-to-5BNC
cable along with a 20 meter AudioQuest DV-1 DVI cable. Both cables easily fit
through the double wide wall plate and fed our InFocus ScreenPlay SP7205 projector.
The wide mouth of the wire plate made it simple to pass other pre-terminated cables
through the opening as well. The wall plate greatly simplified the projector installation
with a simple pass-through design.
The performance of the analog RGB cable was great with no apparent ringing and just a slight loss in bandwidth that resulted in a softer looking picture when compared to DVI. Our cable was a very long (100 feet), so a shorter cable would most likely give slightly better results due to a decrease in line capacitance. The gold-plated 15-pin sub-D and BNC connectors helped to ensure a quality connection at both ends of the cable. The construction of the cable, which includes five indiviual coaxial cables running inside of the heavy jacket, appeared to benefit the picture quality.
One of Direct Connect's latest product includes a new 10" or 12" circular hole cutter, which is ideal for installing ceiling speakers. The cutter is adjustable in size and includes interchangeable blades for metal, plaster or wood and includes a clear catch-guard to keep the mess under control. For more information on their products, visit Direct Connect's website at www.directconnecthome.com
- Kevin Nakano