MAX® In Wall Kit (MIW-POWERKIT-TL)
Plasma and LCD flat-panel technology have become
the display of choice for modern day consumers searching for an alternative
to the intrusive-looking and bulky rear-screen projection televisions.
However, these new fixed-pixel displays are particularly sensitive to
noise in the power line and video signals. Professional installers are
usually called in to tackle the difficult task of mounting and wiring
the units into place. Whether you're the type of person that relies on
a professional installer or a do-it-yourselfer, Panamax has just made
the installation a little less complicated with the introduction of their
new MAX® In-Wall products. Those installing the display can purchase
the In-Wall kit along with the optional video interface module that meets
the customer's specific requirements. The Panamax In-Wall kit (MIW-POWERKIT-TL)
includes both the inlet and outlet units and is designed to accommodate
one of two common plug-in modules for the video interfaces. The front
plates are sturdy with an attractive brushed metal look. Also included
in the kit is a hefty 12 gauge input power cable with a standard 3-prong
plug on one side and a female twist-lock connector on the the other side.
The twist-lock connector mates directly to the power inlet faceplate.
The power cord will work with any power conditioner capable of supplying
the needed current. Lastly, a full 50 feet of premium quality 12-2 NMB
electrical wire is provided to run power through the walls. The power
outlet panel that provides power to the display has addition noise filtration
capacitors to help eliminate interference.
Panamax
offers two commonly used video interface units called the PRO Signal Low
Voltage Modules. Each video module provides protection from potentially
damaging transients by clamping the signals. The MIW-5RCA (shown) has
five discrete female RCA connectors on the front panel and five discrete
female BNC connectors behind the wall. All connectors are gold-plated
for maximum reliability. Panamax also offers the MIW-VGA
that has a standard high density 15-pin D-sub on the front panel with
the same five discrete female BNC connections behind the wall. This module
also includes a 3-conductor stereo jack just below the 15-pin connector
design to carry two-channel audio. The rear of both modules use RG-179U
(75 ohm) coaxial cables to carry the video signals from the front connector(s)
to the rear BNC connectors. Video bandwidth attenuation is less than 0.6
dB from 0-38MHz and less than 1.9dB at 100MHz. A standard 5-BNC to 5-BNC
video cable can be used to carry the signals from panel to panel behind
the wall. The modules are
designed to snap into place with one of three possible positions (Flush,
moderate recess and deep recess).
Installation
Everyone has slightly different requirements for their flat-panel display
and this is what makes the Panamax Max® In-Wall system so functional.
We installed the MIW-5RCA modules on both the inlet and outlet panels.
These video modules offer some flexibility and can work in two different
configurations. If your installation requires full RGB/HV signaling, then
the module is pretty straight forward with all five signals being used
for video. However, you can also run component video (YPrPb) using the
first three RCA connectors (red, green and blue) and still have two-channel
audio on the remaining two RCA connectors. We opted for the latter case
since our display was set up to use component video. This allowed us to
send line level audio to the display when watching the news and other
media that in our opinion didn't require an elaborate sound system.
We powered the display (via the inlet panel)
using our Panamax MAX® 5510 to provide clean line voltage to the display.
Considering the cost of the flat panel, it's a wise decision to use a
good power conditioning unit to protect the display from any damaging
transients or surges. The heavy gauge wire used on both the input power
cable and in-wall power cable ensures little drop in line voltage even
with higher power flat panel displays.
Conclusion
Panamax In-Wall products offer customers a simple installation solution
for flat-panel displays without the unsightly wires associated with this
type of video products. The modules snap easily into place and provide an easy way to connect the video
signals to the display. While many displays
have several input connections, this system requires that the video switching
be done at the input into the inlet panel. There are simply not enough
connections on the panels to satisfy all video inputs on today's displays.
A high-end scaler and/or switcher would be the ideal solution for such
applications. Regardless of the final configuration, Panamax has come
up with a clean in-wall interface that simplifies the installation of
today's modern looking displays.
- Kevin Nakano