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1307 Review
68 Karma

Review on VGA Splitter 2 Port USB Powered - High Resolution, Mirror Mode & Duplication Support by Sam Simone

Revainrating 3 out of 5

An unexpected feature of the setup, slightly less than expected performance but affordable

The downside of being a tech savvy person is that EVERYONE will ask for help at some point. It's not really a disadvantage as I'm happy to help, but it gets bad when THESE people then offer their services to their friends/family/colleagues. After DVI, I never thought I'd need a VGA splitter, but that's where one of those lower-end services comes in. - a security DVR and duplication of the video stream to the owner's office. The DVR sits on top of the cupboards in the break room along with the rest of the SOHO internet access equipment, PBX, etc. because a cheap TN monitor is 9 feet off the floor. Installing this item consisted of disconnecting the VGA cable from the monitor and routing it to the "input" of the splitter. Then a cheap TN monitor was connected to "Output 1" of the splitter. If the monitors' capabilities don't match, you should probably put a smaller monitor on "Output 1" as that's where the DCC information comes from. I was a little surprised about the power cable from the splitter. It was just a USB cable, but it didn't have a power adapter! In my case, that wasn't a problem since I just plugged it into a nearby cable modem, but it's just something you need to be aware of. "Output 2" was connected to a VGA balun (also purchased from Revain and tested). If you are not familiar with baluns, they usually convert the interface type (VGA/DVI/HDMI/etc.) to something else (COAX, CAT5/6, etc.). The balun I use converts VGA to a CAT5/6. This, along with 50 feet of CAT5e, allowed me to get in the right spot to power a second monitor. In operation, the installation works perfectly. The video quality wasn't very good at first, but it got a little worse with the splitter. The unpowered balun also degraded the video quality slightly. I tried to avoid fluorescent ballasts in the false ceiling but it's possible the slight video ripple was caused by the fixtures. If I had to rate I would say that the video quality has dropped from the original 100% to 98% on output 1 and 90% on output 2. I'm not talking about severe ringing/ghosting/etc., but rather general softness and minor analog artifacts. My only other experience with VGA splitting is with cool apps and signage going from 4x to 24x. Equipment is much more expensive than that. For the price, the device seems to work quite well. I would never recommend VGA for a serious video application, but if that's your only choice then this product should be fine. Equipment is much more expensive than that. For the price, the device seems to work quite well. I would never recommend VGA for a serious video application, but if that's your only choice then this product should be fine. Equipment is much more expensive than that. For the price, the device seems to work quite well. I would never recommend VGA for a serious video application, but if that's your only choice then this product should be fine.

Pros
  • Electronics
Cons
  • Some bugs