[KAT5] Re: Kat5 versus balun versus component coax

[Eddy Carroll <ecarroll@xxxxxx>]

mark_harrison_uk2 <mph@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Running three coax cables would, in my view, be a poor idea. One of
> the problems with component video is that it can be sensitive to
> timing errors between the different parts of the signal [ ... ]
>
> Using a "component balun" serves two advantages. Firstly,
the good
> ones ensure that you have identical length signal paths, because you
> are using 6 strands (ie - three pairs) within a single CAT5/6 cable,
> and the length is guaranteed to be the same.

Just a quick note here: actually, the individual pairs in CAT5 are not
guaranteed to be the same length - in fact, they are usually slightly
different lengths, because they have different twist ratios (this helps
prevent crosstalk between adjacent pairs)

On long cable runs, this may be significant, depending on the application.
I came across an interesting Usenet thread about this very subject:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.dcom.cabling/browse_frm/thread/9c03cb48bdb5a260

I was particularly surprised to find out how much variance there was in
pair length between cable from different vendors (up to 10% in one case!)

Eddy