Weird flicker on TVs at the bar.

djlazyboy 6:33 PM - 11 July, 2009

I just started using the house sound system as a filler in the bar as it is very long and even speakers both ends sound like it lacking in the middle. I noticed something that I don't have the knowledge to explain. When the volume is up on the house system I get a flicker of visual interference on the monitors. It's not enough to ruin the night completely but I definitely do NOT get the full power from the house system without completely destroying the image quality of the videos, and I don't want to turn down the house so low that all the customers hear is the blaring mackie 450 destroying my left eardrum(even with my ear plugs) at the end of the bar.
I am running composite RCA and just upgraded from the Quickplay to (www.radioshack.com) another PC to TV adapter that looks less faded, both of which don't cause the flicker. I am running into a radio shack distribution (www.radioshack.com) amplifier that splits the video to 5 screens. None of the TVs display better quality than another so I don't think it has to do with the distance the feed is traveling.
I am stumped but I also understand I am far from an electrical engineer. The bartenders always tell me to crank it up but I can't without the videos looking like shit.

Any help would be... well helpful.

aj5000 7:12 PM - 11 July, 2009

To me it sounds like it's the wire it's self. It sounds like there getting noise interferince. Are the TVs hooked up to a sepreted source like a cable box and when there on and Running thru the cable box source and not running though your ScratchLive video do they still fliker? Or do they just do it when you run your video set?

DJ DisGrace 7:19 PM - 11 July, 2009

try an isolator box something like this

www.bhphotovideo.com

DJMark 8:28 PM - 11 July, 2009

Since you say the problem only happens with the music loud there are two likely possibilities:

1) the video monitors are suffering from voltage drop on the AC service, due to the audio system's amplifiers pulling more current when they're playing loud, or...

2) something in the video system is unusually sensitive to vibrations from music.

Since it sounds like the problem is *not* happening when you're just using your own system (presumably plugged into AC outlets fed by a different circuit), it sounds like the place probably needs to sort out their AC power distribution.

DJCheLu 11:02 PM - 11 July, 2009

The club i played at last night had this problem but only on one tv. With just a black screen and no video every time the bass hit a distortion would widen on the screen. I was using cheap video cable to run to this tv though, so i know it was my cabling. The other tvs ran off much higher quality video cables and had no problem.

But yea my composite cable was crazy cheap and super thin so it wasnt shielded correctly.

djlazyboy 2:17 AM - 12 July, 2009

Quote:

To me it sounds like it's the wire it's self. It sounds like there getting noise interferince. Are the TVs hooked up to a sepreted source like a cable box and when there on and Running thru the cable box source and not running though your ScratchLive video do they still fliker? Or do they just do it when you run your video set?

They all run on separate cable boxes. but I linked them using the cable and hub listed.

djlazyboy 2:20 AM - 12 July, 2009

Quote:

Since you say the problem only happens with the music loud there are two likely possibilities:

1) the video monitors are suffering from voltage drop on the AC service, due to the audio system's amplifiers pulling more current when they're playing loud, or...

2) something in the video system is unusually sensitive to vibrations from music.

Since it sounds like the problem is *not* happening when you're just using your own system (presumably plugged into AC outlets fed by a different circuit), it sounds like the place probably needs to sort out their AC power distribution.

That's the ticket. exactly what the manager said so I will see what they can do about switching circuits. The last thing I need is to blow that shit when the bar is packed as there are two other bars a hop skip and a fart away that would pull them out like a boy in your daughters bed...

Thanks a lot Mark!

DJMark 2:59 AM - 12 July, 2009

Quote:

That's the ticket. exactly what the manager said so I will see what they can do about switching circuits. The last thing I need is to blow that shit when the bar is packed as there are two other bars a hop skip and a fart away that would pull them out like a boy in your daughters bed...

Thanks a lot Mark!

No problem, sounds like something that should be taken care of quickly if they're already aware.

You might mention (to help speed them along) that there's a real danger of the equipment getting damaged by letting that situation continued. Internal power transformers can overheat when running at reduced voltage, and either fail (expensive repair) or even catch fire. I have personally seen this once...when someone accidentally plugged the audio equipment in a DJ booth into the same AC service that was feeding a large truss of (incandescent) lights. Soon after the lights were turned on...*poof*!

It sounds like the electrical system itself is in a dangerous state. From what you describe, a circuit breaker *should* be tripping. The fact that it isn't indicates someone may have jerry-rigged things in the service panel, or put in a too-high rated breaker to prevent it from tripping. Either way, it spells fire danger.

Good luck.

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