I just moved into my new house, and I'm re-doing my home theater system. I have an X1 projector that I run S-Video, Composite and Component into. The Component hooks up into the VGA port through a VGA adapter.

Now, I also want to hook up a PC to the projector as well. I'm supposing that the easiest way would be a VGA splitter of some kind since it will be ceiling mounted. Does anyone have any particular recommendations on this? Also, does anyone know of any degradation issues in doing this?

I also need a 25ft VGA cable. I was going to order one from monoprice, but can anyone recommend another supplier? I'm also wondering if there needs to be heavier shielding on a VGA cable of that length.

TIA for your help and recommendations.

Is VGA the only video output on your PC?

I bought a 12 foot Composite cable to run from my pc to my 27" tv. Picture is great.

Paid 13 dollars at Radio Shack......I paid for the "premium" shielded one
Had to run a seperate cable for my sound

Right now, the PC is in parts. I can put whatever I want into it in regards to the video. I can't use a DVI video card since there is no DVI input into the X1. I could put a card in that had S-Video, but I always understood that S-Video from a PC was pretty crappy compared to VGA. If not, then that's a consideration.

Otherwise, perhaps some sort of KVM switch would be best for the VGA cables. If I did that, then I would have to run the VGA cable from the X1 to the KVM. Then, hook up the PC to one switch, and the VGA adapter to another - which means I would need another short VGA cable as a bridge. Then, I could hook up the component cables to the VGA adapter. I'm not sure if this is the best option.

Or, I could sell my X1 and buy a 4805 with more inputs.

You want two VGA inputs to your projector, right? One from a PC, and one from a DVD player (the composite->VGA source)?

Typically a normal KVM switch will be fine if you run at 1024x768 @72Hz or lower. I have seen some problems (usually you'll notice "ghosting" of the display, almost like there are two images superimposed and slightly offset) at high resolutions and high framerates. For instance, I've seen ghosting when I run a display at 1024x768 at 75 Hz on a normal KVM switch. If you run into problems you'll need an active switch, which will run about $200. 25' is long for a VGA cable, but not beyond the limits. I've used ones that long without a problem, but they are well shielded.

I sometimes use NTI for my cable/switch needs - http://www.networktechinc.com/

They aren't the absolute most expensive, but they make high quality stuff and are reasonably priced. Certainly good enough for most users, although I've had some applications that need even higher quality stuff.

Here is their page for switches - link. The one you would want runs about $115, and a 25' cable from them runs $28. That switch has 150MHz bandwidth, enough to run at up to 1900x1200 at 60Hz (literally multiply your resolution horizontal times vertical time framerate to see if you fit in the 150MHz limit). That's probably enough for whatever PC you'll hook up to the display. If your PC is any higher, you'll pay $300 or so for a switch that can handle 300MHz or higher bandwidth. If you think you would need that, let me know and I can give you references.

UPDATE: Oh, BTW, the switches on the page I linked include a 3' VGA cable that you describe needing above.