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[muffin]

MyHouse is running more or less okay for me...SEntinel camera control, panning, tilting, and zooming is erratic and slow though through the client computer.  It is brisk using the remote and acceptable from the host computer.  Video quality, meaning the jerkiness of the action, is bad on the client.  The FPS setting does not deliver as it should.   But I cannot figure out why the video resolution and clarity is so good on the t.v. and so poor on the p.c.  I have two VR36A video receivers sitting right next to each other, both aimed the same, one connected through the VA11A to my P.c. and the other through an RCA cable to the t.v.  I can see all my cameras on both screens but the p.c. reception is about half as good as the t.v.  I have swapped the receivers without change.  The p.c. is directly above the t.v., on the second floor. (in a balcony room so I can just drop the VA11A cable straight down).  I am wondering if the cable from the receiver through the VA11A into the p.c. is picking up interference and if so, is it possible to shield it with something?  If I replaced the RCA cable from the receiver to the VA11A with a higher quality cable?  Any other ideas for why the picture is being distorted on the p.c.?  Thanks for any ideas.

[Tuicemen]

You will always have a better pic on the TV if your just using a low end video card!
The better the video card, the better the pic on the PC!
If you have a high end video card and a high end PC monitor the pic should be better on the PC!
Now here are a few things you can do:
Try using just one reciever since they are side by side.
At the output have a Y spliter one going to the VA11A the other going to your TV
Use High end cables and Y spliter not dollar store ones!
Other more expensive options:
 New LCD monitor and video card

[muffin]

  Low end video card?  It is a 128MB DDR ATI Radeon 9700.  The monitor could probaby use an upgrade but that would not explain poor quality on the client monitor, right?  Having said that, I will look into upgrading the video card, monitor and cables per your advice.  Thank you!

[Puck]

Low end video card?  It is a 128MB DDR ATI Radeon 9700.

Not top-of-the-line video card, but definitely NOT low end either. I have a 256MB 9600 and it has excellent video quality.
Try the cheaper things first, like cables; unless of course you do need a better monitor. 

[KDR]

You may want to take a look at your video settings also. What color setting are you on, screen size, advance settings and stuff like that to make sure something strange isn't messing it up.

[HA Dave]

You will always have a better pic on the TV if .........

Hey ya know I think the tuicemen has a point. I built my PC to create DVD's. It's not high-end... but I didn't cut any corners ether. I have made a lot of DVD's (mostly home movies converted from tape). At 1st.... I wasn't happy with my results (image quality). Then I realized that the videos ALWAYS looked much nicer when I (tested) played the DVD's on my TV (10 year old 32 inch Sanyo).

I know a little bit about DPI's and pixels..... but I think it may have more to do with lines. Ether way I think it would take one heck of a computer/monitor to compete with a plain-old TV for low end video image quality.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

Two things to try (and please don't take offense, as I don't know what you know or have tried  ):

1) Make sure the RCA cable is rated for Video and not just a cheap speaker cable.

2) Try connecting the RCA cable (at the computer end) to a TV or VCR's RCA Video input.  If the picture quality is better on the TV or VCR, it has to be the on the PC end.  Poor analog to digital conversion in the VM11A, or software?  Slow computer?  Need to update the video card driver?  Just a few possibilities.  

Happy hunting!  

[muffin]

I appreciate all the suggestions, guys.  I did adjust the settings on the monitor to the highest quality resolution and that made a huge difference.  (I have to wear glasses to read anything on the screen but the camera image is great!)  I did order a new monitor (have been lusting after the LCD 17" for some time) and two new memory cards.   Dell salesman told me the present video card was the best one available from my computer but I am going to call back about that today.  Will visit Radio Shack today to look for a high quality RCA Y cable.  Thanks again to all for the feedback.