The cablegram selection at the electronics computer storage could be renamed the " wall of confusion . " Not only are there dozens of different kinds of audio / video cable television service – some for stereos , some for nursing home theatre , some for high-definition television and some for … who the heck knows ? Even if you ’re lucky enough to feel the cable you involve , you still have to decide between super expensive and suspiciously cheap .
And then there ’s the salesman . " Have you discover of atomic number 47 - plat connexion ? " What ? " If you ’re buy speaker telegram , then you should also buy these stands that keep the wire from touching the base . " Why ? " The more expensive the cable , the better the sound . " Really ?
In this clause , we ’re lead to give it to you straight . We ’ll explain , in simple term , what each type of audio / video recording transmission line does and where it should be used . Along the way , we ’ll expose some cable myth , starting with the musical theme that the most expensive overseas telegram is the best .
What is cable?
The role of cable system is to carry an sound or TV signal from one equipment to another . Cables carry signal between DVD actor and TVs , stereo receivers and speakers , and electronic computer and video projector . Cables do n’t change the nature of the audio or video signal they bear . They do n’t convert or process signal in any way . That ’s the task of the gadget on either end . The cable television itself is just the messenger .
Cables are made up of three basic parts : director , shielding and connector [ source : Graves ] . Theconductoris the wire that really carries the sign . One or more layers of shielding prevent the conducting wire from playact as an transmitting aerial that pick up receiving set oftenness interference ( RFI ) and electromagnetic interference ( EMI ) [ source : Graves ] . Theconnectoris the plug at the goal of the cable that touch base to your twist .
transmission line are important components of any home stereophonic system or home field of operations setup . If you do n’t utilize the right cables for the right Book of Job then you could finish up with subpar sound or picture quality . And if you use cables that are damage or otherwise junky , you could really end up with a lousy experience . For audiophiles , using humble - remainder cables with a $ 5,000 blood plasma HDTV is like lay crappy tires on a Ferrari.
Some audio / TV experts contend that consumers should pass 20 percentage of their total system monetary value on cables alone [ author : belt along ] . The truth is that many brassy cables offer a listening / reckon experience that most consumers could never tell from the really gamey - end cables [ germ : Rothman ] .
To keep things simple , we ’re operate to break down the overpowering amount of cable types into three categories : audio - only , video - only and audio / telecasting cables that sway both sound and pic .
Audio Cables
Let ’s start with audio - only cables . The most common audio cable are calledanalog RCA cable . These are the cables with red and white , or sometimes red and mordant connexion . RCA cables are widely used to connect devices like VCRs and videodisc players to TV stage set or CD players to stereo receivers . RCA audio recording cables come in brace with two connectors on each end , a red one for right stereophonic system and a white ( or black ) connector for leftover stereo . They are often bundle with video recording cable system . Experts recommend gold - plat RCA connectors for surplus auspices against corrosion , peculiarly if you dwell in a humid environment [ origin : Graves ] .
The other most common type of audio cable system isspeaker wire . Speaker wire turn tail from a stereophonic telephone receiver to all speaker unit except the subwoofer ( that demand a coaxal cable ) . Each speaker needs its own dedicated wire . Speakers not only receive audio signal via speaker wire , but also power .
Speaker telegram is made from 99 percent oxygen - devoid copper and usually comes " unshielded , " which imply you could see the copper conductor . Speaker conducting wire come in different thickness orgaugesrated from 12 to 18 ( thickest to thinnest ) . As a general rule , the longer your speaker wire , the thicker the gauge you should employ . For speaker telegram length up to 20 animal foot ( 6.1 meters ) long , 14 - gauge is sufficient , but anything foresightful than 60 feet ( 18.3 meter ) requires 12 - bore wire [ source : ecoustics.com ] .
Speaker wire is clean simple , so you may get off with buying inexpensive , bulk wire . And do n’t let anyone secernate you that all of the speaker wire in your system involve to be the same length . That ’s a myth [ source : Cobalt Cable ] .
Most audio recordings are digital now , and there are several fresh cables that specialize in pack high - bandwidth digital audio signals . ocular digital cable(also know as fibre - eye and Toslink ) transmits audio signal as pulses of light source and is impervious to interference [ source : ecoustics.com ] . Another digital sound cable is calleddigital coaxial . It look the old coaxal cables that connect satellite dishes or cable TV signals to televisions , except this is specially design to carry digital audio . You ’ll find optical and digital coaxial jacks on newer DVD histrion , cadmium role player and stereo system recipient .
The last type of audio - only cable’s length is calledanalog multi - channel cable . This cable is designed for use with particular players such asDVD - audiothat play discs recorded at high sample distribution rate for the maximum reasoned quality . Analog multi - channel cable lie of six to eight bundled RCA connectors , each creditworthy for a different audio groove on the back of a stereo receiving system .
Next we ’ll sing about telecasting - only cables , a slenderly more complicated topic .
Video Cables
The most common type of video cable is calledcomposite video recording . A composite video cable consists of one yellow RCA connecter that ’s usually bundled with cherry and white-hot RCA analog audio cables . It ’s called composite video because all of the video information – color , brightness and sync – is composited , or contract , onto one cable [ source : Miller ] . Composite video cable were designed for elderly television set and have a maximum resolution of 330 line of descent . They ’re fine for watching VHS tapes on the old idiot box in the cellar , but if you have a newfangled television , or an high-definition television , composite video cable length simply wo n’t cut it .
S - videocables are a step up from composite picture with a maximum resolution of 400 line . You will recognize an S - video cable by its circular , nine - flag connection . S - telecasting separates color information from ikon information , lead in a crisper ikon . Although S - video jacks are found on a heap of TVs , DVD players and domicile theater receivers , the cable ’s initial popularity was quickly eclipsed bycomponent telecasting .
Component video cable consist of three RCA connectors colored red , gullible and juicy . With component video , not only is colour separate from pictorial matter , but the coloring serving is split into two freestanding signals [ source : Miller ] . The result is a super - sharp image with deep color saturation . Component picture line are ideal for connecting high - definition video components like Blu - irradiation player and HDTV . Most home field of operations receivers come with several sets of component TV jackfruit .
DVI ( digital video interface)cables were designed specifically for use with high-definition television and other high - definition television components . They have big , 18 - stick connection that look like reckoner cables . DVI cable offer the exact same image quality as factor TV cables , except that DVI come with a construct - in copy protection protocol forebode HDCP ( High - bandwidth Digital Content Protection ) . Critics of DVI claim the build - in copy protection mechanism causes compatibility problems with certain gimmick .
last , we ’ll wait at three kinds of cable that carry both audio and video signal .
Audio/Video Cables
There are a smattering of cables that transmit both audio and television signal . For years , coaxal videocables were one of the only pick for connect TV component . Coaxial video cable system have that famous one - bowling pin connector , sometimes call a stinger , that can either be crowd or screwed into place . coaxal television cable television service are now mostly confined to international connections , such as satellite TV or cable television service TV lines that make out through the wall . A single coaxal overseas telegram carries both video and audio signaling .
HDMIcables are an updated version of DVI.HDMIcables were also designed for use with HD element , but their connexion is much slight , like a large USB cable . HDMI also includes HDCP written matter protective cover . producer of HDMI cables tend to advertise their product as the only selection for connecting HD video component , but that ’s not reliable . DVI cables lick every bit well . However , if you ’re using an analog TV , all three work every bit well [ source : Cobalt Cable ] .
In Europe and the UK , the most popular two-fold - purpose line is calledSCART ( Syndicat des Constructeurs d’Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs ) . SCART cables have fat , 21 - pin connectors . In Europe , SCART cables do the work of RCA parallel audio cables as well as composite , s - television and factor telecasting cable system , but they ca n’t carry gamey - bandwidth digital video or audio signals , such as those necessary for in high spirits - definition TVs . HDMI is the favorite cable in Europe for HD component part .
FireWire , orIEEE 1394,cables are mostly link with connecting devices to information processing system , but a few mellow - end home field receivers and high-definition television now come with FireWire ports . FireWire is equal to of deport compressed MPEG-2 video and digital audio . You might use a FireWire overseas telegram to connect a digital TV television camera directly to your home theater system to show off some unedited footage .
To sum up , here are the cables that you would use for some usual home entertainment systems .
plate stereo system ( CD modifier , stereo receiver , speakers ):
Home theater system (Blu-ray player, DVD player or VCR, video game console, home theater receiver, TV, speakers):
Home theater system(Blu - shaft of light player , DVD player or VCR , video game console , nursing home house recipient , TV , speakers ):
For more information on home audio and TV systems , keep abreast the links on the next page .
