Know Your Cables: Audio Video 101

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Know Your Cables Audio Video 101

• Having a good AV system is important, whether it
  be in your home, office, or otherwise. You could
  be an aspiring filmmaker or a worker bee
  presenting your idea at the next big company
  meeting or a keynote speaker at a conference for
  a cause all of these areas (and more) require
  an excellent audio/visual system. Our
  responsibility while setting the system up is to
  find the correct cables/connectors.
• In the vast conglomerate of cables and
  connectors, there are those that carry only
  audio, only video, and those that carry both.
• First, lets talk briefly about those cables that
  carry only audio
• Optical Toslink
• Optical Toslink cables are usually found in your
  regular home audio systems. They convert the
  audio signal into light or lasers, which are sent
  down the cable, and then at the other end, the
  signal is converted back to audio. Since these
  cables use a digital signal, they provide acute
  and clear audio. The only drawback is that the
  signal becomes too weak after about 15 feet and
  fails to work.
• XLR
• XLR adapters or connectors are typically used in
  professional audio equipment. Depending on the
  number of pins/holes inside the connector, there
  are multiple versions of this connector. Theres
  the 3-pin (most common), 4-pin, 5-pin, 6-pin, and
  7-pin. Microphones usually use XLR cables, along
  with some musical instruments. Sometimes they are
  also known as microphone XLR connectors. They
  are sometimes used for lighting equipment, too.
• Other types of cables that carry only audio are
  the 3.5mm, 2.3mm, ¼, SpeakOn, and MIDI. A
  succinct look at video cables comes next.

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• VGA
• VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. Its
  old-tech, used to make analog connections. Its
  maximum resolution is 640 x 480, which is lower
  than a lot of new types of cables. Nowadays,
  laptops and TVs are not made with VGA ports,
  although some computer manufacturers still
  include them.
• DVI
• DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is a little more
  complicated than your standard video cables only
  because there are various versions to choose
  from, and for the video to be seamless, you must
  know exactly which one you want. DVI is divvied
  into three types DVI-A, DVI-D, and DVI-I. DVI-A
  transmits only analog signals DVI-D transmits
  only digital signals DVI-I is a combination of
  the two and transmits both analog and digital
  signals.
• The other cables that carry only video signals
  are S-Video and DB9. Finally, lets talk about
  cables that carry both
• F-Type
• These types of connections are coax cable
  connectors, mostly used to connect to the back
  of TVs. The same F-type comes from the metal
  connector, which is found at the end of that
  cable. The standard connector is threaded and
  screwed on to hold itself. This can also be
  found in a push-on version that slides into
  place. There are a few different alternatives
  when it comes to attaching the connector. The
  F-type connectors are available in twist-on,
  crimp, and compression. You would need various
  tools to build the cable, depending on the
  variant you use.
• RCA
• Since Radio Corporation of America was the first
  company to design and introduce the product to
  the world, these particular cables are called RCA
  connectors.
• The generation before this one used to have CD
  players and DVD players that they would want to
  connect to their TVs. This was technology before
  streaming services, so they had to make these
  connections using cables. This is where RCA
  cables came into play a regular RCA cable
  consisted of three color-coded plugs extending
  from the player to the corresponding color-coded
  jack on the back of the TV/projector/output
  device. The typically analog signals leaving or
  entering devices connected via these cables go
  through three different channels - two for audio
  and one for video - making it a high-quality
  transmission.

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These cables are only able to carry unbalanced
signals, so they are used for only
short-distance transmissions, commonly used in
record player turntables and home theater
systems.

• HDMI
• HDMI stands for "High Definition Multimedia
  Interface. HDMI is the new norm for all
  audio/visual connections. HDMI is the complete
  180 of RCA HDMI is completely digital, while
  RCAs are fully analog. There are different types
  of HDMI. Type A is the type commonly used in
  TVs and computers. Type C, more commonly known
  as Mini-HDMI, is used in devices smaller than
  TVs/computers like tablets and some laptops. And
  finally, there is Micro-HDMI, which is Type
  D, which is seen in small devices, especially
  phones.
• The other cables that carry audio and video
  signals are BNC, Component, and DisplayPort.
• Now that you have all the information you need
  concerning a plethora of audio-visual cables, it
  will be a little easier for you to buy one should
  you ever need to. One must have the proper audio
  cable that goes with its video cable counterpart
  if you wish to use separate cables for them or
  the correct AV cable, which does the work of
  both. This ensures that your presentation,
  pitch, and feature film run smoothly.
• We have all of the cables listed above and then
  some. Please reach out to us if you need help
  figuring out which one you need for your setup.
• Source https//www.sfcable.com/blog/audio-video-c
  able-guide