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Your Guide to Connectors and Cables |
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Composite (RCA) cables
Composite cables are the most common type of connector between any two media. You will probably recognize them from connecting your VCR, DVD player, or audio equipment to your television. Most composite cable sets are color-coded red, white, and yellow and the jacks in your television are similiarly coded. The red cable is for right channel audio, white for left channel audio, and yellow for video. Although this is the most common type of video connection, it is also of the lowest quality because the entire video signal is carried over one cable.
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S-Video Cables
S-Video cables work in relatively the same way as composite cables in that they use a singular cable to send video signals. Where S-Video cables differ is that within the cable there are separate wires to transmit the signal. These wires separate the video signal into color and brightness. By separating color and brightness, a cleaner image is achieved. |
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Component Cables
Whereas composite and S-Video cables use only one cable for video, component cables separate the video signal
into three separate signals. These signals are designated blue, red, and green to show how in the video world
color is represented by these three colors or a combination of them. Doing this enables better color and video
representation with less distortion. |
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DVI Cables
There are three different types of DVI cable connections: DVI-A, DVI-D, and DVI-I. DVI-A (the A stands for Analog) allows a high resolution analog video signal to be sent from a digital source. DVI-D (the D stands for Digital) allows for a digital-to-digital connection between components without having to convert the source signal to analog and then changing it back to digital when it gets to the receiver. This eliminates the plaguing problem of signal degradation that was associated with obtaining a digital-to-digital connection previously. DVI-I (the I stands for Integrated) enables sending either a digital or analog video signal on the condition that both the source and the receiver are either both digital or both analog. |
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HDMI/DVI Cables
HDMI is very similar to DVI in that both are concerned with sending digital signals. Whereas DVI only sends video signals, HDMI will send video as well as audio signals. Since HDMI cable transfers multichannel audio along with video in the same cable, the need for multiple audio cables and then also the need for a large number of ports on the rear or side of your projector or flat screen is eliminated. Although a relatively new (just a couple of years) technology, HDMI is increasingly being found and demanded as a connection type. |
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