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| This is not really a true "FAQ", but should answer just about any questions you may have regarding connecting Audio/Video components. |
What are the best Audio connections to use?
see also:
New! DVI/HDMI/1394 Home Theater Connection FAQ
How do you connect this stuff?
DVD - Surround Sound Receiver - Sub Woofer - TV/HDTV
Download our connection diagram
Audio Connections:
Rule of thumb: Use Digital When Possible
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Stereo
Analog Audio connections use red and White color coded "RCA"
connections. These support mono or stereo analog audio.
*Stereo Cables |
Digital
Audio connections, Coax on left, Toslink Optical on the right.
Digital Coax uses orange color coded "RCA" connections.
These support AC3, Dolby Digital (5.1, etc.), DTS, S/PDIF. Use either
connection, not both.
*Coax Cables *Toslink Cables |
Analog
Surround sound. The color coded "RCA" connectors are
still red and White, designating "analog" but insted of
"L" and "R", you have "C" (center),
"FR" (front right), "FL" (front left), "SL"
(surround left), "SR" (surround right), and "SW"
(subwoofer). For Dolby Digital or DTS 6.1 or 7.1 there will be more!
Surround sound analog connections on computer sound cards use "mini"
phone plug connections instead of RCA's since they are smaller.
*Analog audio cables |
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Connection
Type
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Toslink
|
Digital
connection, not susceptible to electrical interference. Good for pretty
much all types of Digital audio signals as long as your receiver and
other device (DVD/Satellite Receiver/Digital Cable) has a Toslink
connection. Supports Dolby Digital 5.1, 7.1, DTS etc.
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Limited
length of cables. Repeaters are necessary for long cable runs.
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Coax
Digital Audio
(S/PDIF) |
Digital
connection, using Copper cables, usually Coax. Some experts prefer
it to Toslink. More widely used than Toslink in professional applications.
Supports Dolby Digital 5.1, 7.1, DTS etc.
|
Uses
copper cables, so is more susceptible to electrical interference than
Toslink.
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| Firewire | Digital connection. Tremendous bandwidth for multichannel audio. Transport control. Used mainly in DAW's (Digital Audio Workstations). | Rare to see this used as an audio only interface. Generally used for Audio/Video from/to camcorders, Digital VCR's, Set Top Boxes and HDTV's. |
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Stereo
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Analog
audio. Two channels, right and left. If your sysytem does not support
digital audio, then your best bet is analog stereo. Generally uses
dual RCA plug cables.
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No
surround sound unless it is simulated. Analog rather than digital.
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Mono
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Some
TV's only have mono audio inputs and/or outputs. This is better than
nothing.
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Boring.
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Video connections:
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DVI
- This can be either a Digital only connection as seen above, or a
Combination Digital and analog connection. See our DVI
page for more information. Many new DVD's and STB's (Set top Boxes)
for Satellite (DSS) or Digital Cable TV will have these connectors
this year. Many new HDTV's and Projectors are using this connection
already.
*DVI Cables |
HDMI
HDMI has Video, Audio and Control Signals. HDMI is used on STB's (Set Top Boxes) , Receivers, Display devices such as HDTV's, LCD's, Projectors, Plasmas and at least one of the latest DVD players with upconversion to HD resolution. |
Component
Video - This is used on most HDTV's and decent or better DVD players.
Notice the Red, Green and Blue color coded connectors.
*Component Video Cables DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
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RGB
- This could be RGBHV, or a "VGA" (HD15) connection. This
is used on computer video cards, Projectors and some HDTV's.
*RGB (RGBHV) Cables |
S-Video
- Better than "composite video because it seperates the luminance
(white level) and chrominance (color information). Used on DVD's,
TV's, Satellite receivers and Cable TV boxes. Also used on some Computers
with TV outputs.
*S-Video Cables |
Composite
Video - The old "AV" standard connector. This is color
coded Yellow for Composite video.
*Video Cables |
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Connection
Type*
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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DVI
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Digital
connection*, Excellent Bandwidth, great seperation of signals. Best
connection for HDTV's and Set Top Boxes/Receivers that support it.
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Used
on only some HDTV's and Tuners/Receivers. Limited length unless you
use very expensive special cables.
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Firewire
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Digital
connection, nice device control features, very high bandwidth in the
future.
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Found
on relatively few Home Theater Devices.
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| HDMI | Digital connection for Video and 8-channels of Digital Audio as well as device control features. | Brand new and still not available on many devices. |
| RGBHV |
Analog,
used on some high-end monitors and video equipment. Can use BNC, RCA
or VGA type connectors. Used on some HDTV's and Set Top Boxes, but
not DVD players.
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Almost
only used on high-end video equipment and a few assorted HDTV's. You
often need expensive adapters to convert to Component video. Not used
on DVD players. Not Digital.
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Component
Video
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Analog,
used on most quality TV's/HDTV's and DVD's. Currently the best bet
for Home Theater connections, especially for connecting HDTV's and
DVD,s.
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Not
digital.
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S-Video
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Analog,
and uses a strange little connector with four pins. Better than Composite
video due to seperation of Luminance and Chrominance signals.
|
Small
connectors and small cables tend to not be of great quality. Does
not support HDTV, nor progressive scan DVD players.
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Composite
Video
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Better
than nothing. All brightness and color information is transmitted
using a single cable.
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All
brightness and color information is transmitted using a single cable.
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| * In many cases the quality of the cables used may be more important than a cable types inherent superiority. For example, Component video with an excellent quality cable is far superior to RGBHV with a poor quality cable. | ||
*Almost all DVI connections include DVI-D, which is the digital
version of DVI.
Some, especially Computer Video cards, support DVI-A, the analog version of DVI as well.
Some, especially Computer Video cards, support DVI-A, the analog version of DVI as well.
Video and Audio Connections:
"F" Connections:
(Cable TV / Satellite / Antenna)
| These
connections use a single cable ( RG6) to transport both audio and
video in their various formats. They are not interchangeable, and
generally require some kind of Tuner or receiver to tune a specific
frequency (channel) and decode the audio and video signals. * RG6 Cables |
DVD connections:
DVD Audio Connections
| Use
The "Bitstream/PCM" Digital connections on the right if
you have a surround sound receiver. Use either the Coax or Toslink
connection. Use the "2CH" analog stereo connection on the
left to connect to a TV or stereo system. *Coax Digital Cables - *Toslink Cables |
DVD Video Connections:
| Use
the "Y Pb Pr" (green, blue and red) Component Video connection
if your Television supports this connection. Use the S-Video connector
as the next best if you can or the Yellow "Composite" connection
if that is all you can use. The "Select" Switch selects between "Progressive" and "Interlaced". You want it set to "P" if possible! *Component Video Cables - S-Video Cables - Video Cables |
Surround Sound Receiver Connections:
Component Video
| Use
the Component Video connection if you have more than one Component
video capable source, and you want to use the Receiver as a Component
video switcher. If you have only one Component Video source, skip
the receiver and connect the source directly to your Television or
projector. * Component Video Cables DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
S-Video
| Use
your Receiver to switch between S-Video Signals if your Television
has only a single S-Video connection. If your Television has a number
of Video inputs, it is better to go direct and not add extra cabling.
*S-Video Cables |
Composite Video Connections
 |
Use
your Receiver to switch between Composite Video Signals if your
Television has only a single Composite video connection. If your
Television has a number of Video inputs, it is better to go direct
and not add extra cabling.
DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
Surround Receiver Audio Connections
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You
will almost certainly need to use a combination of the analog (red
and white color coded connections on the left) and the Digital connections
on the right to connect all of your Home Theater/Stereo system devices
to your Surround sound Receiver. This Receiver, like most has two
Digital Audio inputs. One Coaxial and one Toslink. The second Toslink
connector is for output. Use your DVD for one Digital input and
either Digital Satellite Receiver, Digital Cable box, or CD player
for the other. Which one uses Coax and which one uses Toslink depends
on the capabilities of the devices you have to connect. Use the
analog connections for devices with no Digital output.
DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
Surround Sound Receiver Subwoofer Connection
| Use
the Receivers Sub woofer "RCA" connector "Pre Out"
(pre-amplifier) output to connect an amplified subwoofer. If your
Subwoofer has no built-in amplification, use the Receivers Subwoofer
Speaker connection if it has one. Amplified subwoofer outputs are
rare, so hopefully you have a "powered" subwoofer. *Subwoofer Cables |
Sub Woofer Connections
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If
possible use the single "RCA" Connector Connection to
the above Receivers "Pre Out" Sub Woofer connection. This
will use the Sub Woofers built in amplifier for best results. Using
the "Speaker level" inputs requires some care, since this
usually involves connecting it in "parallel" with other
speakers, and therefore generally reduces the impedance of these
connections putting more of a strain on your receivers amplifier.
*Subwoofer Cables |
Television (TV/HDTV) Connections
"RF" or "F" Connections:
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The
"F" connector inputs on your TV are for connecting an
antenna, Cable TV or Satellite Receiver. These connections carry
modulated audio and video on the same cable. You need to look at
your manuals for Cable TV or Satellite TV receivers and Television
if you have questions about how to use these. Most modern Televisions
have tuners compatible with any of these connections. You will need
to look at your Television manual for instructions on how to "auto
scan" for channels. RG6 cable is the current standard cable
for these connections, using the oddly named "F" connector.
*F Cables |
Television (TV/HDTV) Component Video/ Audio Connections
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Most
HDTV's and many new NTSC (non-HD) TV's have Component Video inputs
as seen to the left. The top three "RCA" connectors (green,
blue and red color coded) are for Component video. These should be
connected directly to your DVD player, Satellite receiver or Cable
TV box if they have component video outputs, or to your Surround sound
receiver if you are using it as a component video switcher. The bottom
two "RCA" (white and red) color coded connectors are for
analog stereo audio connections. Generally no Televisions have Digital
audio inputs, although there are exceptions. Normally, if you have
a surround sound receiver you will not want to connect audio to the
television since your surround sound system will handle all of the
audio rather than the television. If you have no surround sound system,
and are not using a stereo Hi-Fi system for your audio, then you would
use these audio connections. *Component Cables - Audio Cables DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
Television (TV/HDTV) S-Video and Audio inputs
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Use
the S-Video connections seen on the left if possible, rather than
the yellow color coded Video connections if the device you are connecting
has these connectors. Use the white and red audio connections (L and
R) for connecting devices with these outputs only if you are using
the televisions speakers and are not connecting the device to a Surround
Sound system. *S-Video Cables *Stereo Cables *AV Cables DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
Television (TV/HDTV) Audio and Video Outputs
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Surprisingly
you will usually need to use your Televisions Audio and possibly Video
outputs even if you have a Surround Sound System. The Video output
connector (Yellow color coded "RCA" Composite video) often
connects to the VCR. The Stereo audio (red and white color coded "RCA"
connectors) are often needed to connect to your surround Sound Receivers
"TV" audio input if your cable TV box does not have its
stereo output connected to the receivers audio input. You can fix
this by connecting your Cable TV boxes analog stereo audio output
connection to your surround sound receiver. If you are using an antenna
for "regular" OTA (over the air) Television reception, you
will need to use this connection for the audio to get to your receiver.
*Audio Cables *AV Cables DIY - Build your own Custom Belden/Canare A/V cables, or have us build them for you! |
Audio Video Connectivity products:
|
Audio
cables and adapters Digital Audio Toslink cables video cables and adapters DVI cables and adapters/extenders/converters HDMI and HDMI to DVI Cables HDMI Couplers and HDMI/DVI adapters IEEE-1394/i.Link/Firewire Cables Digital Video Capture Cards (ilink/firewire/1394) Video cards and Analog Video Capture cards SVGA to TV/video adapter connect VGA output to TV TV/video to SVGA adapter connect Video games or VCR/DVD to computer monitor. midi cables |
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