Audio Connections
Left and Right RCA Cables | Digital Audio Connections | Speaker Connections
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Left and Right RCA Cables These connections are among the oldest and still most commonly used for connecting audio gear. They offer separation of the left and right audio signals for stereo sound playback or for use with Dolby Pro-Logic Surround systems. |
 
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Digital Audio Connections Digital surround has come home with the introduction of Dolby Digital and DTS. Offering discrete separation of all channels and a dedicated subwoofer channel, these digital formats bring awe-inspiring digital surround sound home. Both Dolby Digital and DTS require a digital connection to the receiver, and it is these connections, Optical and Coaxial, that many people are unfamiliar with. Coaxial looks like an RCA composite connection and Optical looks like... well Optical. These cables carry all 5.1 channels over a single cable digitally, and will carry future digital formats as well. This one digital audio connection replaces the need to connect the analog left and right cables. One cable handles all your audio needs for music and movies. |
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Speaker Connections Speakers require the connection of a positive and negative terminal for each speaker, usually labeled red and black respectively. The 2 most common types of connections are spring clips and binding posts. With speaker connections the goal is to have the most wire in contact with the most metal, creating a solid connection capable of transferring the signal sent from your receiver with ease. Spring clips have just the edge of a metal plate making the connection, while binding posts allow for greater wire to metal contact. |
Video Connections
Antenna/Coaxial Cable | RCA Composite Video | S-Video | Component Video | DVI | HDMI | Firewire |
Antenna/Coaxial Cable Not to be confused with digital audio coaxial cable, this is the oldest and worst type of video / audio connection you can make. Both audio and video signals are mashed together through this one cable and the signal is susceptible to a lot of distortion from the mingling of the signal. This is the worst possible connection and should only be used if you simply have no alternative which is very rare. An exception to the rule is the connection made from a satellite or digital cable service that connects to their box digital through coax cable. The digital signal transfer suffers from none of the side effects that an analog signal encounters over coax. |
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RCA Composite Video This cable transmits the only the video signal through one cable leaving the sound to be sent by separate left and right audio cable. This is a dramatic step up from Coax cable as far a sound quality goes, but gives only minor video improvements. The separate parts of the video signal are still mashed together which is the cause of most video distortion. |
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S-Video This is a major upgrade compared to an RCA video connection. The video signal is separately sent over 3 separate wires within one cable. No "mingling" of signals is allowed, and the result is a picture free from the artifacts and noise found in lesser connections. S-Video also passes a pure signal that doesn't need to pass through a TV's comb filter, thus removing an entire process from the conversion path your video signal makes before it is displayed. One major problem with S-Video is that the quality of the video is greatly dependent on the quality of the cable. This requires purchasing better cable resulting in a higher price. Quality S-Video cable usually runs $40-$70 dollars per cable. With the move to HD and progressive scan sources S-Video's life is limited to standard definition sources. |
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Component Video One of the best solutions for video simply takes S-Video one step further and uses 3 entirely separate RCA cables to transmit the different pieces of the video signal. The improvement of a Component connection over S-Video is minimal or nonexistent. The price tag is more hefty for Component than S-Video due to the fact that you need 3 separate video cables per connection. At possibly twice the cost of S-Video, with little or no improvement in picture quality, it's best is to go with S-Video cable for a simpler and cheaper connection that offers the same performance. The only exception is when it comes to high resolution sources such as HDTV broadcasts or a progressive scan DVD player. These sources need the bandwidth provided by a Component Video connection to pass the HD signal through. It is in these cases that a Component video connection is the best and only option. |
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DVI The downside is the DVI has been implemented at various degrees of standardization within the industry making some components incompatible with others. |
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HDMI By allowing your compents to "talk" to other, the promise of HDMI connections is easier setup and interactions with you home theater. HDMI cables can be pricey at around $130 per cable, but since they replace Compenent, DVI and possibly an audio connection the price can be diluted a bit. HDMI vs. Component cable quality is debatable. For some digital TVs the difference is major, for others it's not. Who cares as long as you get a crystal clear picture? Although the copy protection schemes incorporated by HDMI when used with a high-definition DVD player are not debatable, they're just heavy handed and bad for the consumer. See the Consumer Alert: February Spot Light for more info concerning HDMI and the high-definition DVD formats.
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Firewire
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