Audio and video

Audio and video connector

Audio and video connectorFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia RCA connectors are commonly used for home stereo and video equipment.

Audio connectors and video connectors are electrical connectors for carrying an audio signal or video signal, either in an analog or digital format. Analog A/V connectors often use Shielded cable to inhibit RF interference and noise.Contents [hide]1 Audio Only 1.1 Colour codes2 Video Only 2.1 Colour codes3 Multiple signals4 See also

Audio Only

Audio connectors are electrical connectors designed and used for audio frequencies. They can be analogue or digital. Common audio connectors include:Single-conductor connectors: Banana connectorsFive-way binding posts and banana plugs for loudspeakersFahnestock clips on early breadboard radio receivers.Multi-conductor connectors: DB25 is for multi-track recording and other multi-channel audio, analog or digitalDIN connectors and mini-DIN connectorsRCA connectors, also known as phono connectors or phono plugs, used for analog or digital audio or analog videoSpeakon connectors by Neutrik for loudspeakersTRS connector also known as tip-ring-sleeve plug, phone plug, jack plug, mini-jack, and mini-stereo. This includes the original 6.35mm (quarter inch) jack and the more recent 3.5mm (miniature or 1/8th inch) and 2.5mm (subminiature) jacks, both mono and stereo (balanced) versions.XLR connectors, also known as Cannon plugs, used for analog or digital balanced audio with a balanced lineDigital audio interfaces and interconnects: ADAT interface (DB25)AES/EBU interface, normally with XLR connectorsS/PDIF, either over electrical coaxial cable (with RCA jacks) or optical fiber (TOSLINK).

Colour codes

White RCA/TS analogue audio, left channel;also mono (RCA/TS), stereo (TRS only),or undefined/otherblack RCA/TS/TRSgrey RCA/TS/TRSred RCA/TS analogue audio, right channelorange RCA SPDIF digital audio. For computers:green TRS 3.5mm stereo output, front channelsblack TRS 3.5mm stereo output, rear channelsgrey TRS 3.5mm stereo output, side channelsgold TRS 3.5mm dual output, center and subwooferblue TRS 3.5mm stereo input, line levelpink TS 3.5mm mono microphone input.

There are exceptions to the above:Hosa cables use grey and orange for left and right analogue channels.RadioShack cables sometimes use grey and black for left and right.Older sound cards had non-standard colour codes until after PC99, prior to that there were no colours at all.

Video Only

Video connectors carry only video signals. Common video-only connectors include:Component video aka YPbPr (3 RCA or BNC; or D-Terminal)Composite video (1 RCA, Antenna socket, or BNC)DB13W3 ("13W3" computer video connector)DMS-59, single connector carrying two DVI and two VGAMusa, British connector used in broadcasting and telecommunicationsPAL connector, formerly common in EuropeS-Video (1 Mini-DIN)SDI - Broadcast grade digital interface over BNC cablesVGA connector A type of D-sub connector standard on most video cardsMini-VGA Found on some laptop computers5 BNC Connectors can also be used to carry the VGA signal as R, G, B, HSync, VSyncDigital Visual Interface (DVI) A hybrid analog/digital connector commonly found on PC graphics cards and LCD monitorsMini-DVI Found on some Apple laptopsEnhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)RGBI interfaceRGB interface

Colour codes

Yellow RCA/BNC : composite video

red RCA/BNC : red or Pr/Cr chrominance

green RCA/BNC : green or luminance

blue RCA/BNC : blue or Pb/Cb chrominance

white BNC : horizontal sync

black BNC : vertical sync

Newer connectors are identified by their shape and not their colour.

Multiple signals

Some connectors can carry both audio and video signals simultaneously:DisplayPort digital connectorUnified Display Interface (UDI)F connectors are used with RF modulators for televisions without direct inputsHDMI is a new digital standardSCART, now the most common in EuropeTRS connectors with more than one ring, or Sony's hybrid RCA with a TRS pinCoaxial cable/RG-6/RG-59/Cable television (CATV)
Other composite connectors carry video, power, and USB:ADC, now-defunct Apple Display Connector