Confused with cables and connectors when you buy an audio system? Although it?s a simple stereo set, home entertainment set, karaoke set or complicated studio system, those have standard function for every cable and connector.

The simple way is known various connectors you receive. There are several connectors for audio video system. I start from a player like CD, Tape Cassette, VCD, DVD or Laser Disc Players. For audio system, there are 2 output ports as stereo system called left channel and right channel port.

Connector used for this port is RCA. We can use RCA Stereo cable to connect output from these players to input port in amplifier or other audio equipment.

But for audio video system like VCD, DVD, laser disk player, there are two output port types, audio port and video port. If audio port prepared separately, it?s always use stereo RCA port same as common stereo set. But for video output, there are 3 video output types, video composite output, S-Video output and Video component output. Both of them use RCA standard connectors except S-Video. For composite video, only one RCA connector used which carries picture information as a single lower-quality signal.

S-Video output is a technique to split video signal to two signals, luminance and chrome. These signals are out by one connector called S-Video. An S-Video connector has 4 pins out. Component video out has 3 output ports, Y, Pb and Pr. We can use RCA standard component video cable. This cable has 3 connectors for each output signal with different colors, Green for Y, blue for Pb and red for Pr.

One of these port is digital port, S/PDIF. A common use for the S/PDIF interface is to carry compressed digital audio as defined by the standard IEC 61937. This mode is used to connect the output of a DVD player to a home theater receiver that supports Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound. Another common use is to carry uncompressed digital audio from a CD player to a receiver. This specification also allows for the coupling of personal computer digital sound (if equipped) via optical or coax to Dolby or DTS capable receivers.

Actually in karaoke system, home theatre or home entertainment, there are connectors that combine audio and video signals in single connector, but it?s enough for this post I?ll be continuous in next post. Check it out always in MyAudioBeat.