Audio and video connector

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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

[edit] Audio Only

Audio connectors are electrical connectors designed and used for audio frequencies. They can be analogue or digital. Common audio connectors include:

[edit] Colour codes

white RCA/TS analogue audio, left channel;
also mono (RCA/TS), stereo (TRS only),
or undefined/other
black RCA/TS/TRS
grey RCA/TS/TRS
red RCA/TS analogue audio, right channel
orange RCA SPDIF digital audio

For computers:

green TRS 3.5mm stereo output, front channels
black TRS 3.5mm stereo output, rear channels
grey TRS 3.5mm stereo output, side channels
gold TRS 3.5mm dual output, center and subwoofer
blue TRS 3.5mm stereo input, line level
pink 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.

[edit] Video Only

Video connectors carry only video signals. Common video-only connectors include:

[edit] 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.

[edit] Multiple signals

Some connectors can carry both audio and video signals simultaneously:

Other composite connectors carry video, power, and USB:

  • ADC, now-defunct Apple Display Connector

[edit] See also

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