Computer Cables - Gear Up Your Audio-Video Devices

Computer Cables - Gear Up Your Audio-Video Devices

Connecting different devices to your computer or TV is more than just plugging in the cables. You need to learn which are compatible and which ones aren't. Learning some basics about the different kinds of cables will help you build a better audio/video system.

So you have the device, you've connected it to your computer with audio and video cables, installed the drivers, and you are ready to play music, games and videos. Now you're facing the most common problem: You can watch the videos but there isn't any sound or the sound is distorted. This commonly happens due to the lack of knowledge of the connector cables. Most of the time different kinds of cables are needed to connect different devices. Whether you are connecting a DVD player, stereo speakers, portable media players, camcorders or other audio/video devices to your computer or TV, you should know which cable is to be plugged into which device.

TSR Connector/Headphone Jack

The cable most commonly used worldwide is the TSR connector -- you probably know it as the headphone jack. Most of the stereo speakers and microphones are connected to the computer using this cable. The standard sizes that are used with computers are 1/8" mini audio or 3.5mm jack, but it also comes in several other sizes, like the 1 /4'' TRS used with professional audio recording equipment. If you use a 1/4" to 1/8" converter, you can connect it to your computer.

The microphone port on the computer is usually Pink, whereas the speaker port is Green. If you have a high-end computer, you will see three more TSR ports. The Gold colored port is for the center/subwoofer output while the Black one is for rear, and the Gray for the front.

RCA Cables

The RCA connector is used for connecting both audio and video devices, including DVD players, digital cameras and other devices. This is also used for facilitating the connection of video gaming consoles, camcorders and digital cameras to the TV. This cable is ideal for transferring videos from your camcorder to your computer. If you have connected it to your computer and still have problems, you probably don't have a video capture card installed in your computer. The color code for this cable is as follows: Yellow (composite video), Red (Right channel) and White or Black (Left channel of stereo audio), and is found on all audio/video devices.

HDMI Cables

Usually computers have two separate ports: One for an audio cable, and the other for video. HDMI is the only type that supports transmission of both audio and video signals through a single cable. If you are using another monitor to display the output of your computer such as a TV, you will need an HDMI/DVI connector. HDMI is backwards compatible with DVI. The only thing that needs to be considered is the bandwidth. The standard speed of HDMI cable is 2.25Gbps over a distance of 49 feet. It is the easiest way to connect high-quality audio/video devices, and replaces the mess created by a web of multiple different cables.

DVI Monitor Cables

Most of the recent models of computers now come with DVI instead of VGA ports, whereas others support it indirectly through HDMI. It is a video interface technology that carries uncompressed digital video data to LCD monitors. A standard DVI cable has 29 pins, whereas some DVI, like Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI, have fewer pins. These cables establish digital connections directly between the video cards and the LCD monitors.

This digital format of DVI provides a faster and higher quality image than VGA. If your computer monitor supports only VGA, you can get DVI to VGA converters to connect your new video card to an old monitor.

If the sound or picture quality is substandard, you are probably using poor grade cables. Such cables don't support the signals coming from source components, resulting in unsatisfactory audio and/or video quality. Replace your poor quality cables with better ones when connecting high-end equipment without compromising good picture and sound.

Over the Internet, you can find some companies that offer computer connectors that are not only of high quality but also cheap computer cables, adapters, cable clips, splitters and other accessories. Here, you will find it all in one place.