About Video

Video devices use a variety of different interfaces; however, most video connector types share the common trait of being easy to plug in. Manufacturers of consumer electronics prefer to use simple interfaces that average users can plug and unplug without having to tighten thumbscrews, or release tabs or latches. This preference can prove challenging to manufacturers who must balance convenience with performance.

BNC connectors are round plugs with a bayonet-style locking system, used on coaxial cables. BNC plugs have good impedance characteristics, and their locking mechanism keeps them securely in place once connected. Because they are more expensive and harder to connect than RCA plugs, they are often used for higher-end and/or professional audio/video equipment. They are very common in CCTV and surveillance camera applications. There are many popular theories explaining the acronym "BNC", but the most likely is "Bayonet-Neill-Concelman", which refers to the two gentlemen that developed it years ago (Paul Neill from Bell Labs, and Carl Concelman from Amphenol). The two most common uses for BNC connectors are in a 3-BNC (RGB) component video and 5-BNC (RGBHV) component video cable. With this component video interface is the most common extended definition video interface in use on contemporary consumer products. Component connections send one luminance and two phase-opposite chrominance signals on three 75-ohm coaxial cables. Wholly analog, the 770.3 component interface boasts the same robust nature as RGBHV.

DisplayPort is an interface technology that is designed to connect high-graphics capable PCs and displays as well as home theater equipment and displays. Like HDMI and DVI, DisplayPort utilizes TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling ) link technology to send high bandwidth video and audio signals. The 20-pin connector allows the contact point to send maximum data transfer rates of 8.64 Gbps plus 1 Mbps for its AUX channel which can carry additional data.

This connector contains 24 pins, arranged in three horizontal rows of eight pins. To the side of this grouping of 24 pins is a wide, flat pin called a ground bar. A dual-link interface provides two TMDS links, or groups of data "channels" that can carry more than 10 Gbps of digital video information. A dual-link cable is backwards-compatible with single-link applications. The majority of DVI applications will use this DVI-D dual-link cable connection. See our Available DVI-D Cables

A very common connector used mostly as a video interface for computers and monitors. It can also be found on HD displays, and on older HD source devices such as satellite receivers and cable boxes. The HD15 is a High Density DB-style connector, so it can also be called an HD DB15. Another popular name is "VGA connector", although it is used in video applications that support much higher resolutions (SVGA, XGA, UXGA, etc.). An HD15 connector is the same size as a DB9 connector, but it has three rows of 5 pins. On most HD15 male connectors, there is one pin (pin 9) missing in the middle row.

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. This technology carries the same video information as DVI but adds the capacity for digital audio and control signals as well. The current version of HDMI carries one TMDS link of digital video. Found on many home-theater/consumer electronics devices, HDMI uses a 19-pin connector that is held in place by friction. This connector is technically described as a Type A HDMI connector. The Type B connector is larger (28 pins), but it is not currently used by any devices in the marketplace. See our Available HDMI Cables

The Type C connector HDMI, the HDMI mini connector has the same number of pins but with its compact size, it is used for portable devices. See our Available HDMI Cables

Transmitted signal can be analog or digital and that is totally dependent upon source device used. M1 is an interface designed for display devices. It is most often found on projectors, and it can receive a variety of signals—analog video (VGA), digital video (DVI), and even USB. The M1 connector is sometimes called an "EVC" or "P & D" (Plug & Display) connector. The M1 interface closely resembles a DVI connector. It uses a 30-pin (3 rows of 10 pins) LFH connector, with an offset ground bar. For cables that carry an analog video signal, there are 4 additional pins surrounding the ground bar.

This universal connector is used in several video applications including composite video, the granddaddy of all video connections. The RCA plug is not, by its very nature, a 75 Ohm design. This little detail hasn't stopped it from becoming as ubiquitous as a dust-bunny and only slightly more expensive. Older video formats such as analog C-Band satellite, laser disc, and VHS or Beta should be connected using a composite interface for maximum performance. It is HIGHLY likely that the comb filter function implemented in a modern performance-oriented projector or monitor is vastly better than any comb filter added to one of these video devices in order to provide an s-video output. It is also used as three connectors for component video. The component interface is the most common extended definition video interface in use on contemporary consumer products. Component connections send one luminance and two phase-opposite chrominance signals on three 75 Ohm coaxial cables. Wholly analog, the 770.3 component interface boasts the same robust nature as RGBHV. Regardless of other connection schemes, this is one you have to include if you want your system to be truly universal in nature.

The f-type connector is used on coaxial cable, and is widely used for cable TV, satellite TV, and off-air TV antenna applications. The connector is round with the conductor of the cable itself poking through the center of the connector body. Most f-type connectors are threaded, so that they can be screwed into place. Some f-types don't have threads, and are merely pushed onto the mating connector. F-type fittings can be terminated in a few different ways: crimp, twist-on, or compression. A compression fitting is the preferred method, because it offers the most secure termination, with the lowest amount of RF leakage. The origin of the name of f-type connector is not widely known.

The 4-pin Mini Din connector is most often used for s-video applications. It has 4 pins arranged in 2 rows, and a keying block to make certain the plug cannot be inserted improperly. Even though an s-video connector has 4 pins, it only carries two signals — luminance and chrominance. The other 2 pins are used for signal ground connections. This super video interface protocol was first introduced by JVC® with the very first s-vhs video decks around 20 years ago. S-video sends an analog video signal on two 75 Ohm coaxial cables. One conductor delivers a luminance signal which is a black-and-white wide-bandwidth television signal. The other delivers a chrominance (color) signal which normally is a composite signal riding "under" the luminance information at a frequency below the 3.58 MHz "color burst" frequency. Many sources transmit a video signal using this two-part interface. Contrary to common belief, s-video does not improve resolution. That is a function of the bandwidth of the connection, a commonly accepted "rule of thumb" being that you get approximately 90 lines of resolution for each MHz of bandwidth. S-video does, however, greatly improve color resolution allowing for a tighter and more refined image.