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Video Types
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Best
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HDMI
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HDMI has high resolution Digital Video and Digital Audio. Capable of RGB or Y-Pr-Pb digital video, depending on your equipment. HDMI is used on STB's (Set Top Boxes) , Receivers, Display devices such as HDTV's, LCD's, Projectors, Plasmas and now many DVD players with upconversion to HD resolution.
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Better Yet
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DVI
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This can be either a Digital only connection as seen above, or a Combination Digital and analog connection. For Home Theater it is typically Digital only. Many new DVD's and STB's (Set top Boxes) for Satellite (DSS) or Digital Cable TV have these connectors. Capable of high resolution 8-bit RGB video.
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Better
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Component
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(Y-Pr-Pb) - This is used on most HDTV's and decent or better DVD players. Notice the Red, Green and Blue color coded connectors. Capable of very high resolutions, but these are slowly being phased out in favor of digital connections. Generally being phased out for copy protection issues.
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Good
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S-Video
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S-Video - Better than composite video because it seperates the luminance (white level) and chrominance (color information). Used on DVD's, TV's, Satellite receivers and Cable TV boxes. Also used on some Computers with TV outputs.
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Basic
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Composite
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Composite video is the most basic (analog) connection between a video signal source (e.g., DVD player, VHS VCR, analog camcorders) and a video display (e.g., analog TV, Digital TV-HDTV set). It consists a single RCA cable.
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Audio Types
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Best
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HDMI
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HDMI has high resolution Digital Video and Digital Audio. Capable of RGB or Y-Pr-Pb digital video, depending on your equipment. HDMI is used on STB's (Set Top Boxes) , Receivers, Display devices such as HDTV's, LCD's, Projectors, Plasmas and now many DVD players with upconversion to HD resolution.
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Best
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Digital Optical & Digital Coaxial
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Digital Audio connections, Coax on left, Toslink Optical on the right. Digital Coax uses orange color coded RCA connections. These support AC3, Dolby Digital (5.1, etc.), DTS, S/PDIF. Use either connection.
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Better
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Analog 5.1 (etc) Surround
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Analog 5.1 (etc) Surround sound. The color coded RCA connectors are still Red and White, designating analog but instead of L and R, you have C (center), FR (front right), FL (front left), SL (surround left), SR; (surround right), and SW (subwoofer). For Dolby Digital or DTS 6.1 or 7.1 there will be more! Surround sound analog connections on computer sound cards use mini phone plug connections instead of RCA's since they are smaller.
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Basic
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Stereo Analog Audio
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Stereo Analog Audio connections use Red and White color coded RCA connections. These support mono or stereo analog audio.
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