Monday, September 13, 2010

Development Of Optical Cables Over The Years

By Areelitaha Joahlanski

Optical cables, also named as TOSLINK, are optical fiber cables designed primarily to carry audio signals between consumer audio equipments nowadays. Gadgets today such as DVD players and home theater systems generally have these digital optical outputs. They enable digital audio to stream from one source to a specific decoder, and then out to speakers. These cables deliver high quality audio every time.

S/PDIF standards have become the general standard for audio streaming. Gaming consoles and high definition multimedia players nowadays employ such sockets to enable high definition audio streams. Typically, audio signals go through decoders which then decodes these signals according to their formats. Because of this, high quality audio can be paired up with high definition videos and movies. Its speed has also greatly improved over the past years, now able to transmit signals even faster.

When it first came out in 1983, optical cables were only capable of carrying speeds of up to 3.1 Mbit per second. Today, they are able to have bandwidths of up to 125 Mbit per second, clearly showing that they indeed have evolved. Fibre optic cables are utilized.

Home theater setups at home generally have these digital optical cables for audio connections. Running from the source to the decoder, they usually need decoders to decode the audio signals to project surround sounds. They were then limited to 48 KHz at 20-bit. Nowadays, they are utilized to carry and support almost all audio formats. DTS and Dolby Digital are some of them.

A lot of companies manufacture optical cables these days. Optical fiber cables are then coated with resin, with a plastic jacket around it to further strengthen the cables. These layers are not meant to interfere with the optics, since they only protect them. Typically, fibers are made out of plastic or glass, and are thin and transparent. As light is transmitted from one end to the other, they carry audio signals with them. Each end goes into optical audio ports in the decoder and in audio players or other electronics.

A number of computers today even utilize these audio ports to pair up with high definition video outputs. Speakers with 5.1 or 7.1 capabilities can then be utilized, as well. Home theaters can also support surround sound systems with these cables. Audio cards and other external sound cards easily upgrade computers and laptops, thereby enabling them to project exceptional surround audio.

With the right cables and equipment, you can surely then enjoy exceptional audio right in the comforts of your home. - 40724

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