Church Video Connector Quick Guide
By: Anthony D. Coppedge, CTS
Church Media Consultant
www.anthonycoppedge.com
Jack / Cable / Name / Found On / Level of quality
/ / RF
a.k.a. radio frequency; antenna; cable; F-connector / TV’s, VCR’s, Cable Boxes / Lowest; However, because RF carries modulated signals, multiple channels can pass through one cable. Very easy to use with consumer equipment such as TV’s.
/ / Composite video
a.k.a. RCA video; video; A/V (when combined with audio jacks) / VCR’s, Camcorders / Low; composite video is easy to use (1 cable) but at a hit in performance and visual quality.
/ / Composite video
a.k.a. BNC video; video; 75 Ohm video / Industrial (semi-pro) and professional video equipment / Low; composite video is easy to use (1 cable) but at a hit in performance and visual quality.
/ / S-Video
a.k.a. 2-BNC / S-Video VCRs, Video Matrix, Video switcher, Distribution amplifiers / Medium; though better than Composite video, this format can still be easily exceeded by newer formats.
/ / S-Video
a.k.a. 4-pin; Super Video / Cable and satellite boxes, S-VHS VCRs, DVD players / Medium; though better than Composite video, this format can still be easily exceeded by newer formats.
/ / Interlaced component
a.k.a. component; Y, Pb, Pr; 480i / Standard DVD players / High; Component video is a large leap in quality from S-video and Composite video.
/ / SDI
a.k.a. Serial Digital; HDTV; Composite Digital / High-end broadcast equipment / Very high; Serial Digital is at the top of the video “food chain” and can carry large amounts of data. Uses single cables, like composite video, but at significantly higher quality.
/ / Broadband component
a.k.a. component; Y, Cb, Cr; wideband component; 1080i; HDTV / Regular and progressive-scan DVD players, HDTV receivers / Very high; Not in widespread use.
/ / RGB
Connections can also be made through RCA or BNC-type connectors, and adapters are available between all of them
a.k.a. VGA; 15-pin D-sub; RGBHV; HD15 / Computers, some HDTV receivers, video processors, and projectors / Very high; most VGA signals pass through HD15 (RGB) at very high resolutions; same signal path can also pass through on RGBHV (see below).
/ / RGBHV
Component analog signal
a.k.a. 5-wire; 5-BNC / Some computer monitors, some HDTV receivers, video processors, A/V switchers, professional Distribution Amplifiers and vide/data projectors / Very high; RGBHV means the Red, Green and Blue colors are separated for maximum quality and that the Horizontal and Vertical Sync information is also at maximum quality.
/ / FireWire
a.k.a. IEEE 1394; iLink / HDTV receivers, DVCam decks and cameras, and some computer cards / Can carry both low and high quality data; Firewire is not necessarily an indicator of quality, though it can carry very high quality data and video.
/ / DVI-D
a.k.a. DVI; Digital Visual Interface / Some video projectors, most LCD and plasma monitors / Highest (digital); but limited to one resolution at a time.
/ / DVI-I
a.k.a. DVI; Digital Visual Interface w/ Analog / Some video projectors, most LCD and plasma monitors / Highest (digital); but limited to one resolution at a time.