Whether you're setting up computers, connecting servers to a KVM switch, or hooking up your new DVD player, you're going to find a variety of connectors. Some connectors like S-video and RCA types are used for specific applications; others are not. The type of connector may simply depend on which manufacturer's machine you have. Naturally, popular applications include television broadcasting and business uses videoconferencing, for instance but video also works well in a variety of different industries. Hospitals use video technology to broadcast surgeries. Manufacturers use video to monitor fabrication processes. And one of the most popular video applications in almost every industry is security. These industries may also have different configurations for their video networks. Some more common closed-circuit television (CCTV) configurations include the following:
- Pan/Tilt/Zoom (active security cameras)
- RS-422
- Multiport hub
- Hub-to-hub
- Installation with rack panel
- Elevator surveillance (traveling cables)
There are also different configurations for multimedia A/V applications.
- S-video
- Remote scan converter
- Video and audio (standard distance)
- Video and audio (up to 3000 ft. [1 km])
No matter what the configuration is, you?ll find that the connectors vary widely in design, sophistication, and application. To clear up some questions you may have, let?s take a look at some of the more common applications and connectors you?ll encounter.
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BNC
The BNC (Bayonet-Neill-Concelman) connector is used with coax cable. It has a center pin, which connects to the center conductor of a coax cable and a metal tube connected to the cable shield. A rotating ring outside the tube locks the male BNC to the female connector. It's most often found on high-end monitors because it makes a better electrical connection than the more common HD15 connector. Cable with five BNC connections, used by a PC or a Macintosh computer with VGA, supports separate horizontal and vertical sync. (Sync, both vertical and horizontal, refers to the part of the video signal responsible for maintaining a refresh rate high enough that the picture remains steady, sharp, and clear.) It usually features an HD15 connector on the opposite end to connect to the CPU. Cable with four BNC connectors combines vertical and horizontal sync onto one connector. This cable usually has a DB15 connector on the opposite end for connection to a Macintosh computer.
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HD15
The HD15 (High-Density 15-pin) connector, now the de facto standard for PC graphics, first appeared on the scene when IBM introduced the VGA Standard in 1987. As higher resolution standards such as XGA and UVGA have come along, they, too, have used the HD15 connector. The HD15 has also been used in Sun and Macintosh systems. However, the ubiquitous low-cost HD15 is rapidly approaching the physical limits of its bandwidth and is gradually being replaced by newer, high-bandwidth connectors such as the DVI connector (below).
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13W3
The 13W3 connector looks like a DB25 connector but with some of the pins replaced with three tiny coax connectors. It?s found on graphic-intensive systems such as legacy Sun systems, as well as some SGI and RS/6000 computers. The 13W3 is slowly being replaced by less-expensive HD15 connectors (above) and higher-bandwidth DVI connectors (below). You can connect systems with 13W3 connections to an HD15 multisync monitor by using an adapter.
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DVI
The DVI interface provides high bandwidth for today's devices as well as plenty of headroom for the future. There are two main types of DVI connectors found on most displays and adapters. The DVI-D is a digital-only connector. The DVI-I supports both digital and analog connections. Although not in common use yet, look for more DVI connectors in the future as DVI is backed by many major manufacturers.
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F-Type, S-Video, RCA
These are the connectors you'll find on the back of TVs, VCRs, and DVD players. The 'F' connector is the threaded coax connector used with CATV (Cable TV). It combines audio and video signals onto a single connector. The RCA connector separates audio and video signals over different cables to provide cleaner video. The S-video connector, found on DVD players, is a 4-pin mini DIN connector. S-video provides very high video quality because it runs the black-and-white information (luminance) and the color information (chrominance) over separate pins. Computer video can be displayed on devices with these connections by using a hardware or software converter to translate horizontal and vertical scan rates.
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