11 Cables every geek must know

Technology change everyday, and with these changes, the cables we use to connect our favorite gadgets change also. Here are 11 cables from the past, present and future every geek must know.

11) VGA (Video Graphics Array)

A VGA cable is a lead used for transmitting video signals. It is most commonly used to link computers with monitors. However, it is now used on some high definition televisions. There is a great debate about whether an analog signal such as that carried by a video cable can offer picture quality as good as the digital signal carried through methods such as HDMI or DVI. The plug usually is identified by the blue color and a 15-pin d-sub connector.

10) DVI ( Digital Visual Interface)

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video interface standard designed to provide very high visual quality on digital display devices such as flat panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors. It was developed by an industry consortium, the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) to replace the “legacy analog technology” VGA connector standard. It is designed for carrying uncompressed digital video data to a display. It is partially compatible with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard in digital mode (DVI-D), and VGA in analog mode (DVI-A).

9) HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data, connects digital audio/video sources—such as set-top boxes, upconvert DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, AVCHD camcorders, personal computers (PCs), video game consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and AV receivers—to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions.

8) S-Video (Separate Video)

Separate Video, more commonly known as S-Video, also called Y/C, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Super Video, is an analog video signal that carries video data as two separate signals: luma (luminance) and chroma (color). This differs from composite video, which carries picture information as a single lower-quality signal, and component video, which carries picture information as three separate higher-quality signals. S-Video carries standard definition video (typically at 480i or 576i resolution), but does not carry audio on the same cable.

7) Component Video (YPbPr)

Component video is a video signal that has been split into two or more components. In popular use, it refers to a type of analog video information that is transmitted or stored as three separate signals. Component video can be contrasted with composite video (NTSC, PAL or SECAM) in which all the video information is combined into a single line-level signal. Like composite, component-video cables do not carry audio and are often paired with audio cables. When used without any other qualifications the term component video generally refers to analog YPbPr component video with sync on luma.

Component video is capable of carrying signals such as 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, and new high definition TVs support the use of component video up to their native resolution.

6) Composite (RCA)

An RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals. The name “RCA” derives from the Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design by the early 1940s to allow mono phonograph players to be connected to amplifiers. This connector still being the most common cable to connect devices to the TV.

5) IEEE 1394 (FireWire)

The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer, frequently used by personal computers, as well as in digital audio, digital video, automotive, and aeronautics applications. The interface is also known by the brand names of FireWire (Apple), i.LINK (Sony), and Lynx (Texas Instruments). IEEE 1394 replaced parallel SCSI in many applications, because of lower implementation costs and a simplified, more adaptable cabling system. The 1394 standard also defines a backplane interface, though this is not as widely used.

FireWire 800 is substantially faster than Hi-Speed USB. Even so, not all personal computers utilize the FireWire protocol. Apple includes FireWire on some of their computers, not including the ultra-portable MacBook Air and consumer-branded MacBook. It is included on some HP portables (2540p and 2740p) as well as most Sony VAIOs and Lenovo ThinkPads.

4) Toslink (Optical Audio)

TOSLINK or Optical Cable is a standardized optical fiber connection system. Its most common use is in consumer audio equipment (via a “digital optical” socket), where it carries a digital audio stream between components such as MiniDisc and CD players and DAT recorders. Although TOSLINK supports several different media formats and physical standards, digital audio connections using the rectangular EIAJ/JEITA RC-5720 (also CP-1201 and JIS C5974-1993 F05) connector are by far the most common. The wavelength used is 650 nm.

3) DisplayPort

DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard put forth by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) since 2006. It defines a new royalty-free, digital audio/video interconnect, intended to be used primarily between a computer and its display monitor, or a computer and a home-theater system. DisplayPort is designed to replace digital (DVI) and analog component video (VGA) connectors in the computer monitors and video cards, as well as replace internal digital LVDS links in computer monitor panels and TV panels.

2) USB (Universal Serial Bus)

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a specification[1] to establish communication between devices and a host controller (usually personal computers), developed and invented by Ajay Bhatt while working for Intel. USB is intended to replace many varieties of serial and parallel ports. USB can connect computer peripherals such as mice, keyboards, digital cameras, printers, personal media players, flash drives, and external hard drives. For many of those devices, USB has become the standard connection method. USB was designed for personal computers, but it has become commonplace on other devices such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles, and as a power cord between a device and an AC adapter plugged into a wall plug for charging. As of 2008, there are about 2 billion USB devices sold per year, and approximately 6 billion total sold to date.