Vital Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 What is the best for watching DVDs? I would think fiber-optic but I could be wrong. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons and what do most people like better? Thanks~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpg Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Fiber Optic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 You're going to get an equal number of opinions on either way, suggesting there is no one that is better than another - just personal preference and what is important to you. Electrical connection is less likely to break and may give a more reliable connection. Optical connection is, well, not sure what's better about it except it doesn't conduct electricity which for those of us with a ground loop hum can be very important. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USparc Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 If the connection on both types is good there will be no difference. The connections of fiber could be less then that of the coax. Fiber optic is better to separate the components electrical. Like dougdrake said to eliminate humm caused by ground loops. My dvd-player is coax connected. My pc is fiber optic connected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efzauner Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Both work fine. Keep in mind this is DIGITAL DATA. That means there is little or no effect of noise. Somewere in history someone decided that optical cable was cool and started that. Considering the low data rates, there is little technical need to go to an optical link. Coax is perfectly able to do the job. Don't confuse the simple digital optical links used in DVD and Home Theatre with the optical fiber systems used in the Internet. They are very different technology implementations. For a bit more information see: http://www.timefordvd.com/hardware/DVDBuyingGuide.shtml#AudioOuputs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 ---------------- On 6/9/2003 10:37:10 AM efzauner wrote: Both work fine. Keep in mind this is DIGITAL DATA. That means there is little or no effect of noise. ---------------- The data is digital, but isn't a digital coax cable still susceptible to EMI though? To me it seems logical that it is, therefore I'd prefer to go optical...just to in case. On a similar note, does anyone think there would be a difference between using your run of the mill optical cable and a more expensive glass optical cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 "Don't confuse the simple digital optical links used in DVD and Home Theatre with the optical fiber systems used in the Internet. They are very different technology implementations. " Very true. And even at that, it is very common to deliver bandwidth in excess of 50mbps over copper for short distances, as in VDSL applications. And that is far beyond the requirements for a DVD player! DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou8thisSN Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 get Optical, it sounds cooler and your friends will be impressed. I would if you told me you had a fiber optic connection from your dvd to your reciever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USparc Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 LOL You are really funny. Do you all really think I have a fiber link to have access to the internet. I have cable --> coax cable. I mean that my pc is connected to my pioneer with a 10m fiber link for the sound. My motherboard has an optical out (ABIT BE-7RAID) "Don't confuse the simple digital optical links used in DVD and Home Theatre with the optical fiber systems used in the Internet. They are very different technology implementations. " Indeed they are!!! Im in the DSL business -> Alcatel!!! ADSL or VDSL are solutions to use the mass copper under the ground for broadband access. All those ADSL and VDSL connection are multiplexed on to a fiber link. Over a few years you will get the fiber directly to the home. What do you think of a 155Mbps link!! To go back to the topic. There are for both pros an cons. It depends all on the quality of the connections itself for fiber and shielding for coax and how they are used. Just listen and decide for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I had optical running to my CD player, and I guess I bent it the day I was hooking up my xbox. I don't even remember bumping it, but now I have a $40 piece of worthless plastic. Go Coax. It's a no-brainer. It's cheaper and sounds exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 "What do you think of a 155Mbps link!!" OC-3. Yawn . How about 0C-192? Seriously, though, will be interesting to see what happens with FTTH (Fiber To The Home). Costs of provisioning into established areas, newer technologies that may obsolete/negate benefits of it by the time it gets deployed, etc... It's a future full of unknowns, that's for sure! Who knows? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USparc Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Hey dougdrake, I was originally involved a few years back in the FTTH project at alcatel. Fortunately it was stopped. Probably to soon. To much copper under the ground and too few fibers. Solution: ADSL or VDSL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Vital I use COAX whenever possible over TOSLINK. TOSLINK is the protocol used for audio optical cable. As for a show of hands who has ever ran into a ground hum problem on there COAX connection...... Probably more people have seen the LocNess monster firsthand or struck by lightning and lived. It happens but so rarely that I would not worry about it. I investigated this a few years back when I noticed an audio delay on a few DVDs running TOSLINK and learned that the TOSLINK protocol has way too many loosey goosey specifications in it. Since each manufacturer writes there own TOSLINK coder/decoder, there interpetation of the protocol can create these timing errors. The only time I would use TOSLINK would be if I had the some manufacturers equipment on both sides of the cable period. Since I am a component freak and buy best of breed, this is not an option. COAX does a lot cleaner job of transfering the source digital signal to the digital audio converter IMO. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vital Posted June 9, 2003 Author Share Posted June 9, 2003 Great, these were the answers I was looking for. I'll go with Coax and see how it is. I've been using the little cheap hookups that came with my DVD player. I'll get the new speaker wire and coax Wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 ---------------- On a similar note, does anyone think there would be a difference between using your run of the mill optical cable and a more expensive glass optical cable? ---------------- I'll step up and answer this. The cheap f.o. cables are blade-cut. This leaves some seriously ragged edges, which create refraction errors in the optical transfer - massive increase in jitter. The ultra-cheap plastic versions have a tendency to absorb light along the way (believe it or not) and dramatically increase both jitter and sideband distortion. Of course, a cheapo coaxial cable (read: garden-variety audio cable) will do that and worse. Digital transfers are even more suseptible to transfer issues than analog - don't think you can get away with cheap cabling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 ---------------- On 6/9/2003 10:37:10 AM efzauner wrote: Both work fine. Keep in mind this is DIGITAL DATA. That means there is little or no effect of noise. Somewere in history someone decided that optical cable was cool and started that. Considering the low data rates, there is little technical need to go to an optical link. Coax is perfectly able to do the job. Don't confuse the simple digital optical links used in DVD and Home Theatre with the optical fiber systems used in the Internet. They are very different technology implementations. For a bit more information see: http://www.timefordvd.com/hardware/DVDBuyingGuide.shtml#AudioOuputs ---------------- Actually, Optical and Coaxial digital audio is just another example of Beta vs. VHS... If you look at their trade names, it suddenly becomes clear... S/PDIF (digital coaxial) - Sony / Phillips Digital InterFace. Toslink (Dolby digital optical) - Toshiba link. Please note that Toslink is only the proprietary Dolby Digital optical transfer. There are many other proprietary formats for lightpipe transfer - but they're pretty much pro audio recording formats. Why else do you think all Sony receivers are set up by default to accept digital coax from the DVD player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Something else to include in the vote for coax. It is a direct path to the receiver, where as the optical signal has to be converted to light, travel over a very delicate glass tube, then be converted back to an digital signal. I use Coax for my DVD, but my TiVo has optical only, so I am using both, with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Oh, I forgot to mention I saw the Loch Ness monster in my pool last night! In my case, my ground loop does not ORIGINATE from a coax connection 'tween my DVD and receiver. It originates somewhere else in the video system (TV or VCR - don't have cable) and using fiber permits me to isolate my audio system from my video system, so the ground loop has no effect. I would imagine, actually, that several people have encountered group loop hums stemming from their video system somewhere, but maybe it just happens in the Bermuda Triangle which is my HT room Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Time to get Mr. Drake a Monster Power Center... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Griff - Got one. Monster's not a panacea!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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