Amazon Basics Digital Optical Audio Toslink Cable, 6 Feet, Black

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Older devices with HDMI may not support audio over HDMI. Optical audio ensures compatibility with those devices. Surround Sound/Home Theatre - Many high-quality sound systems use a digital optical cable to connect a subwoofer to a receiver. This makes the sound quality getting through the subwoofer significantly higher than it would be comparing to only connection with speaker wire. So, while HDMI is ideal for combined audio/video, optical digital audio remains a valuable alternative for specific situations. How to Connect an Optical Cable From Your TV to Home Theater You'll have to consult our guide on what size TV to buy if you have enough space for this gigantic display, but once you confirm that you do, there's no reason not to go for the 75-inch Toshiba C350 Series 4K TV if you can afford it. With such a large screen, you'll feel like you're watching movies in the theater, especially with the sharp details and bright colors provided by 4K Ultra HD resolution and High Dynamic Range in the form of Dolby Vision and HDR 10. The consumer version of the TOSLINK standard has stayed stable for decades. A TOSLINK optical audio cable from the 1990s will work just like one you buy today.

If you look carefully, you will see that this matches the shape of the port on your device. So be careful when inserting the cable into your device. For sending your TV’s audio to your sound system. You may be able to use HDMI ARC for this, but many devices don’t have ARC support.

What is an Optical Audio Cable used for?

You may not have enough HDMI ports on a device. Using optical audio for audio frees up the HDMI ports for video-only connections. Also, HDMI has the advantage of HDMI ARC and eARCconnections, where you can send audio from a TV to a soundbar or AV receiver. Although optical audio cables are available with a variety of different connectors and profiles, they primarily feature a TOSlink design. Often called TOSlink, Toshiba-link or just Digital Optical Cable, optical audio cables are the only audio cables that are optical. These types of audio cables are usually limited in length for reliable transmission, without the need for a signal booster or a repeater How fast are Optical Audio Cables? Both optical and coaxial digital audio are called S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) connections and send the same quality audio. For example, you might have an optical output on your Blu-ray player but wish to send audio directly into your amplifier – which only has a coaxial digital audio input.

They work up to a distance of 300 meters and also support coaxial audio connections. Optical vs HDMI: Which Is Better? In this example, there is an optical output and a coaxial connection above it – plus some other connections you don’t need to worry about right now. This is commonly thought to be the maximum resolution of optical audio – although there is a question of why many devices don’t support higher resolutions.In addition to our overview above, people often have specific questions about optical audio cables and connections. Here are some of the common ones. Are TOSLINK, Optical Audio, and Digital Audio All The Same?

Here is a handy table comparing the differences between optical and HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC connections: Optical, HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC Connection Comparison In the picture above, the optical port has a protective ‘door’ that will move out of the way when you push the cable in. Along with HDMI, optical and coaxial are the two primary connection types for sending digital audio. Long HDMI cable runs can sometimes cause signal issues, so optical audio provides a reliable separate audio path. Another consideration is that the sound quality may vary by device. Before you hear a digital audio signal, you must convert it to analog audio.If you already have this problem with your existing equipment, there are a couple of solutions that may work: If you are sending the same audio format, it will sound the same regardless of whether you are using optical or HDMI. Switch on the TV and amplifier. Ensure the TV’s output is enabled, and you select the correct input on the home theater system. You may be tempted to buy the most expensive optical cable because you think it will sound better. But it won’t sound any different.

The sound quality of optical and coaxial connections in the real world will be similar – and the one you choose will usually depend on your devices’ connections or the cables you have available. How to Convert Digital Optical Audio to RCA Coaxial Remove protective caps from the optical cable, TV optical output and home theater system optical input. TOSLINK connections were initially designed to run to a maximum of 48 kHz. However, many newer devices increased the supported resolution to 24/96. For more detailed information on this, go to how to connect an optical audio cable to your TV and soundbar. Problem: Does Your TV’s Optical Output Support 5.1?

How fast are Optical Audio Cables?

Some optical ports have a protective cap over the hole, which you must remove before you plug in the cable. You can see an example of this below: Optical output with a protective plastic cap Connecting an optical cable from a TV to a home theater system is relatively simple. The basic steps are: