If you're confused about where to plug what this should help.

There are so many connections on my TV can you tell me what goes where?

It’s true there are a multitude of connectors and cables connected with a home cinema (pardon the pun). They look quite confusing on your first exposure to them but manufacturers like to give their customers lots of options and that’s really why there is so many. The SCART connector, very popular in the UK and Europe was an attempt at standardising a single connector to allow video and audio signals to be carried in one cable.

The Composite Video connection as seen to the right carries the video signal only so no audio will be heard if you only have this cable connected. It is colour coded YELLOW for easy reference and this is a standard so you wont get confused no mater which manufacturers the equipment you purchase. This is known as an RCA connector or Phono.

The SCART connection is the most common and carries all the signals in both directions. So audio, video, in and out are all taken care of in one cable. This is why this connector has become so popular over the years and why many Plasma’s and LCD’s have two or three of this type of connector on the back of their sets.
Although it is easier from a connection point of view it does not provide the best quality. The quality of the picture is very much at the bottom end of the scale. For most people a SCART is all they need but for the people who want to create the best picture possible the SCART just doesn’t cut the mustard.

The S-Video connection is the next step up and is better than the composite because it separates the “luminance” i.e. the white and the “chrominance” i.e. the colour. It does not carry any audio information so again separate audio cables are also required if you use S-Video but it is a much better picture. You won’t find an S-Video connector on your normal VCR but DVD players and Plasma and LCD TV’s always have them.

The next quality up and the best connection to use is Component Video. Called component because it breaks the signal up into three different components. If you have these connectors on your DVD player then we recommend you use them as you will get the best picture quality possible (assuming you use good quality cables).
These are RCA connectors the same as the yellow composite video connector but these are a different colour so it will be easy to tell the difference. Also these are always grouped together in threes. A GREEN, BLUE and RED as can be seen in the picture on the right. They are also marked with Y B and R. If your TV or DVD player has Progressive Scan capability then the connectors are labelled with a PB and PR to let you know this is a Progressive Scan output. This will give you an even greater quality picture. This is only video information again so separate audio cables are required.

VGA (Video Graphics Array) Inputs. All the Plasma and LCD TV’s we have seen also include a VGA connector. Sometimes these are on the front of the TV behind a drop down flap and sometimes they are on the back and they are used for connecting a computer to your TV. As a Plasma or LCD TV is essentially a very large computer screen it makes sense to allow you to view your computer on it. These are a 15 pin socket that is a standard for computer peripherals. This will allow you to plug in a standard cable that will go from your monitor socket on your computer to the TV. This is great for playing computer games for both the small and big kids of the household. Carries video only.

DVI (Digital Video Interface) Inputs. This is similar to the VGA connector and is used to connect your computer to the TV but there are more and more DVD players coming on the market that have a DVI connector. It is different to the VGA because this is a purely Digital connection thus ensuring maximum quality transfer of the signal from the DVD player to the TV. This means there is no conversion between analogue and digital which always takes some toll on the signal quality. This may well be the future of high quality connections for home cinema. Until the next thing comes along of course.

When it comes to audio connections there is only a couple of choices so it is far less confusing that all the different video options.

Stereo Audio analog connections are colour coded with Red and White "RCA" connectors. These support both mono or stereo analog audio. You can use these to connect any of your home cinema components. You will find these on the back of your VCR, DVD, Amplifier, Sound cards on your computer. They carry audio signals only and the cables are usually colour coded the same so connection is easy to figure out.

The other type of audio connection is Digital. This is done via an Optical Audio connection. Digital Optical Cables use light to transfer the data from your DVD player to your Amplifier. This type of connection enables you to experience full Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS sound as in any high-end digital entertainment system including the cinema because the signal stays digital. Using a 5 speaker set up you will hear sound effects and music tracks in a totally different way. The sound from a system like this has to be heard to be believed but it is only possible if your source i.e. your DVD disc is encoded as Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS which stands for (Digital Theatre Sound). You will also need a Receiver/Amplifier that supports DD 5.1 or DTS in order to use this connection and enjoy the full cinema experience. The cables for these optic connections are easily available and are not expensive. This carries audio.
You won’t find this connector on your TV as this can only be put to good use if you have a 5 speaker setup and you can’t do that with a speaker either side of you’re TV.