Launched in 2002 the biggest benefit of hdmi is it s a one size fits all connection for video and audio.
Optical cable vs hdmi audio.
Both are better than analog the red and white cables.
Both types transfer a digital audio signal from one device to the other.
Then there s the threat of damage if an optical cable is bent too tightly.
If you watch movies frequently with a home theater system use the hdmi cable.
When comparing hdmi vs.
An optical digital connection uses the medium of light to transmit data through a cable s optical fibres which can be.
Optical audio cables for sound quality hdmi is better than optical.
Both hdmi and optical pass digital audio from one device to another.
Coaxial and optical cables are used in home entertainment systems to connect an audio source such as a set top box blu ray player or video game console to a component such as an amplifier audio receiver or speaker system.
In fact some have claimed that digital optical cables relay slightly better sound than an hdmi cable.
Optical cables use optical fiber to transfer data.
As you can see from the chart above hdmi is the best type of audio cable format available compared to optical digital coaxial and rca cables.
Most tvs do support optical cables but it s not nearly as popular as hdmi.
To clarify the official term for optical cables that are used solely for audio is toslink.
Another limitation that you may come across on an optical digital cable would be that the quality is limited to up to 5 1 channel.
Coaxial vs optical vs hdmi which is the best audio connection to use.
Moreover with optical cables the usage is limited to speakers up to 5 1 while hdmi takes advantage of dolby truehd and dts hd master audio.
Both can pass multi channel audio like dolby digital.
Although consistent and high quality it lacks the edge provided by the hdmi for video.
This is why between hdmi and optical the simplest advice is to go hdmi as much as possible.
A digital optical cable also referred to as an optical cable will produce a reliable and consistent sound.
If you can t optical is decent enough for your audio or sound needs.
An optical connection also can t support more than two channels of uncompressed pcm audio.
If the sound system is solely set up for audio and music either cable will perform the same function.
The basics of hdmi vs.
The end connections are a little oddly shaped and the link may not be secure as in the case of hdmi or coaxial cables.
Now although both cables deliver about the same result the way they achieve that result is very different.