Studio Tameez | Part 1 | Cables

Rameez Ansari
Jul 24, 2017 · 6 min read

Venturing into filmmaking without knowing your equipment, workflow and technology — is like with desire to fly jumping off the cliff. We don’t want anyone to die. Therefore, we are starting this series of Studio Tameez where we will decode few of the basic equipment, workflow, terms and technology every film maker must know.

Let’s get connected to this series through…

CABLES

A cable can be defined as “an insulated wire or wires having a protective casing and used for transmitting electricity or telecommunication signals.” Cables are one of the most important but the over-looked part of a production process.People hardly identify that are different types of cables and each of them are has different uses. Lets look at the different types of cables that are used in video and audio transmission:

1. Composite video cable or RCA:

It is a standard type of cable that is used to transmit stereo audio and composite video signals between devices such as televisions, satellite or cable receivers, DVDs, VCRs, gaming consoles, speakers etc. All RCA cables come with two or three colour coded connectors. The red one is for right stereo and the white or black for left stereo. An additional third connector, the yellow one is for composite video.

2. S Video Cables:

An S-video cable is used for a standard definition video connection. It is only for video and requires separate audio cables.It provides a better image quality than a composite video cable.The S-video cable carries video using two synchronised signal and ground pairs, termed Y and C.Y is the luma signal, that carries the luminance or black and white of the image, including synchronisation pulses. C is the chroma signal, that carries the chrominance or colour of the picture. This signal contains both the saturation and the hue of the video.

3. XLR:

XLR cables are generally used in professional audio and video setups. The main use of XLR is to block electrostatic noise and reduce annoying buzzing, humming and any sort of radio interference. XLR connectors are available in male and female versions. The number of pins in XLR connectors ranges from three to ten.

4. HDMI:

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is used for for transmitting uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital audio data from a HDMI-compliant source device viz., a display controller, to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or a digital audio device.Though there is no standard rule for the length of HDMI cable, yet it becomes difficult to get certification beyond 13m. There are various versions of HDMI cables. The most recent version, HDMI 2.1 was announced by on January 4, 2017 . There are different different types of HDMI cables:

  • Standard HDMI Cable (which are rated for 1080i and 720p signals.)
  • Standard HDMI Cable with Ethernet.
  • Standard Automotive HDMI Cable.
  • High Speed HDMI Cable.
  • High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet.

5. USB 2.0 Type-A:

USB Type A connectors, officially called Standard-A connectors, are flat and rectangular in shape. Type A is the “original” USB connector and is the most recognizable and commonly used connector.

USB Type-A connectors are supported in every USB version, including USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and USB 1.1.

USB Type A plugs are also found at the end of cables that are hard-wired into a USB device.

Price₹ 275.00 (Amazon.com)

6. USB 2.0 Micro-B 5 Pin:

The USB micro B connector has become the new universal standard connector used on most smartphones and tablets. This USB 2.0 cable features a USB A male plug on one end and a USB micro B male plug on the other end.

Price ₹ 913.00 (Amazon.com)

7. USB 3.0 Type C:

The two ends of the cable.

USB-C is the emerging standard for charging and transferring data. Right now, it’s included in devices like the newest laptops, phones, and tablets and — given time — it’ll spread to pretty much everything that currently uses the older, larger USB connector.

Most of the leader of mobile companies,like Samsung, Motorola, Oppo, etc, are applying this change and most of the new launches has USB-C.

Price- ₹898.00 (Amazon.com)

8. USB 3.0 Micro-B 10 Pin:

The USB 3.0 Micro B connector is found on USB 3.0 devices. This connector is designed to carry data and power in USB SuperSpeed applications. Cables with this connector are not backwards compatible with USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 devices.

USB 3.0 Type A

The USB 2.0 standard offers a theoretical maximum signaling rate of 480 megabits per second, while USB 3.0 defines a maximum rate of 5 gigabits per second. In other words, USB 3.0 is theoretically more than ten times faster than USB 2.0

USB 3.0 is a newer version of USB 2.0. It is faster and better.

Price ₹ 284.00 (Amazon.com)

9. Lightning:

Introduced on September 12, 2012, to replace its predecessor, the 30-pin dock connector, the Lightning connector is used to connect Apple mobile devices like iPhones, iPads, and iPods to host computers, external monitors, cameras, USB battery chargers, and other peripherals.

This USB 2.0 cable connects your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with Lightning connector to your computer’s USB port for syncing and charging. Or you can connect to the Apple USB Power Adapter for convenient charging from a wall outlet.

Price ₹ 1,700.00 (Amazon.com)

10. LAN:

Anyone who has plugged their computer into a broadband Internet connection, such as cable or DSL, has used an Ethernet cable. Ethernet cables are the standard cables commonly used to connect a modem to a router or LAN, and likewise, to connect a router to a computer’s network interface card (NIC).

LAN cable can be any specific type of data cable used in computer networking. It technically refers to any cable that can only be run a short distance including most kinds of Coax and stuff terminated with a BNC or Ethernet Cables.

Price ₹ 225.00 (Amazon.com)


This article has been presented by Manita Nath and Rameez Ansari.

Zig-a-Zig-ah Da

This is the RTV Coursework Journal of SCM Batch 2017–18.

Rameez Ansari

Written by

Zig-a-Zig-ah Da

This is the RTV Coursework Journal of SCM Batch 2017–18.

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