THESE Plugs Are Really Cool

these days plugging in a tv or monitor is pretty simple you're probably just using like a single hdmi or displayport cable for video as well as audio and in case you've got some older gear you're likely familiar with rca cables that enable composite or component connections as well as those blue vga connectors for the legacy monitors we've covered that in this previous episode but did you know there are lots of more obscure connectors out there some of which are still around let's start about talking about one of the better known lesser-known video connectors this thing is called scart which is a french acronym that translates to radio and tv receivers manufacturers association also known as peritel if the name sounds kind of old school that's because it is scart has been around since 1976. it was developed in an attempt to standardize connection types across televisions and although it originated in france it ended up spreading across europe for its time it was a pretty advanced connector in that it allowed bi-directional communication unlike the composite rca connectors so popular in north america so scar could could actually communicate more directly with a cable provider for features like pay-per-view and subtitles and although scott was an analog connection later revisions could carry high definition signals kind of like component video over rca but because of the rise of hdmi this configuration didn't see a whole lot of use however scart remains popular with gamers who enjoy retro titles as it can actually carry rgb signals on separate channels resulting in higher picture quality it's kind of like vga folks in north america have even been known to spend extra money on skype equipment to get the best possible experience out of their older consoles and i feel like i'm being called out by this script moving on let's talk about this funky looking guy it's called a 13w3 connector it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue it might remind you of a funnier looking vga connector and that's because it kind of is 13w3 was actually one of the predecessors of vga and was notably used on some apple monitors that were meant to be paired with early macs those three big circular looking parts carried the actual color signals red blue and green one color for each contact they could also be used for power but that's aside the rest of the pins were used for things like grounding and synchronization similar to more recent vga connectors however 13 w3 cables aren't universally interchangeable as that power thing might suggest you don't want to send voltage down your rgb lines back then when they were popular monitors didn't all sync the same way either so some cables actually came with physical dip switches that you had to fiddle with in order to get your picture looking right so it's not too surprising that simpler connections like vga quickly overtook 13 w3 in popularity forcing it into obsolescence for our third act let's talk about something a little more contemporary hd base t wait a second that that looks like an ethernet connector it turns out that hdbaset does indeed use the same connector as ethernet i mean the t stands for twisted pair the kind of cable used for a standard ethernet and it actually does carry an ethernet signal along with 4k video 5.1 audio usb signals and even up to 100 watts of power basically it's a do everything kind of connection and it works over one of the cheapest cables out there so why hasn't most of the public heard of it and why are we not using it for basically all of our electronic needs the big issue unsurprisingly is cost hdbaset isn't meant to completely replace hdmi or any other standard really instead it's meant for places that need to transmit signals over long distances without a mess of expensive cables as ethernet cables are a lot cheaper per foot than hdmi but the problem is that hdbaset compatible equipment such as converters and receivers are quite expensive thanks to a more costly bill of materials and as such it's mostly a solution for larger organizations that have to deploy av gadgets over distance did we miss any of your favorite connectors let us know down in the comments you know i know it wasn't video but personally i missed those old 1284 printer connectors thanks to ifixit for sponsoring this video ifixit wants to help you repair or upgrade everything from your cameras to your game consoles their pro tech tool kit has 64 bits and ifix's most popular opening tools all rolled up into one package each kit also includes suction cups anti-static wrist straps and more and everything is covered by ifixit's lifetime warranty you can save time and money and repair your own electronics using ifixit's detailed step-by-step guides that have photos along the way so find your perfect repair kit by going to ifixit.com forward slash techquickie thanks for watching like dislike check out our other videos comment with video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow

Channel: Techquickie

Views: 814,743

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Id: P19nvJOmqCc

Length: 4min 44sec (284 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 30 2021