What Is an RCA Cable?

RCA cables have been connecting home audio and video components since the early part of the 20th Century. Also known as RCA connectors / phono connectors / Cinch connectors, the RCA designation came from the connectors’ early use as a method to connect record players to radios made by the Radio Corporation of America.The name of the first company to design and produce electrical connector cables in the 1940s.

RCA male plug phono connector Black RCA04MRCA female plug solder phono connector Black RCA04Fshark tyle phono male plug black housing RCA10Mshark shape Phono female connector Black shell RCA10F

Today RCA cables are specifically used to connect the audio and video components of a variety of devices, including televisions, gaming consoles, DVD players, VCRs, speakers and cable boxes. RCA cables are capable of transmitting analog audio, digital audio, component analog video and composite analog video. Each signal type has a color and every cable plug is color-coded to help you identify which type of signal it will transmit.

DVD player rear panel      Y Pb Pr subsampling

Active Powered PA Speaker rear panel          audio mixer desk

RCA Cables in Analog Audio

The transfer of analog audio signals is still one of the most popular uses of the RCA cables today,you can finds RCA cables connecting 1/8″ stereo connector on mp3 players / phone to Mixer desk and active power speaker, and it finds one red RCA and one white RCA connecting the many inputs and outputs of mixing desks and active power speaker.

Usually RCA cables will have two channels (Right and Left), one white channel for the left signal and another red channel for the right signal.One complaint of RCA cables is that less well made models can lead to significant unwanted noise, so you should choice the right unbalanced microphone cable, oxygen free copper as conductor, PE insulation,good bare copper shielding for noise rejection.
Another thing to remember is that application of RCA cables, To plug an mp3 player into RCA connections, you would need an 1/8” stereo mini JACK to a dual RCA (Right and Left channel) cable. Dual RCA to Dual RCA analog cables are commonly found in DVD player and DJ Mixers、active power speaker. Single RCA to RCA cables、Single RCA to 1/4″ TS JACK cables and Single RCA to XLR cables can be used to transfer mono signals, or as composite video connections, which opens the door to another use of RCA cables. Single RCA to Two RCA (Right and Left) cable and Two RCA (Right and Left) to Single RCA cable for splitter signals or combination signals.

CYJ16 Dual RCA Analog Audio Cable CYJ18 Dual 6.35mm TS Jack to RCA patch CableCYJ20 Dual XLR to RCA Patch CableCYJ21 Classic Dual XLR to RCA Patch CablePMLT07 8-Way RCA Multicore cable

RCA cable for combination signalsCRR02 RCA Patch Cable with RCA male to RCA maleBXR01 Basic XLR Male to RCA Male Audio DJ CableBXR02 Basic series XLR Female to RCA Male Patch CableBMD05 5-pin DIN to Dual RCA female Audio Link CableCYB02 Classic mini JACK Ipod to Mixer dual RCA Cable GoldCYB03 Classi Stereo JACK To RCA Insert CableCYB04 Classic Mono JACK Signal Combiner or Splitter CableCYB23 Classic thread locking mini JACK Ipod to Mixer dual RCA Cable

Composite Video RCA Cables

Composite video signals typically consist of 480i NTSC/576i PAL standard definition video signals. It’s not designed to be used for high-definition analog or digital video signals.
These are the reasons it has become popular, in the past few decades, for televisions (as well as DVD players and VCR) to include at least one built-in set of three female RCA connectors, labeled with the colors yellow, white and red. Often, a built-in set will be found on the front of TVs to enable easy access to plug in video cameras and other devices.
The composite usually has one yellow connector used for video display and the red and white for sound.

Composite Video RCA Cables

Component RCA cable

This cable is composed of red, blue, and green colored video lines. At times you can get it in red, black, or white audio cables. This is mainly for distinguishing purposes only.
Basically, Y, Pb\Cb, and Pr\Cr are component video cables. To get the right color signal, you should check that the cables are connected correctly. The Y cable should be connected to the HD decoder, the Pb cable to the Pb outlet, and the Pr cable to the Pr outlet. In most consumer electronics, Y is green, Pb is blue, and Pr is red(RGB colors).RGB was converted into brightness and two color difference signals (B-Y and R-Y) for TV/video
Component RCA cables are of better quality compared to the composite RCAs. They are also proportionate to HD TV. In essence, these cable brands contain a better resolution capacity than most other cables. The capacity involves a 480p, 576p, 720p, and a 1080p quality.

Y Pb Pr Component RCA to HDMI cable   Y Pb Pr Component RCA to VGA cable     Y Pb Pr Component RCA cable

Converting RCA to HDMI cables

Many HDTVs use HDMI cables that use digital signals. Digital signals have a better quality sound, high resolution, and a superior color compared to analog signals. However, this should not be a reason to purchase new devices for you to enjoy better picture quality and a much better sound.
All you need to do is simply use inexpensive converters. This can be the composite to HDMI converter or Component to HDMI converter whereby you can easily convert signals from your analog system to function well with your HDMI TV. Most of the RCA to HDMI adapter cables have the ability to upscale resolutions from 720p to a full 1080p HD.

RCA to HDMI cables

RCA Cables in Digital Connections

In addition to carrying traditional analog audio and video signals, Also RCA cables can be used to carry digital signals. S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format) is the most commonly used form of transferring digital signals, and the RCA cable is typically a 75Ω coaxial cable. The cable transfers a compressed digital audio signal usually to a home theater system that supports Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound.

BBC03 75 ohm BNC to RCA CCTV cable

RCA cables and connections are some of the most widely used components in pro audio and home audio visual systems, and numerous variations of types of RCA cables make them a very versatile tool when building a sound system, home theater or recording studio. Suteer has many different types of RCA cables to satisfy all of your sound and video needs.