Digital fiber optic cable vs. copper wire
Digital fiber optic cable has gained more and more ground in telecommunications and industry use, due to its great advantages compared to copper wiring: high bandwidth, high speed, small size and light weight.
Also called optic digital cable, this type of communication consists of a fiber cable, and uses light pulses to transmit a digital audio signal. Other audio cables, including RCA and digital coax, send electrical signals through conductive wires, but digital fiber optic audio cables use on/off pulses of light to send digital audio signals, used for surround sound formats.
A digital fiber optic cable not only makes good sound quality, but it also provides faster data transmission, making it superior to the other main audio options. This type of audio cable is frequently used with DVD, CD, S/PDIF, DACs, Cable TV, Digital VCR, personal computer etc. A fiber optic cable consists of a core and an outer layer called cladding. The core has a higher refractive index than that of the cladding, so when light is introduced, it is reflected at an angle off the top and bottom of the core; traveling along the wire, it carries the information contained within the signal.
Digital fiber optic cable systems are not affected by electrical and radio interference like the copper wires, but they can be affected by significant bends in the cable (when pulled around corners, for example) since they rely on light.
In order to connect two components (a transmitter and a receiver) via a digital fiber optic cable, first of all make sure that each component has an optical jack. Just pull out the plastic tab from each jack, then plug the cable into the jack. A beam of red light will be emitted when the tab is pulled out, and this red LED light will transmit the audio signal. Optical jacks are a great method of connection, and are included in numerous types of equipment.
The main use of a digital fiber optic cable is for home theater and audio, but its capacities are not limited to just this. Digital optical cables can also be used for other applications, such as car audio and navigation, factory and office automation or others.
Optical fiber technology is commonly used by many telecommunications companies in order to transmit telephone signals, Internet communication or cable television signals. Optical fiber has great advantages over copper wire in long distance and high-demand applications, due to the much lower attenuation (signal leakage) and interference in a digital fiber optic cable.