Compare optical cable and HDMI

Perhaps, every person wants his house to be a place not only for sleeping and occasional meals, but also for a good rest. And manufacturers of household appliances offer a variety of devices for entertainment. Huge TVs, powerful gaming computers, 7.1 multi-channel audio equipment — all this will help you relax, unwind and get new impressions.

But, if special technical skills are not required to use such devices, then they are needed more than ever to connect and configure. Questions arise already at the installation stage. For example, which wire to connect your 7.1 speaker system to the sound source — optical or HDMI?

In this material, we will figure out which is better — an optical cable or HDMI?

Optical cable

Optical cable in home audio systems is used exclusively for transmitting high-resolution multi-channel audio. Thanks to this, it can be used to connect powerful stereo systems.

In addition, the optical cable supports audio signal transmission with Digital Theater Systems (DTS) or Dolby Audio surround playback technologies. They are perfectly compatible with multi-channel audio systems (2.1, 5.1 and 7.1 types), and also provide realistic reproduction with the correct construction of the scene. DTS and Dolby Audio are at their best when watching movies and listening to music.

The optical cable has another important advantage — the «light signal» is completely «indifferent» to the action of external electromagnetic fields. Therefore, interference in such wires is not induced. Optical cables are recommended to be used for connection in rooms where there is already a huge amount of equipment, and not limited to just routers and TVs.

There is only one disadvantage of an optical cable (well, except for the fact that it is used only for sound transmission) — the wire itself is quite rigid and not flexible. But only in this case it is able to conduct light. When installing, it is worth considering these features of the wire — most likely, it will not work to quickly hide it in a cable channel or behind some kind of decorative plug.

It is worth noting that the optical cable exists in three versions. The most popular is coaxial. It is he who is used in the vast majority of devices with an S / PDIF connector.

S/PDIF TTL is similar in principle to coaxial, but uses a slightly different interface of the transmitted signal. The wire type is the same. S / PDIF TTL is used in high-end sound cards — for example, in professional ones — but in home audio equipment «a rare visitor».

TOSLINK is an extremely unusual standard. It is used in laptops and is often combined with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

HDMI cable

HDMI is a universal interface for multimedia transmission. In fact, it’s even reflected in its name. The abbreviation stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. This interface is used to transmit both video, audio and audio-visual signal at the same time.

It is through the HDMI interface that in most cases high-definition playback devices are connected to the TV — digital television receivers, game consoles, home theaters and much more. One wire is used for both video and audio.

The main advantage of HDMI is that it supports true multi-channel audio. For example, the Generation 2.0 interface introduced in 2013 supports up to 32 channels of audio! Of course, surround sound technologies like DTS or Dolby are also implemented.

Also among the advantages of the interface, you can add support for ARC — Audio Return Channel. This is important for some home multimedia systems. ARC has been supported since the 1.4 generation introduced in 2009. However, it is used in very exotic situations.

Among the shortcomings of HDMI, one can only single out the limited length of the cable. So, with a wire of 2 meters or more, the high-resolution signal may already be partially lost. However, if you use the interface to connect audio equipment, then a stable connection will be achieved even on 5-meter lines.

So, let’s sum up.

It’s worth noting that HDMI also exists in multiple iterations called «generations». Despite the fact that the wire itself, regardless of the version, is universal, the interface may differ in functionality.

So, the same 32-channel audio signal is only available in generation 2.0 and newer. But owners with equipment equipped with generation 1.4 will have to be content with 8-channel (audio systems 7.1).

Comparison and which is better

So, an optical cable is an interface for transmitting only an audio signal, and HDMI is both audio and video at the same time. But the difference between the wires is not limited to this.

In the vast majority of cases, it is better to use an optical cable to connect an audio system to a sound source (home theater, digital receiver, game console, computer).

HDMI cables are best used in more exotic situations. For example, if the sound source simply does not have an S / PDIF connector. Connecting an audio system via HDMI is implemented only if the transmitter has an output connector, and the receiver has an input connector. In this case, ARC technology is just involved. However, there are very few TVs with it — and the corresponding output connector.