What exactly is an RCA connection?

Question

My new Dish Network receiver says I can connect to external devices using an "RCA connection," but I don't know what that is, and nothing on the schematic is marked "RCA." I want to hook up my VCR to be an external device, rather than routing the signal through the VCR and then to the TV. Would that be the appropriate way to do it?

Thank you!

Answer 1

it is just a type of connector. the connector is a ring and a pin.

they look like this:

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets...

Answer 2

The first part of this answer deals with what an RCA lead is and not how to use it. The second suggests ways of how to connect your equipment. If you need further assistance please don't feel afraid to ask.

I don't know why manufacturers have elected to call Phono Plugs RCA but this is what they have done.

An RCA plug is a Phono Plug and has been used for over the past three decades to link audio and visual signals from one piece of equipment to another. Each plug comes with two terminals: one positive and one negative; the negative is called "Earth"

Old Phono plugs (used to connect stereo equipment) were coloured Black and Red. A Black Phono plug for the Left channel and a Red Phono plug for the right. When, twenty years ago, VHS videos were introduced, these two Phono leads were increased to three. A White Phono plug was added connected to a thicker one core shielded lead, which would allow video signals to be carried through it.

Today, a normal RCA lead consists of three coloured Phono Plugs: one Red (for the right audio channel); one Black (for the left audio channel); and one Yellow (for the video channel). All RCA leads do not use a thicker single core shielded cable to transmit visual images.

It is my opinion that an RCA or Phono connection is far superior than the very old Three Pin or Five Pin or Seven Pin Din leads which they replaced and definitely infinitely superior to the very foolish SCART connections which currently replace the RCA/Phono leads.

The old Pin Din leads have got to be considered the fore-runner to the current SCART lead. One major difference is that a SCART lead should have a seperate Earth connection to each channel (whether it is audio or visual), while the old Pin Din leads did not. However, if you care to open up any cheap SCART lead that you have bought you will find to your horror that all the Earth leads have been connected to the same terminal!

In my opinion it is foolish for a manufacturer to offer SCART connections. A SCART socket has 21 connections. Lets examine exactly how many connections you will need for an excellent AV transmitted signal. One each (positive and negative) for the following infrastructure:

01+02>Audio in (recording) right channel

03+04>Audio in (recording) left channel

05+06>Visual in (recording)

07+08>Audio out (playback) right channel

09+10>Audio out (playback) left channel

11+12>Visual out (playback)

13+14>Bilateral audio out (playback) right channel for Dolby surround

15+16>Bilateral audio out (playback) left channel for Dolby surround.

Sixteen possible connections instead of 21. Foolish using a SCART.

Dolby Digital 5·1 surround does not need or use Bilateral tracks. Therefore: no more than 12 connections are required.

Most DVD recorders only come with one In and one Out SCART socket. Thus, each only needs a maximum of 12 connections (6 if the recorder is Dolby 5·1).

As stated above, most cheap SCART leads have all the Earth leads connected to one terminal. Thus 12 becomes 7 and 6 becomes 4.

By using RCA/Phono leads you are guaranteeing the seperation of the Earth and thus must get an infinitely superior connection to that of any cheap SCART lead.

RCA leads are inferior to Phono leads because, although both use the same Phono plug an RCA lead only uses a thin cable to connect visual signals.

You can try this out, if you want. connect the visual RCA (yellow coloured plug) to a piece of equipment further away than twelve meters and then see if you receive a picture. You will not! To carry this picture you will need to connect a single core shielded cable to either gold or gold plated Phono plugs  that has a thicker density than any RCA lead you can purchase.

Any good quality Phono plug will be able to carry multiple selections of the signals you want to transmit. Therefore connecting one channel to one Phono plug and then connecting this plug to multiple Phono plugs will not cause any problem whatsoever, which will mean that you can connect as many DVD or VHS machines and televisions as you require and suffer absolutely no degradation of quality. You will definitely not need to purchase an amplified source, as many so called AV experts might suggest. Using an inferior plastic Phono plug is probably going to be the main reason for any loss in transmitted signal that may befall you.

I can answer your question specifically, if you provide me with details of your own VCR. Most VHS VCR's have two SCART sockets. These can be either one: both input and output; and one: input only. What does your VHS machine have?

The chances are your SCART socket labelled socket number two, is the normal SCART that you would use to connect A/V signals from a Satellite or Freeview box. If the box you want to connect from does not have a corresponding SCART connection, all you need to do is one of the multiple choices provided below:

1> buy an adapter and plug this into the existing VHS VCR's SCART number two's socket. The adapter will have on one side: a male SCART plug and on the reverse: three colour coded (Black for left audio) (Red for right audio) (Yellow for visual) Phono/RCA female plugs.

Then just buy an RCA or three Phono to three Phono lead and connect your VCR and Satellite or Freeview box together. Each Phono plug will be colour coded. Black for left audio; Red for right audio; Yellow for visual.

2> buy a three Phono to male SCART lead and connect the two devices. The Phono leads will be colour coded. Black for left audio; Red for right audio; and: Yellow for visual.

3> best choice but a lot more complicated.

Buy a SCART adapter (as detailed in choice one, above)

Buy three two-way Phono adapters (one for each channel. That is: Right audio; Left audio; visual.

Each adapter will have a male Phono plug on one side and two female Phono plugs on the reverse.

Connect the three two way adapter Phono plugs to the Phono sockets of the SCART adapter

Buy an RCA lead (that is: three male Phono to three male Phono) and connect the three Phono's (all coloured coded: Black for left audio; Red for right audio; and Yellow for visual, to the three Phono two way adapters and the Phono Satellite or Freeview box.

Buy another RCA lead (that is: three male Phono to three male Phono) and connect these plugs, colour coded to the second outputs of the three two way Phono adapters and the other end of the RCA lead (three male Phono to three male Phono) to your television.