Audio and video connector

RCA connectors are commonly used for home stereo & video equipment.

Audio connectors and video connectors are electrical connectors (or optical connectors) for carrying audio signal and video signal, of either analog or digital format. Analog A/V connectors often use shielded cables to inhibit radio frequency interference (RFI) and noise.

Audio only [edit]

Audio connectors are electrical connectors designed and used for audio frequencies. They can be analog or digital. Common audio connectors include:

Digital audio interfaces and interconnects:
- ADAT interface (DB25)
- AES/EBU interface, normally with XLR connector
- S/PDIF, either over electrical coaxial cable (with RCA jacks) or optical fiber (TOSLINK).

white RCA/TS	analogue audio, left channel; also mono (RCA/TS), stereo (TRS only), or undefined/other
black RCA/TS/TRS
grey RCA/TS/TRS
red RCA/TS	analogue audio, right channel
orange RCA	SPDIF digital audio

For computers:

green TRS 3.5mm	stereo output, front channels
black TRS 3.5mm	stereo output, rear channels
grey TRS 3.5mm	stereo output, side channels
gold TRS 3.5mm	dual output, center and subwoofer
blue TRS 3.5mm	stereo input, line level
pink TRS† 3.5mm	mono microphone input

† Although the mic input is usually mono, the input is still a TRS phone socket. Many mono 'computer' mics are fitted with TRS plugs.

There are exceptions to the above:

Hosa cables use grey and orange for left and right analogue channels.
RadioShack cables sometimes use grey and black for left and right.
Older sound cards had non-standard colour codes until after PC99, prior to that there were no colours at all.

Video connectors carry only video signals. Common video-only connectors include:

Component video aka YPbPr (3 RCA or BNC; or D-Terminal)
Composite video (1 RCA, Antenna socket, or BNC)
DB13W3 ("13W3" computer video connector)
DMS-59, single connector carrying two DVI and two VGA
Musa, British connector used in broadcasting and telecommunications
PAL connector, common in Europe as an antenna connector
S-Video (1 Mini-DIN)
SDI - Broadcast grade digital interface over BNC cables
VGA connector A type of D-sub connector standard on most video cards
Mini-VGA Found on some laptop computers
5 BNC Connectors can also be used to carry the VGA signal as R, G, B, HSync, VSync
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) A hybrid analog/digital connector commonly found on PC graphics cards and LCD monitors
Mini-DVI Found on some Apple laptops
Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)
RGBI interface
RGB interface

Some connectors can carry both audio and video signals simultaneously:

HDMI is a new digital standard
FireWire is used on Camcorders, commonly ones using MiniDV tapes, and high-end audio equipment.
Digital Media Port a connector proposed by Sony on its audio/video products
DisplayPort carries digital audio and video, as well as auxiliary information
Unified Display Interface (UDI)
F connectors are used with RF modulators for televisions without direct inputs
SCART, now the most common in Europe
TRS phone connectors with more than one ring, or Sony's hybrid RCA with a TRS pin
Coaxial cable/RG-6/RG-59/Cable television (CATV)

Other composite connectors that carry video, audio, power, and USB:

ADC, now-defunct Apple Display Connector
Apple 30-pin dock connector, a docking cradle for Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad
Portable Digital Media Interface (PDMI) - includes DisplayPort for digital video and audio, analog audio, USB 3.0, and power