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== Multiple signals ==
Several generic digital data connection standards are designed to carry audio/video data along with other data and power:
* [[USB]] was designed as a single connector to support all needs, including any generic data, audio/video, power, and more; [[DisplayLink]] is its most successful Audio+Video protocol. Until the 3.0 revision, very low data rates meant most A/V needed alternative connectors.
* [[USB-C]] can directly transport USB 3.1, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, HDMI, and [[Mobile High-Definition Link|MHL]] protocols, with power, and audio and many other protocols are possible.
* [[Thunderbolt (interface)|Thunderbolt]] is the successor to FireWire, a generic high-speed data link with well-defined audio/video uses. The latest Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C as its connector, though not all USB-C is Thunderbolt-compatible.
* [[FireWire]] is a generic data link with audio/video standards used on Camcorders (particularly [[MiniDV]]), and high-end studio audio and video equipment.
* [[DisplayPort]] carries digital audio and video, as well as auxiliary information, along with its [[Mini DisplayPort]] cousin.
* [[IPod dock connector|Apple 30-pin dock connector]], a docking cradle for Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad, and its [[Lightning (connector)|Lightning]] successor.
* [[Apple Display Connector|ADC]], now-defunct Apple Display Connector
Some digital connection standards were designed from the beginning to primarily carry audio and video signals simultaneously:
* [[HDMI]] combines DVI-compliant uncompressed video data with compressed or uncompressed audio, and supports other protocols.
* [[Mobile High-Definition Link]] (MHL)
Many analog connectors carry both:
* [[F connector]]sconnectors, also known as RF connectors, were the standard analog connector of the analog era in the Americas, used primarily with [[coaxial cable]] ([[RG-59]] and [[RG-6]]), and have been repurposed for generic digital data connections.
* [[SCART]] was the standard connector of the analog era in [[Europe]].
* [[S-Video]] was an improvement over the F connector.
* [[Phone connector (audio)|Tip-ring connector]] with 4 conductors.
=== S/PDIF ===
The electrical coaxial cable (with [[RCA Jack|RCA jacks]]) or optical fibre ([[TOSLINK]]).
Note that there are no differences in the signals transmitted over optical or coaxial [[S/PDIF]] connectors—both carry exactly the same information. Selection of one over the other rests mainly on the availability of appropriate connectors on the chosen equipment and the preference and convenience of the user. Connections longer than 6 meters or so, or those requiring tight bends, should use coaxial cable, since the high light signal attenuation of [[TOSLINK]] cables limits its effective range.
=== HDMI ===
[[High-Definition Multimedia Interface ]] (HDMI) is a compact audio/video standard for transmitting uncompressed digital data. ▼[[File:HDMI.socket.png|thumb|left|HDMI Type A socket]]
▲[[High-Definition Multimedia Interface]] (HDMI) is a compact audio/video standard for transmitting uncompressed digital data.
There are three HDMI connector types. Type A and Type B were defined by the HDMI 1.0 specification. Type C was defined by the HDMI 1.3 specification.
Type A is electrically compatible with single link DVI-D. Type B is electrically compatible with [[Digital Visual Interface#Connector|dual link DVI-D]] but has not yet been used in any products.
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===IEEE 1394 "FireWire"===
[[IEEE 1394 ]] (branded "FireWire") is a digital data transfer protocol commonly used for [[FireWire camera|digital cameras ]] (common on MiniDV tape camcorders), but also used for computer data and audio data transfers. ▼[[File:FireWire-46 Diagram.svg|left|thumb|The 6-circuit and 4-circuit alpha FireWire 400 connectors]]
▲[[IEEE 1394]] (branded "FireWire") is a digital data transfer protocol commonly used for [[FireWire camera|digital cameras]] (common on MiniDV tape camcorders), but also used for computer data and audio data transfers.
Unlike Point-to-Point connections listed above, IEEE 1394 is able to host several signals on the same wire, with the data delivered and shown on the destination set. It is also fully bi-directional, with its full bandwidth used in one direction or the other, or split directions up to its maximum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1394ta.org/about/HANA/HANA_Presentation_041808.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-06-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606225931/http://www.1394ta.org/about/HANA/HANA_Presentation_041808.pdf |archivedate=2011-06-06 }} Demonstrating the multi-device capabilities of IEEE A/V network.</ref>
=== DisplayPort ===
[[DisplayPort ]] is a digital display interface standard (approved May 2006, current version 1.4 published on March 1 2016). It defines a new license-free, royalty-free, digital audio/video interconnect, intended to be used primarily between a computer and its display monitor, or a computer and a home-theater system. ▼[[File:DisplayPort Connector.svg|left|200px|pinout_caption=External connector (source-side) on PCB]]
▲[[DisplayPort]] is a digital display interface standard (approved May 2006, current version 1.4 published on March 1 2016). It defines a new license-free, royalty-free, digital audio/video interconnect, intended to be used primarily between a computer and its display monitor, or a computer and a home-theater system.
The video signal is not compatible with [[Digital Visual Interface|DVI]] or [[High-Definition Multimedia Interface|HDMI]], but a DisplayPort connector can pass these signals through. DisplayPort is a competitor to the HDMI connector, the [[de facto]] digital connection for high-definition consumer electronics devices.
== Audio connectors ==
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