optical video connection? (1 Viewer)

[chuckg]

Just idly wondering if there has been any thoughts of developing an optical digital video connection standard - seems like a great way to eliminate ground loops, eliminate level-matching problems, and a host of other troubles. Hey, if they can do it for audio (and for computer networks) it seems like video/graphics is next on the list!

 

[Mort Corey]

The cable companies have been laying miles of fiber optic cable so in that respect, it may be closer than you'd think.

Mort

 

[Leo Kerr]

I thought he was suggesting between, say, your HD-DVD and the display.

I'd like it, but good glass connections seem to be costly, and the plastic ones just don't go far enough. And the cost of adding a optical tranceiver would be... $500/unit, at least (at the end user level; not manufacturing.)

Leo

 

[Shane Martin]

Chuck et all,
They do make optical DVI cables. They are not cheap though.

http://www.digitalconnection.com

 

[Kevin C Brown]

One of the tidbits I found out over the years, is that for digital audio, a coax digital connection is actually higher bandwidth than a toslink optical connection, for example. So for a home user, I don't know if there'd be any benefit to an optical video connection.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Digital connection methods eliminate these problems, largely, and HDMI/DVI/SDI connections etc all do the trick pretty well when implemented in an electric domain. They are also done optically, as mentioned, but it costs galore, and the benefits would be over long runs where the cost becomes astronomical, but in some systems, and with some budgets....