Shop

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) has become the de-facto standard in high-definition connectivity. It is the only cable that can support both 1080p video and digital surround sound on a single cable. It is also the only cable that supports 3D video. If your components have HDMI inputs and/or outputs, this is without question the cable you want to use to maximize your system performance.

Typical components that would use this connection are Blu-ray/DVD players, HD cable/satellite boxes, Internet media players, A/V receivers and HD TVs/projectors. Make sure you buy a cable that is long enough to suit your needs, keeping in mind it may need to be routed through or around a cabinet, depending on your situation.

Shop HDMI cables ›

Component video is the next best home theater video connection after HDMI. As opposed to the digital HDMI connection, this is an analog signal. It is also capable of high-definition video at 720p or 1080i resolution, but it does not support 1080p or 3D. Also, this cable does not transmit audio signals. A separate audio cable will be needed to complete the A/V connection. Standard color coding for these cables and the corresponding input/output jacks is red, blue and green.

Typical components that would use this connection are Blu-ray/DVD players, HD cable/satellite boxes, Internet media players, A/V receivers and HD TVs/projectors. Make sure you buy a cable that is long enough to suit your needs, keeping in mind it may need to be routed through or around a cabinet, depending on your situation.

Shop component video cables ›

S-video is the next best home theater video connection after HDMI and component video. It is not capable of high-definition video or 3D. Like component video, this cable is only for video and does not transmit audio signals. A separate audio cable will be needed to complete the A/V connection.

Typical components that would use this connection are DVD players, VCRs, A/V receivers and non-HD TVs/projectors. Make sure you buy a cable that is long enough to suit your needs, keeping in mind it may need to be routed through or around a cabinet, depending on your situation.

Shop S-video cables ›

Composite video is the next best home theater video connection after HDMI, component video and S-video. It is not capable of high-definition video or 3D. Like component video and S-video, this cable is only for video, and does not transmit audio signals. However, it is often bundled with an analog stereo audio cable (yellow, red and white plugs) for convenience.

Typical components that would use this connection are DVD players, VCRs, A/V receivers and non-HD TVs/projectors. Make sure you buy a cable that is long enough to suit your needs, keeping in mind it may need to be routed through or around a cabinet, depending on your situation.

Shop composite video cables ›

Coaxial cable (also known as RF cable) is typically the connection used for A/V signals coming into your home — from a cable company, satellite dish or antenna. This cable supports both audio and video signal transmission.

Typical connections with this cable are for incoming A/V signals directly to a TV or to a set-top box from a cable or satellite provider. If you have an older TV with only this type of input, devices such as DVD players or gaming systems can be connected to the input using an optional RF modulator.

Shop coaxial A/V cables ›

Many TVs are now including a VGA port, which enables the connection of a computer to a TV. This is useful for viewing Internet content or playing video games on a screen that is larger than a computer monitor. As with most other analog video connections, VGA is only for video and does not transmit audio signals. Some VGA cables are bundled with a 3.5mm stereo audio cable for convenience in completing the A/V connection from the computer to the TV.

Shop VGA and other PC cables and connectors ›

Except for HDMI, optical digital audio is the best audio-only connection available. This cable supports 5.1-channel digital surround sound, and because it transmits the digital signals in the form of light, it is immune to potential electromagnetic and radio frequency interference (EMI and RFI). Alternate names for this connection are fiber optic, S/PDIF and Toslink.

This cable is most commonly used for audio connection from a Blu-ray/DVD player, cable/satellite box, gaming system, etc. to an A/V receiver when HDMI is not an option.

Shop fiber optic (optical digital audio) cables ›

Coaxial digital audio is a good-quality, audio-only connection if you are not using HDMI or optical cable. This cable supports 5.1-channel digital surround sound and the standard color coding for the connector and corresponding input/output jacks is orange.

This cable is most commonly used for an audio connection from a Blu-ray/DVD player, cable/satellite box, gaming system, etc. to an A/V receiver when HDMI or optical cable are not options.

Shop digital coaxial cables ›

Cables designed specifically for connecting a subwoofer to an A/V receiver or amplifier are the best option for this connection. These cables send the appropriate audio signals through the subwoofer channel, maximizing the performance of a 5.1-channel or 7.1-channel surround-sound system. The standard color coding for the connector and corresponding input/output jacks is purple.

Shop subwoofer cables ›

Stereo audio cables provide basic 2-channel analog audio connectivity between your VCR, CD player or DVD player and your home theater receiver (or the audio inputs on your stereo TV, in the case of your DVD player or VCR, if you don't have a receiver). They provide a better signal transfer than coaxial RF A/V connections, but a digital connection is vastly superior. The standard color coding for the connector and corresponding input/output jacks is red and white.

Note: Three pairs of high-quality stereo audio cables can also be used to connect high-resolution multichannel audio players (SACD or DVD-Audio) to 5.1-channel inputs provided for this purpose on certain receivers.

Shop speaker cables ›

In conjunction with many TVs that include VGA ports for connecting a computer to the TV, a 3.5mm stereo audio input is also becoming very common. This audio input enables an easy stereo audio connection from the headphone jack or sound card output to the TV, completing the audio/video connection. This type of cable can be purchased separately, or as a VGA/3.5mm stereo audio bundle.

Shop speaker cables ›

Many home theater components, such as TVs, Blu-ray players and Internet media players, such as Roku, are now including built-in apps that enable streaming of Internet-based content. While some of these components can be connected wirelessly to a Wi-Fi network, it is sometimes necessary to connect these components to a network router/switch with an Ethernet cable. While some content can be streamed using Cat-5e Ethernet cables, it is advantageous to use Cat-6 for high-definition content that requires additional bandwidth.

>Shop Ethernet cables ›