Hi Mason,

Here it is in English (literally and hopefully figuratively) without the technical jargon.

There are four basic ways to deliver video in your home theater, and in order of quality they are:

- Coax cable with F connectors (video and audio)
- Composite video
- S-video
- Component video

Each requires it's own cable/connector combination.

- Coax cable with F connectors (video and audio):

RG59 is a type of coax cable with no connectors on the end. This is the cable that brings your cable signal and/or satelite signal into your house. F connectors are crimped on to coax in this usage. F connectors are those that screw on to the terminal on the back of a TV, cable box, satelite receiver or VCR. The signal traveling over this usage of the coax is called RF, and it contains both video and audio. It is through this technology that most of the viewing public gets its TV: The coax cable comes out of the wall, screws into the back of the VCR; another coax cable then leaves the VCR and screws into the back of the TV. Simple, but not the highest quality.

- Composite Video:

A composite video cable is a special cable you buy with RCA connectors on each end to route video-only from one device to another. These cables are often color-coded as gold. They look like audio cables, but have better shielding. You buy this cable with connectors already attached.

- S-Video:

S-video offers better picture quality than composite because it uses the "funny" connector on a shielded cable to separate the different parts of the video signal. You buy this cable with connectors already attached.

- Component Video:

Component Video is an even higher quality signal, and separates the signal into three parts. A component cable is actually three cables, each of which has RCA connectors on the end. You buy a set of component cables with RCA connectors already attached. You could simulate a component connection by using three composite cables, but don't. Component cables are of significantly better quality than composite cables and should be used instead of composite, even though composite cables will physically fit.

Composite, S-video and Component cables do NOT use coax cable; they use varying grades of video cable, which is a different animal. Do not use coax with RCA connectors as a video cable; buy the appropriate cable as described above.

If you take a length of RG59 coax cable and add RCA connectors to the end, you now have a digital audio cable. This is used for digital audio ONLY from your DVD to your receiver.

I realize that this explanation will not be technical enough for some, but hopefully it is a good place to start.

Regards,

Scott