analog audio to digital optical converter

Numerous newer video game systems of the last few generations lack a left and right RCA output too, as well as a 3.5mm jack. An ASC does this, as well as provides the proper plugs to get everything going.Īs an alternative to a coaxial cable, many of these converters are equipped to handle TosLink, a digital method developed by Toshiba, that sends audio signals in the form of light pulses (and would need to be converted to analog). If you wanted to, for example, connect your brand new HDTV that only has optical or coaxial outputs (digital), to your old stereo receiver that only has RCA inputs (analog), you’d need to convert that digital sound back to analog first. What Do You Need an Audio Signal Converter For? But nowadays, music and movies are streaming digitally – what was once physical now exists only as a computerized representation in a music or media file on your laptop, tablet, TV, or online. Traditionally, like for LPs back before computers, a band’s sound could be recorded right onto a record’s grooves, and re-produce the original sound when the needle read it.

In order for your devices to communicate with each other and send the signals that become video and audio, sometimes they just require a “translator,” and that’s where an ASC saves the day. These can be shorthanded in a bunch of various ways (such as A/D, ADC, D/A, and DAC) but they all perform the same function, going in both directions depending on what you need.

Typically, there are two types of audio converters: digital to analog, and analog to digital. It’s a frustratingly flustering moment, but the missing piece may be as simple as a small black box known as an audio signal converter.Īn audio signal converter, or ASC, can also be a great way to prolong the life of an old but beloved piece of equipment like a stereo receiver, and keep it connected to a modern TV or gaming console with a newer format, despite the two devices lacking matching inputs and outputs. Hooking up your home theater system can be a literal tangled web of wires and cords, only to find out your cables aren’t compatible with your audio sources, or you can’t connect up two units because of a lack of proper ports. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Analog audio to digital optical converter