I was told for long runs always go optical, as coax picks up interference.
Coax only good for short connections.
Also, as it is pulses of light, on and off, it either works fully or not at
all,so no degregation of sound.
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
"Ash" wrote in message



Can several digital optical leads be linked together with no loss in
quality?

You mean to make a longer cable?

Not recommended. However there are such things as optical repeaters such
as
the one shown at
http://www.connecttech.net/product_i...oducts_id/1096 .

With optical leads, can they be any length without effecting quality?

No, their length is usually considered to be limited by their relatively
high optical losses and the limited sensitivity and power of the optical
receivers and transmitters.

Usual length limit is about 30 feet without a repeater.

Conventional wisdom is that if you want a long digital run, use coax. If
your equipment has only optical inputs and outputs, there are
optical-to-coax converters for reasonable prices.

In article ,
Ash wrote:
I was told for long runs always go optical, as coax picks up
interference. Coax only good for short connections.

You should tell that to pro studios etc, as digital distribution is
invariably co-ax for much greater runs than domestic ones could possibly
be. From studio to transmitter it will probably be optical at some point.

Also, as it is pulses of light, on and off, it either works fully or not
at all,so no degregation of sound.

That's the beauty of digital in general, not just optical,

--
*I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
Ash wrote:
I was told for long runs always go optical, as coax picks up
interference. Coax only good for short connections.

You should tell that to pro studios etc, as digital distribution is
invariably co-ax for much greater runs than domestic ones could possibly
be. From studio to transmitter it will probably be optical at some point.

Also, as it is pulses of light, on and off, it either works fully or not
at all,so no degregation of sound.

That's the beauty of digital in general, not just optical,

--
*I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

"Ash" wrote in message


I was told for long runs always go optical, as coax picks up
interference. Coax only good for short connections.

Depends what you call long and short. At one time communications for the
whole US were tied together only with coax and RF transmission. It worked.
Optical replaced it, but it was as much about bandwidth for cross-sectional
area and weight and cost for the cable as due interference pickup. So,
there's no doubt that coax runs can be very long and remain effective.
However most inter-city communications cables are optical.

Today, optical is often chosen for communications between buildings in a
complex or small community, which are runs on the order of fractions of a
mile to several miles or longer.

These optical connections are not made with inexpensive technology like
Toslink. And, they were historically made with coax. Now that communications
volumes are higher, optical is more practical.

Runs on the order of several hundred feet are still being made with either
twisted pair copper or coax. Toslink is still limited to about 10 meters per
run.


Also, as it is pulses of light, on and off, it either works fully or
not at all,so no degregation of sound.

Copper twisted pair and coax are also based on pulses of electricity, either
on or off. It works pretty much fully or not at all.

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
"Ash" wrote in message



Can several digital optical leads be linked together with no loss in
quality?

You mean to make a longer cable?

Not recommended. However there are such things as optical repeaters
such as the one shown at
http://www.connecttech.net/product_i...oducts_id/1096 .

With optical leads, can they be any length without effecting
quality?

No, their length is usually considered to be limited by their
relatively high optical losses and the limited sensitivity and power
of the optical receivers and transmitters.

Usual length limit is about 30 feet without a repeater.

Conventional wisdom is that if you want a long digital run, use
coax. If your equipment has only optical inputs and outputs, there
are optical-to-coax converters for reasonable prices.

"Ash" wrote in message


I was told for long runs always go optical, as coax picks up
interference. Coax only good for short connections.

Depends what you call long and short. At one time communications for the
whole US were tied together only with coax and RF transmission. It worked.
Optical replaced it, but it was as much about bandwidth for cross-sectional
area and weight and cost for the cable as due interference pickup. So,
there's no doubt that coax runs can be very long and remain effective.
However most inter-city communications cables are optical.

Today, optical is often chosen for communications between buildings in a
complex or small community, which are runs on the order of fractions of a
mile to several miles or longer.

These optical connections are not made with inexpensive technology like
Toslink. And, they were historically made with coax. Now that communications
volumes are higher, optical is more practical.

Runs on the order of several hundred feet are still being made with either
twisted pair copper or coax. Toslink is still limited to about 10 meters per
run.


Also, as it is pulses of light, on and off, it either works fully or
not at all,so no degregation of sound.

Copper twisted pair and coax are also based on pulses of electricity, either
on or off. It works pretty much fully or not at all.

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
"Ash" wrote in message



Can several digital optical leads be linked together with no loss in
quality?

You mean to make a longer cable?

Not recommended. However there are such things as optical repeaters
such as the one shown at
http://www.connecttech.net/product_i...oducts_id/1096 .

With optical leads, can they be any length without effecting
quality?

No, their length is usually considered to be limited by their
relatively high optical losses and the limited sensitivity and power
of the optical receivers and transmitters.

Usual length limit is about 30 feet without a repeater.

Conventional wisdom is that if you want a long digital run, use
coax. If your equipment has only optical inputs and outputs, there
are optical-to-coax converters for reasonable prices.