TOSLINK

TOSLINK / EIAJ optical

Clear TOSLINK cable with a round connector for S/PDIF connectivity.
Type	Optical digital audio connector
Production history
Designer	Toshiba
Designed	1983
Manufacturer	Toshiba
Produced	Since 1983
General specifications
Hot pluggable	Yes
External	Yes
Audio signal	S/PDIF bitstream. Originally limited to 48 kHz at 20 bits PCM. Extended by manufacturers to support additional formats.[citation needed]
Cable	Optical fiber, ~10 m (33 ft) maximum[1]
Pins	1
Connector	JIS F05 (JIS C5974-1993 F05)
Data
Width	Serial
Bitrate	3.1 Mbit/s (S/PDIF, 48 kHz PCM)[1] 15 Mbit/s (common TORX147 receiver) 125 Mbit/s (automotive, 2003)[2]
Max. devices	1
Protocol	Serial

TOSLINK (Toshiba Link)^[3] is a standardized optical fiber connector system.^[4] Generically known as optical audio, the most common use of the Toslink optical fiber connector is in consumer audio equipment in which the digital optical socket carries (transmits) a stream of digital audio signals from audio equipment (CD player, DVD player, Digital Audio Tape recorder, computer, video game console) to an AV receiver that can decode two channels of uncompressed, pulse-code modulated (PCM) audio; or decode compressed 5.1/7.1 surround sound audio signals, such as Dolby Digital and DTS. Unlike an HDMI connector cable, a Toslink optical fiber connector does not possess the bandwidth capacity to carry the uncompressed audio signals of Dolby TrueHD and of DTS-HD Master Audio; nor carry more than two channels of PCM audio.

Although the TOSLINK connector supports several media formats and physical standards, the most common digital audio connectors are the rectangular EIAJ/JEITA RC-5720 (also CP-1201 and JIS C5974-1993 F05).^[5] In a Toslink connector, the optical signal appears as a red light, with a peak wavelength of 650 nm.^[3] Depending on the type of modulated signal being carried, other optical wavelengths can be present.^[5]