Digital Audio
S/PDIF (SPDIF)
'Sony/Philips Digital Interface'
IEC958 (named IEC60958 at 1998) is the standard for AES/EBU and S-PDIF. S/PDIF is the consumer version of the AES/EBU-interface.
The two formats differ only in the subcode information and the connector.
Signal transport: 75-ohm coax cable with cinch or BNC connector. By specification, the max. length is 25 feet. With good 75-ohm cable and good 75-ohm connectors it is possible to run much longer lines. It depends also on the quality of the transmitter, the receiver and the impedance match for the entire line.
Optical version: plastic fiber cable with Toslink connectors, max. cable length 10 meters.
S/PDIF |
Cable |
75ohm |
|
Line Driver |
Zout: 75ohm +/-20% (100kHz .. 6Mhz) |
Vout: 0.4Vpp .. 0.6Vpp |
Line Receiver |
Zin: 75ohm |
Vin: 0.2Vpp .. 0.6Vpp |
Connector |
RCA (or BNC) |
|
Signal Level |
0.5..1V |
|
Modulation |
biphase-mark-code |
|
Subcode information |
SCMS copy protection info |
|
Max. Resolution |
20 bits (24 bit optional) |
|
Comparison between AES/EBU and S/PDIF |
| AES/EBU | S/PDIF (IEC-958) |
Cabling | 110 ohm shileded TP | 75 ohm coaxial or fiber |
Connector | 3-pin XLR | RCA (or BNC) |
Signal level | 2..7V | 0.5..1V |
Modulation | biphase-mark-code | biphase-mark-code |
Subcode information | ASCII ID text | SCMS copy protection info |
Max. Resolution | 24 bits | 20 bits (24 bit optional) |
Digital audio (SPDI/F and AES/EBU) contain frame rate (timing speed) information in the audio bit stream but not frame number (timecode) information. Therefore timecode can not be 'withdrawn' out of the audio bit stream.
S/PDIF
to Toslink Converter, MIDIman
Full S/PDIF
Information by EPANORAMA.NET