Composite Video

What Does Composite Video Mean?

Composite video combines chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) information into a single analog video transmission. It contrasts with component video, which separates moving picture information into basic elements and transmits them individually. While component video is good for optimizing signal quality, composite video saves bandwidth and requires fewer connection ports.

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Techopedia Explains Composite Video

Like component video, composite video was developed concurrently with the advent of color television. Also like component video, composite video is often transmitted via coaxial cables, but with only one connector (since all color and brightness information is encoded into one stream) and often paired with stereo audio connectors. In RCA format, these connectors are usually identified by color: yellow for the composite video signal, red for the right audio signal and white for the left audio signal.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…