With many versions of USB connectors being used in our everyday lives and new types of
connectors being released in the products we use and specify, do you know what's actually
going on when you plug in? Today, HowToAV helps you discover what the
latest USB version 3.1 is and why it's going to become even more important to the AV industry...
We all know what a USB connector is; we have them on the sides of our laptops, on the front
of an Xbox, digital video recorders, many modern televisions and, of course, mobile
and smart phone devices. They come in a number of different shapes
and sizes to fit the tech we all know and love, and all versions principally do the
same thing: Power Delivery and Data Transfer.
The common USB version 2.0 has 4 'conductors' (or 'wires') - a pair for power and a pair
for data; this allows us to charge our mobile phones and synchronise data simultaneously
with consoles or exchange data from point to point,
A true simplification in the way we manage our daily lives through our myriad of electronic
devices.
USB 2.0 was upgraded when USB version 3.0 came along in 2008. This version has 9 pins
and boasts 'superspeed' data transfer, so we get the power delivery we need for our
devices and the ability to transfer data at a much improved 5GB per second - up from the
speed of USB 2 which could only handle 480Mb per second.
This said, many users didn't even notice the change, as the sockets and connectors look
exactly the same and USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with version 2.
But recently there's been another upgrade with the introduction of USB version 3.1.
This latest version offers power delivery and data transfer just like before, but now
with a significant boost in bandwidth, we can all enjoy what's being called superspeed
Plus! Data-wise this latest upgrade now offers an
amazing 10Gb per second data transfer giving it the capability to fully support HD video
and becoming a new and really relevant connectivity option for the AV industry.
Prior to version 3.1, USB has only been capable of supporting 4.5 Watts of power delivery.
Now this latest version offers power transfer upgraded to cope with 'Quick Charge' a new
type of power management technology delivering 5, 9, 12 and 20 volts with a whopping 100 watts,
meaning more and more handheld and portable devices can be powered using this
delivery method.
Apple seems to think this is significant; so significant, in fact, that they have just
released their latest Macbook with just two ports!
A headphone jack and the new Type C USB version 3.1 port to support power, HD video and data
transfer - really putting USB through its paces!
A brief mention here of the new USB Type C connector. Not to be confused with USB version
3.1, as the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. To clarify; USB version 3.1 is
the new standard (the specification of mechanical, electrical and protocol capabilities);
USB TYPE C is the connector - a new universal USB connector which has also just been released.
We take a more in-depth look at this USB connector in another of HowToAV's videos aptly titled
'What is USB Type C?'. So with its increased capacity to handle HD
video and provide varying power delivery requirements, the new USB version 3.1 will quickly become
much more prevalent in our everyday lives, but more importantly in our AV topology.
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