just be glad your brand new toaster doesn't come with a cable but no brick

This is the problem we have with USB-C right now. Every connector looks the same but they aren't the same. Just because it fits doesn't mean it's compatible.

That last bit about tech support for a universal “one cable fits all,” situation is so true it hurts.

1:58 You put the HDMI plug in the wrong way. I saw the animation and felt an internal pain of broken computer parts. When I rewatched the scene I knew why.

Ethernet is also galvanically isolated. For runs inside your house that doesn't add a lot of value, but for servers and apartment buildings, it does.

I had to explain to my parents over the phone that my (younger) brother’s PC has to have the hdmi plugged into the graphics card not the motherboard. But first I had to explain to them what a graphics card was. I can’t even imagine having to tell them which of 15 identical ports to plug the display USB-C into.

and for completeness sake, the real hidden reason that DisplayPort, HDMI, USBC video, etc, compete is the avoidance of patents and licensing fees

I would have liked if he talked more about USB potentially replacing regular power outlets, which is what is being alluded to in the thumbnail with the picture of the toaster with the USB-A cable.

I think we're currently in a pretty sweet spot between one cable and lots of cables. And looking at the mess usb is making with they naming and supported protocols it's probably a good thing 1 single cable isn't a reality (yet)

Too this day it's still blow my mind my laptop outputs a 1440p 240hz signal through a single USB-C cable. Remembering when I used to plug in the red, white, and yellow AV cables to my old TV from my PlayStation2.🤣

Love the animation of the HDMI going into its port upside-down.

I guess having USB c on everything for DC power delivery would be much better than having those stupid always slightly different Barrell plugs ...

I want my fridge powered via USB C

As a UX designer when you said "you don't know what it does" really hit home.

(1:57) just noticed the connector is reversed when plugged in 😅

The one thing i don't like about USB C is how small and fragile it was, especially on the lower end side. Like, cheap USB A is pretty decent, durability wise.

I wish TOSLINK was not just for audio. Just think about monitors supporting fiber optical cables out of the box, instead of needing active HDMI cables.

3:49 Linus looks possessed.

a nice thing about ethernet cables is the fact that even if it breaks, you can simply cut it and replace the plug with a new one for like what? 20 cents? maybe less, as long as you know how to do it, you can't repair USB cables this easily on your own

1:58 I'm upset that the port and cable aren't facing the same way

It's awesome how single port can be used for so many capabilities. It's just the matter of differentiate what each ports and cable able to do. Maybe USB Consortium should standardized tier level and give it a codename, something simple, short, so it can be printed both in the port and on the cable. Make a standardized table how to read it. Instead of calling it something like USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 2 or add different logo for each different capabilities I don't know, maybe something like: AA - USB Data 480Mbps AF - USB Data 480Mbps + 15W PD AG - USB Data 480Mbps + 30W PD AH - USB Data 480Mbps + 65W PD AI - USB Data 480Mbps + 100W PD BG - USB Data 5Gbps + 30W PD CH - USB Data 10Gbps + 65W PD CI - USB Data 10Gbps + 100W PD DU - USB Data 40Gbps + 100W PD + Display Output + PCIe Tunneling (Thunderbolt 3) EU - USB Data 80Gbps + 100W PD + Display Output + PCIe Tunneling (Thunderbolt 4) etc... So if my grand parents buy new phone, and it's printed AF on the port, they'll just get a matching cable and charger. if external GPU case needs DU, buy a laptop that provides DU, get a DU cable, done, simple. 8k monitor needs EU, just the matter matching the requirements. If you use lower tier cable, charger, etc. it'll still work as the weakest chain in the link. For longer transmission you can use fiber optic cable, it'll still handle All the capabilities except Power Delivery. For the fiber optic maybe there's new mechanism before going into type c, just so if the cable breaks, you can just replace the cable only which is cheap, and reuse the expensive part. Custom length, self crimp, of the shelf FO, etc.

TLDR: Because USB isn't U.

There is Alt. mode for USB-C for passing analog audio out & mic in and AFAIK some phones use this and give you just a very short USB-C to female jack passive "dongle"

There was a 3.5mm Jack in that first screen of connectors followed by an explanation saying they were all digital 👀 I understand with remotes and triggers it's technically digital but NO I SAY 99% of uses are analogue. I know you guys like to be accurate:)

I know I'm not alone here, but holy crap that last point really hit home. The amount of times I've laid on the floor and unplugged everything out of the back of my PC and then had to plug everything back in again, in low-light conditions, is kind of absurd. If everything was the same connector I would definitely have to label it all.

For networking, at least, the SFP approach seems like a pretty neat compromise between a bunch of things here. Having a common interface for a transceiver that you can make whatever you want (from a DAC cable that only goes a meter, to a fiber transceiver that can go multiple kilometers) is super powerful.

The production quality of this video and use of motion graphics was very good. Much higher than the average

good script, covers a lkt of points and presents in a new thoughtful way to look at the problem statement. thanks for this one. good luck for the next one.

One way would be to have a unique visible or physical shape and color on the ends to correspond to what it's meant to do, similar to the colors used for USB 1.0-3.0, before they threw it out of the window since then.

1:10 why is that person rubbing the computer like that?!

That AI art 1:20 lmaoooooo the keyboard what the helllllll

ad ends at 3:16

I used a CAT6 cable to make a 30 foot usb cable. It might not meet spec, but it works

Anyone else notice the HDMi goes in backwards at 1:58

Thanks for the video!

That was a good video James, good job as usual.

Analog signals through USB, specifically audio, IS a thing. It's called audio adapter accessory mode. It uses the USB 2.0 datalines to transfer stereo audio.

Bummer, I hoped for an explanation why household appliances don't use USB more. Especially now, that PD is a thing.

ty for useful info! and luv banana measurement

Ethernet is likely to stay (different use-case: multi-device network that isn't centered around a computer, a lot of any to any). Audio & hotplug-able video links (RCA, and those DCI e.t.c) is likely to stay around too (a computer isn't given to be the center of the setup). Why would stuff need to be computer centric?

I work at Best Buy. So many accessories still have USB A style ports it is insane. A lot of laptops do use usb-c for power but I barely sell any usb-c accessories.

If the usb forum(or another group to replace them) can get thier act together(its to late with usb c unless theres major changes) to make clear marketing and labeling indications of cable/port capabilities and release products to make it easier for channels like this to test capabilities to make sure they are up to standards claimed. I truly think by 10 years from that there would only be 2 types of ports. The "usb whatever" and an analog port. With how much power and back-and-forth communication the main thing holding back cables is not ever being able to tell if the cable will work for any given thing and when it doesnt not knowing if its the cable, the port, the other port, or software level., or device. If you have a way to know all pprts and cables are compatible then its just down to software or device issue wich is the same with any port

I remember we bought a bunch of servers and was dismayed to find they were USB 1.1. Servers were usually a version behind.

I really liked this one, thanks!

well the idea is that once we reach the One Connector we also reached the One Specification, or at the very least the One Connector is compatible enough to not break

I love that little dance at 4:40 x33

Thank you for really taking the time to explain why I can't have what I want.

the 3.5mm jack is essential as it does it's job perfectly but phone manufacturers seem to not understand that

I thought this would be about power delivery. Theres a good point about making things that are under 100w just power delivery. Might be more expensive though.

other than audio and some psu cables (not pc) we already have a very overseeable lineup. audio is a beast in itself but powersupplies for many devices could really need a slim down in different connectors and supply unit standarts. the interns of a pc are not commonly used "casual" cables so its fine i would say how it is.mainstream devices besided some audio and psu stuff is already on a good base

great explainer! Thank you! i still hope the trend goes, especially toward wireless

Why not make an analogue specification for usb-c. Like if there is a specific resistance between two specific pins, it uses all the pins for analogue signals, except the middle ones for data an the outer ones for for ground. Banda Bing bada boung: 4 lanes analogue with 4 for balancing error correction.

Would love to see you guys do a video on starlink and the future of alternative data sources!

If every connector looked same the it should do all of it for eg if a laptop has just 4 type c ports then all those ports should be capable of display out ie hdmi, display port then normal usb connection then charging the laptop ie everything could be handled by each of those 4 ports that'd be much more user friendly and awesome to have!

Front Panel USB C Connector for the Mainboard side would be nice!

Also, even though usb has Made connecting all type of devices pretty Easy, it Is not the beat way to connect everything by far. Having issues with audio performance, bus sharing, even bad physical connection. I'm really glad it Is not the only connector.

Could have mentioned the DAC in a USB C to 3.5mm jack at the end of the vid too

The keyboard & mouse connectors were also triggered by keystrokes/moves instead of 'always listening in intervals' (aka engineered latency) And the game port: more ways of registering input than USB. (That's why early USB controllers were shit / less capable) It took years and years before they were on the same level (and I'm not even sure they are now) Those standards were designed purposely for those specific applications. And maybe... Just maybe... They're still just 'better'

My Quest 2 does use video over USB, actually. But it's been a pain to find the right cable, and also the right USB-C connector on a motherboard.

I recently wanted a small USB C cable capable of transferring video (to connect my phone to a screen). Seriously, I searched ebay and amazon for about an hour, all these "charging only" cables etc. Worst of all, I can never be sure the cable actually supports it because the descriptions are so bad. I went for a thunderbolt 3 cable. The spec has a meaning there.

Usb c cables / thunder bolt 3 / can have chips in their connectors. Ethernet is so simple in comparison with twisted pairs in an rj45

04:28 -- heeeey, isn't that the "Backroom Casting Couch" ? :O

This video was better than i expected :D

It seems to me the answer to the confuse a cable situation would be to have the system be able to recognize the device that’s been plugged in and give some kind of a visual or audible notice to the user. For instance, let’s say you plug a USB-C cable into the wrong port on a PC and then plug the other end into the monitor. The monitor could send a pilot signal out to the computer, which would have logic in it to identify what wants to communicate with it. If the port is not of sufficient level to support the peripheral, it would then send a signal back. This might be able to be done with both devices off, just using the standby power. there could be lights on either the cable or the device that would come on briefly to let you know that the ports are not compatible. Plugging in and seeing a quick red light at last for three seconds on the back of the monitor or the back of the computer would give a quick indication that the ports are not compatible. additionally, if you’re plugging in a device, like a hard drive, a monitor, a printer, etc., if they have any form of a screen or LED, that could instead be used to indicate to the user that there’s a problem with the connection. The color of the light or the message on the device could give more information. For instance, if the LED is full RGB, then the light blinks, or be different color as much as we see on other small devices to give the user information as to whether the cable is the problem, the compatibility is the problem, or other things that I can’t think of at the moment. This would initially increase costs, but costs would be somewhat reduced by not having to support many different input output, standards. Additionally, a standard for the color of the various ports, much like what is used for 3 mm jacks on the back of PCs to differentiate between mic, input and headphone output on a PC, could be used on USB ports to give another indication as to the purpose of a specific port. for instance, a port designed for video speeds, and below could be bright blue, while a port, that is only sufficiently fast for keyboards could be white. And we could revert to the old standards of pink, pale green and whatever the line output color is to indicate USB ports that could be used for analog signals.

i like how you corectly converted from international metric sistem to us banana standard. keep on the good work!

Some devices/manufracturers use USB(-C) for everything like the docking station for my office laptop.

I mean if you get a ssd like a saming t5 or t7 you are even running a hard drive off usb-c. It is odd that i have never had that video transfer issue though you mention. I have had that with previous versions of usb but never on usb-c

Well technically even tought Ethernet cable can't be repalced by USB, the connector itself can, for everyday usage at least, since you can buy really cheap an Ethernet-to-USB dongle(external Network card) and use that for connecting it to the PC(or more commonly notebooks). Not server-grade, but works perfectly for everyday usage.

Still, I wish they would at least implement pass through for ethernet over USB and HDMI. That way I could just have one Ethernet connection to the TV or monitor and every connected device could receive internet that way.

4:44 that feeling when a banger starts in your game

I remember when fiber optics first started becoming cheap and efficient enough to be used for low volt signal transfers. I figured within ten years it would be used in everything. Especially peripherals. Instead wireless became the norm wich has much higher latency than even old school metallic conductors lol.

Your video thumbnail promised me a usb vs outlet… I want to see that

That HDMI connector being the wrong way around at 1:58 oof ouch. Having seen HDMI ports ripped apart by people..

You could also call USB 3.0 'Blu-SB' lol I have only seen blee ones myself

I just wish the ultra small form factor PCs used USB C instead of having a metric ton of slightly different proprietary barrel connectors or in Lenovos case square. Since most can't even go above 90 watts due to their cooling limitations due to their size

at 1:58 it cracked me up to see the illustration of a HDMI Cable being pluged into the monitor in the wrong orientation.

Riley dancing at his desk made my day 😂

OK thank you .. any chance you can explain why my 200MB mp4 file turns into a 7GB file when all i do in edit is flip the video 180 degrees? I am using sony vegas platinum.. Thank you in advance

Back to optical / fiber connectors. Yes is does cost more but you could have a fiber optical connector with power lines running in a "one cable to ruin them all"

Do a video on the 90's computers, Retractable "coffee cup holder"... or CD drive bay as some called it.

Well what's the cheapest cable that supports the latest usb4.0 version 2 standard that actually performs as described, every cable I've tried just dies after a year.. I had about three, 3-meter cables that worked for 5 years, they were only USB 3.0 but now it starts charging and stops charging when you slightly move the connecter. I only paid $38 Australian for all 3 It was a fasgear cable. I can't really post a link

I'd love to see one aobut the third party switch peripheral debacle

Pretty good editing on this video.

4:40 lol 😂😂😂😂

The solution for having different types of cables all using the same USB-C connector is to have a universal standard colour code for both connector and the port for different cable types. You put the yellow connector into the yellow port, the green connector into the free port, etc.

Dammmn such a great content honestly

Don't forget about powered USB or the 20v usb which are common on cash registers

Muy bueno, Excelente vídeo!

I have a video suggestion about Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. How does one really use it? Does your car need to be 'enabled' with it? Does your car need a screen? Do you connect your phone to your car via wire or wireless? Is it simply something that runs on your phone and audio is played through your car speakers? I don't really know how I'd get started and if my car supports it.

So im using a cat 7 ethernet cable running from my fibre modem to my main router (my isp does it like that) Am I losing speed because its 20m long? I'm confused

One thing I'm surprised you didn't bring up is power delivery. USB-C can deliver enough power to run an intergrated-gpu laptop but good luck getting it to deliver the 230w required for a modern gaming one, or the utterly ridiculous power deliveries for desktop replacements

Great stuff

good breakdown

1:59 How that connector works?

Saying the USB c doesn't support audio is wrong there is an analog standard for USB c and this is easy to see by buying budget dongles. The budget USB c to 3.5 mm don't include a dac and work with some but not all smart phones

Using one port for everything means you can do more things with limited ports. My laptop has a charging port, 3 USB ports, an HDMI port, a VGA port 💀, an ethernet port and headphone and microphone ports, even though I don't think any microphone even uses that port. It's either USB or XLR. If USB controlled all monitors, my laptop could have 5 USB ports, which means up to 5 monitors if keyboard and mouse can be plugged into a monitor. If my laptop also got powered by USB, that's 6 monitors and you can charge through the monitor.

A great thing is that we got rid of large parts of the myriad of charge/power connectors for small stuff, like when I can use same cable to supply power to my phone, flashlight, laptop, Zigbee hub or microcontroller, including data when relevant.

so did anyone notice the hdmi cable is put in backwards at 1:58?

The 3.5mm Headphone Jack STILL EXISTS(I have a Smartphone that has that type of jack as I love Wired Heaphones(they give clearer,never need no charging,are lighter and more cost effective and very long lasting too)

I’m always up for a techquickie