Lower cost plastic fiber is said to be usable for shorter distances. Suitable for the home theater market?
Jim Jachetta: Plastic fiber is used in many residential home theatre applications. The digital surround sound audio from your cable or satellite receiver uses a TOSLINK plastic fiber optic cable. The wavelength is typically in the 650nm range. The bandwidth is very limited and the distance is only a few feet. Question # 5: The amount of light that is reflected back into the cable rather than being absorbed in the cladding is an important factor. Please explain the importance of the cladding in an optical fiber? Jim Jachetta: A fiber optic cable has two distinct parts, the core and the cladding. The core is the inner most part that carries the optical information. The cladding is the outer part that protects the fiber core from shock and damage. The core and cladding have slightly different refractive indexes. That is they have different light reflective properties. It is this different refractive index that keeps the light from bouncing out of the inner core. When light strikes the wal
