Thank you, you are correct, the following is from google.... No, jitter and time-domain smearing are not the same, although they can be related. Jitter describes the deviation of signal timing from its ideal position, while smearing refers to the blurring or broadening of a signal in time due to factors like slow circuit response or non-ideal interconnections. Here's a more detailed explanation:
- Jitter: Jitter is a time-domain phenomenon that refers to the variation or deviation of the timing of a signal from its ideal position. It can be caused by various factors, including noise, variations in clock frequency, or non-ideal timing characteristics of the system. Different types of jitter include random jitter, cycle-to-cycle jitter, and data-dependent jitter.
- Time-Domain Smearing: Smearing, in the context of time-domain analysis, refers to the broadening or blurring of a signal's edges or transitions due to factors like slow circuit response times or non-ideal interconnections. This can lead to a signal appearing less sharp or clear in the time domain.
- Relationship: While jitter and smearing are distinct concepts, they can be related. Jitter can contribute to smearing, as the variations in timing caused by jitter can lead to a signal's edges appearing less sharp or clear. For example, if a signal has high jitter, the receiver might have difficulty accurately detecting the signal's edges, leading to smearing.
- Examples:
- Jitter: Imagine a clock signal that is supposed to be perfectly regular, but due to noise or other factors, the timing of its edges varies slightly. This variation in timing is jitter.
- Smearing: Consider a pulse signal passing through a circuit with slow response times. The edges of the pulse might appear rounded or broadened due to the circuit's inability to switch quickly, causing smearing.
To ask, you mentioned I2S, would you consider SPDIF (1 stream) as good as I2S (4 streams), even though, for SPDIF, I2S is converted to SPDIF then back to I2S?
- The I2S protocol sends pulse-code modulation (PCM) audio data from a controller to a target. It has at least three lines: the bit clock, the word select, and a data line. Word select is used to specify which of the stereo channel, left or right, the data should be sent to.
- I2S is generally better than SPDIF for short-distance, high-speed data transmission within a device, while SPDIF is better for transmitting digital audio between devices over longer distances.
