What’s HDMI, and Why Do I Need It?
Learning the ropes in the brave new world of HDTV can be overwhelming at times, especially if reading acronym after acronym makes your head spin. Get a new HD-DVR for your LCD DTV, turn your HP into an HTPC, and then once you’ve learned to download WVGA from your ISP you’ll wonder why you ever watched MTV on your RCA.
One of the most important new terms, though, is HDMI. It refers to a new type of cable and stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. The concept behind HDMI is really simple: instead of having different kinds of cables to connect between your TV, computer, DVD player and what have you, just use one type of cable that’s capable of doing it all. It comes down to the bigger-fire-hose theory: with ever increasing TV screen resolutions, high definition movie players, and growing popularity of downloading huge files over the internet, demand has increased for high capacity cables, and so the cost has come down low enough that it makes little sense to buy anything smaller.
HDMI cables replace the following: coaxial cable (the stiff, round wire with one pin coming out of the end connector), DVI cables (the ones with a trapezoidal end jack, with about 15 pins, that is often used for a computer monitor), composite and component cables (the familiar old red and green, or white and yellow cable pairs that TVs have used for decades), and many many more. They are not part of every device yet, though, so adapters will still have to be used for several years to come when connecting an HDMI port to a non-HDMI port. To see pictures of these connectors check this article: connecting your computer to your HDTV.
And even though HDMI is the most powerful cable in consumer electronics, there is still something better- future versions of HDMI. The standard right now is called HDMI 1.0, and it is capable of handling the most advanced HDTV technology (1080p, 120Hz, Blu-Ray) that you can buy right now. Just around the corner is a new standard called HDMI 1.3 that should handle the next generation of HDTVs, whether they can play 2560×1600 resolution, super enhanced audio, 3-D movies, or even smell-o-vision. Getting a 1.0 cable is fine for now, though, because they are cheap and can handle just about anything.
