Understanding HDMI

by Dave Donovan

If you go shopping for a new high definition television set, you may hear terms used by the sales person that you have never heard before. Terms like "aspect ratio," "matrix decoding" and "HDMI." The purpose of this article is to help you get a better understanding of what HDMI is, how it is used and why it is the current gold standard in audio and video interface delivery.

What is HDMI?

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It differs from DVI (Digital Video Interface) in that it delivers both video and audio whereas DVI is solely used for carrying the video signal. HDMI is a single cable that gets connected to your television and your audio/video source, like a high definition cable box. The connection is made in a similar fashion to your computer's USB port.

HDMI allows for an extremely large amount of data to be transferred in very little time. In fact, to be exact, it's capable of transferring 2.2 gigabytes in a single second. This makes it possible for HDMI cables to deliver video resolutions up to 1920x1080p at the same time it is delivering up to eight channels of audio at 192 kHz.

The Benefits of HDMI

Since HDMI uses just one cable to deliver exceptional video and audio, it makes it extremely easy to connect your components together.

HDMI is the only digital audio/video interface that supports HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) currently available. In other delivery formats (except for DVI), the digital cable signal has to be converted to analog in order to be transferred from the cable box to the TV, where once there, it is converted back into digital. During this process, quality does suffer. With HDMI, the signal remains purely digital from the source to the TV.

HDMI is also the only interface capable of delivering emerging audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.

While shoppers may be surprised by the cost of HDMI over other signal delivery methods like component or composite cables, the proof is in the quality. HDMI is the preferred audio/video delivery system for true audiophiles and video connoisseurs.

Dave Donovan is a freelance copywriter living in Atco, N.J. An electrician for 15 years, an injury forced him to pursue his true passion - writing.

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