Why Switch to HDMI for Your HDTV
Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008
by Vic Metten
Why should you use this new connection on your HDTV and DVD players? Actually it all can be boiled down to one word -- "digital."
HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is the next generation in connections, sending fully uncompressed audio and video signals from your source equipment (DVD player, Wii, speakers) to your HDTV. Instead of a bunch of connections like you see in component video (think of the standard Red/Green/Blue jacks) or DVI, HDMI is just one small jack that takes care of connecting both the audio and video so you won't need an additional audio connector.
It's very easy. You can receive uncompressed discrete surround audio on top of the amazing HD picture quality of up to 1080p. Now perhaps you are thinking, "My present cable setup already gives me great audio and video," and sure, that's probably not a lie. But your present component video jacks simply cannot connect a Blu-ray disc player to your new HDTV and deliver all of the features the new HD medium offers. To get a clearer picture on any 50 inch T.V., change to Blu-ray DVD's and go to 1080p, and you will see that it is like cleaning your windows. Yes, you probably could already see through them okay, but when they are squeaky clean, it is just like they are not there at all.
The following example will show why HDMI is the choice for you. Get any movie on both regular DVD and on Blu-ray disc. Hook up your new Blu-ray player with both HDMI and with the standard component picture and sound cables. Now you're ready to watch your movie on normal DVD. The sound and visuals are top notch. So now let's look at a Blu-ray disc. Make sure that your player is set to 1080p, just like your new HDTV, and double check that the surround receiver is compatible with the new audio formats like DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. Now sit down and view the film for a second time. The difference in quality is very apparent. The video is improved and the sound quality is lifelike. HDMI is in high demand for HDTVs because they have an outstanding depth of image and sound.
The new A/V digital surround receivers provide yet another justification for switching to HDMI. Using HDMI, you are able to receive both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD digital surround. This is something you will never get with your Toslink optical and coaxial digital cables, and it's an unbelievable advancement from your everyday surround track on DVD. Today, the experience provided by 5.1 or 7.1 theater makes you feel as if you are part of the action, but in a much more controlled way than we have previously been able to achieve. This difference will be apparent immediately.
So now you should be able to see how, if you can use it, HDMI will take your connections down to the basics, eliminating the tangle of wires that lurk behind your equipment and providing never-before-seen picture and sound quality on your home TV, projector, and Blu-ray disc player.
As a home theater installer, Vic Metten uses only HDMI cables for HDTVs with Blu-ray disk players, because DVI cables and component cables don't have the range of sound and picture that a single HDMI cable can give. So, for Dvi to hdmi converters or an HDMI adapter, he finds a way to give people the best audio and visual quality he can.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Interesting article!HDMI cables are quite cheap these days, I got one recently for £5 (probably roughly $8). I would recomment avoiding the super-expensive HDMI cables - they don't make a difference unless you are using an incredibly long cable.HDMI cables handle high quality video and sound in one cable, and also give you access to some other features (if your hardware supports it) like enabling you to turn multiple devices on and off with just one tap of the remote.If don't have Blu-Ray yet, I'd still recommend using HDMI cables - if you do, many new DVD players can upscale your normal DVDs to bring them closer to the HD quality of Blu-Ray (although Blu-Ray is still significantly better, but it decreases the gap a little)
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