HDMI FAQ
What does HDMI® stand for?
High-Definition Multimedia Interface
What is HDMI®?
HDMI® is next generation digital connector to carry out high-definition video and digital audio all one cable. HDMI® can carry out high volume of data comparing to analog. HDMI® supports standard video formats, enhanced video and high-definition. It is also backwards compatible with DVI (Digital Video Interface).
What is the different between analog cables and HDMI®?
An analog cable is older method to carry out Audio and Video from your media player such as VHS and DVD player to your TV. As technology is growing High-Definition have crisper audio and visual. Analog can no longer support it. HDMI® is next generation to carry out high-definition video and digital audio. It can support Blu-ray Disc players, AVCHD camcorders, personal computers (PCs), video game consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Analog usually have 5-6 cables to do its performance but for HDMI is all in cable and it have better performance.
What is Analog cable?
Analog cable is a component, composite, and / or S-Video cable is use to transfer picture signals from media player to your TV.
Component Video
To providing better signal clarity and picture quality then composite video and S-Video
Component video requires three cables plus audio cables, for a total of five cables. Component video carries visual data only. Audio cables are still required.
Composite video – only transfers visual data
Composite video is a yellow, female RCA jack, normally found next to two audio jacks, one red, and the other white. The three jacks together provide an interface for audiovisual connections. The red RCA jack connects the right channel of a stereo system, while the white RCA jack connects the left. The yellow composite video jack rounds out the se
S-Video – only transfers visual data
S-Video delivers a superior picture to composite video by avoiding some of the processing that composite video requires. A video signal is a mixture of two separate data streams: brightness or luminescence, known as the Y stream, and color, known as the C stream. The C signal carries values for red and blue, while green values are deduced. Hence, RGB, or red, green and blue, occupies just two data streams within the C signal.
S-Video preserves greater signal integrity by housing two wires in a single sheath, dedicating one to each of the Y and C signals and eliminating much of the filtering process. Greater preservation of signal integrity results in a sharper picture.
What is AV Cable?
Audio and Video Cable.
What is RCA Cable?
RCA is Audio cables are required for transferring sound
What is DVI?
Digital Visual Interface
How does DVI work with HDMI?
HDMI® is backwards compatible with DVI (Digital Video Interface). High-end graphics cards featuring a DVI port can connect to a HDMI® interface via a DVI/HDMI® cable. This is simply a cable with a DVI connector on one end and a HDMI® connector on the other.
What do the different versions mean? (Information from cnet)
1.0: this is the first version of HDMI and it was ratified in late 2002. It will decode most versions of audio contained in DVD and digital TV signals, including Dolby Digital and DTS.
1.1: this version added DVD-Audio support, which means users with compatible discs and players can listen to 5.1 channel audio streams without the need for six separate audio RCA cables.
1.2/1.2a: The main improvement on 1.1 is the addition of Super Audio CD (SACD) support, which means users no longer need to rely on iLink or analog cables to listen to SACDs. The standard also adds support for an as-yet unused Type A PC connector.
1.3/1.3a/1.3b/1.3c: version 1.3 adds support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio which are used in Blu-ray players. Increasingly, AV receivers are including decoding for these standards on board, while devices like the PlayStation 3 will output decoded signals. The 1.3 standard also increases the available bandwidth by a factor of two to 10Gbps. Though 1.3b and 1.3c exist they don’t add any further functionality over 1.3a, and so are interchangeable.
What is new version of 1.4 does? (Information from cnet) or http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_1_4/index.aspx
Version 1.4 is the product’s biggest update since HDMI was released, and introduces a host of new features and a modified cable design. The big new feature is HDMI Ethernet which allows a two-way 100Mb connection to pass between two compatible components and means you will no longer need to wire your system up with LAN cables as well. The standard also supports 3D in full 1080p resolution — version 1.3 only supports 1080i — and resolutions up to 4K/2K (3840/2160p).
The new version allows for an audio return channel which is especially handy for television viewers. If you’re watching your television’s on-board tuner it means you can now hear it through your sound system with just the single cable — no need for a separate optical cable.
Two new connector systems will also debut with 1.4, a new 19-pin HDMI Micro Connector (Type D) which is half the size of the current Mini, and the Automotive Connection System (Type E) which is designed to withstand the rigours of in-car use.
Lastly, HDMI will now support photographic colour standards including sYCC601, Adobe RGB and Adobe YCC601 for better compatibility with digital still cameras.
The two standards are inter-compatible with each other, but to use HDMI Ethernet you’ll need to own dedicated version 1.4 cables. Products which support the new version will be available from early 2010.
