Why HDMI is the Number One Choice For All Your Home Theatre Connections

Why HDMI is the Number One Choice For All Your Home Theatre Connections

The introduction of high definition TV has truly enhanced the home cinema experience enjoyed by consumers, but it has also caused a lot of confusion and uncertainty. It doesn't help that manufacturers have been focusing their efforts on several different connection types over the past decade, which means that there are now thousands of different devices on the market, all of which use different types of plugs. FireWire, DVI, and HDMI are all connection types that have enjoyed the limelight and have been found on the backs of TVs at one time or another, and now most consumers are totally confused about the differences between these connections and which type is best.

What's The Big Deal About Connections?

Many people don't understand why there is such a big deal about something as simple as a connection, surely it's just a way of plugging the cable into the TV; surely all connections basically do the same thing? The war between different connection types really boils down to money. It costs companies a fortune to develop a new connection platform, therefore they are eager to get as many manufacturers using their connection as possible so that they can charge a royalty. If one connection emerges as the global standard, then it can be incredibly lucrative for the company that owns the royalty rights; hence the fierce competition to try and establish each of the connections mentioned above as the global standard connection for all HD devices.

The Emergence of HDMI

As the technology behind HD TV developed it quickly became apparent that a new connection was needed that not only delivered digital quality signals, but was also easy for consumers to use. The first attempt at a digital connection was FireWire - this used just one cable to deliver audio and video signals, and also allowed devices to communicate with each other. However FireWire never really gained much support from manufacturers and hence soon fell out of fashion without ever reaching its potential.

DVI was next and was originally developed for the PC industry. DVI cables only carried video signals, but they could support both digital and analogue connections. When home entertainment manufacturers saw that DVI had gained favour with PC users they started to incorporate DVI connections into their products. However, the large form factor and lack of audio support meant that it wasn't ideally suited for use in home cinema systems.

HDMI is almost identical to DVI; however it does offer improvements in some important areas. For instance, HDMI cables use a plug with a much smaller form factor, which is important when space behind your home entertainment system is limited. HDMI is also able to carry both audio and video signals in a single cable, meaning that only one cable is needed to make a connection. HDMI cables can also carry a remote control command, which helps to simplify the process of connecting and using several devices together. Perhaps most importantly, HDMI cables are also relatively cheap to produce, and have therefore become a favourite with HD TV and home entertainment manufacturers.

HDMI Is The Sensible Choice

As you can see HDMI cables offer several advantages over the other types of connection, which explains why the vast majority of home entertainment equipment manufactured in the past couple of years almost certainly uses HDMI as the standard type of interface.

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