The Perfect Buyer’s Guide to HDMI Cables Leave a comment

If you’ve recently bought an HDTV, a Blu-ray player or a PlayStation 3, you’ve probably heard the term ‘HDMI’. It may seem like one of the ports on your TV or home theatre receivers, but HDMI is something more than that. Without HDMI your home would have been cluttered with a lot of wires that connect your electronic devices such as televisions, DVD players and music systems. HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) enables you to connect all your electrical devices over a single cable.

This post is an ultimate guide for anyone looking to buy HDMI cables for domestic or commercial use.

HDMI Cables Buying Guide

How Do HDMI Cables Work?

HDMI or High Definition Multimedia Interface was introduced in 2002 as an efficient means of transporting uncompressed audio and digital video data from a single source to the television, laptop, video consoles, video projector, and any other device. Before the development of this format, HD TVs relied on DVI or component video for connection. Unfortunately, DVI transmitted only the video signal, and not the audio data. HDMI carries both audio and video signals, together with DDC (Digital Data Channel), CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) and an Ethernet data connection.

Since the initial launch of this smart technology, several versions have been developed. High-speed HDMI cables are now becoming the norm for corporate and commercial markets as well. With a bandwidth to handle 1080p and greater resolutions, these high-speed HD signals are used for education, business presentation, digital signage and product display.

Different Types of HDMI Cables

Basically, there are four types of HDMI cables – standard speed with Ethernet, standard speed without Ethernet, high speed with Ethernet and high speed without Ethernet. No matter the reason, always choose a high-speed cable to ensure that it supports all current technologies.

Advantages of HDMI Cables

Single Cable Transmission

This is the first, and most important benefit of using an HDMI cable. They replace the large number of electric cables with a single one. Each device needs multiple cables for separate channels in their AV systems. HDMI combines both audio and video into a single outlet. This not only reduces the mess, but also saves you money that you would otherwise spend on those cables.

Super Sound and Picture Quality

When it comes to sound and image quality, HDMI cables are simply matchless. They transmit audio and video signals in the digital medium of 1s and 0s. This provides excellent sound and picture quality, unlike the ones produced by digital-to-analogue conversions and re-conversions.

Ability to Transmit 3D Video

HDMI cables are the only means of carrying 3D video signals from devices like a 3D Blu-ray player to a 3D-capable TV or projector.

Backward Compatibility

One unique feature of HDMI cables is that, they have backward compatibility with former interfaces like the DVI. All you need is a wire that connects HDMI with DVI. No other interface has this feature.

Quick Signal Transmission

HDMI cables are quick in transmitting signals, when compared to their analogous counterparts. Even a basic HDMI cable carries at least 5 GB per second, which is enough for quick signal transmission. Moreover, HDMI cables feature almost double the bandwidth needed for HD setups.

Do You Need to Worry About Compatibility Between Different HDMI versions?

The good news is that, any latest version of HDMI is backwards compatible with its previous versions, so your old and new HDMI equipped devices will still work great when linked together. That’s why, even when you connect a 1.4 cable to a 1.1 gear, or a 1.2 cable to a 1.4 gear, you’ll still enjoy high-quality picture and sound.

HDMI cables are a perfect fit for today’s high-tech devices. Do your research and choose the best HDMI cable that fits your modern multimedia devices like DVD players, video game consoles and Blu-ray Disc players.