HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. What does that mean to you? A lot if you consider that one cable can take the place of your coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, and VGA cables. Take into account as well that you can use an HDMI cable to connect set-top boxes, Blu-ray/DVD players, personal computers, video game consoles, and AV receivers to computer monitors and televisions. The HDMI cable is the best thing since the Swiss Army Knife.
As you might or might not have noticed, there is a rat's nest of cables slowly taking over the area behind your TV. With all the component cabling spilling out all over the place and onto the floor it's not a pretty sight back there. Throw in the tangles with the power cords and speaker wiring and Magellan couldn't find his way through that mess. Hopefully the following information will help keep you from getting lost.
First you will need to take stock of what you actually have as part of your multimedia extravaganza. How many different devices do you have? By devices, we mean things like set top boxes, DVD and Blu-Ray players; you get it. Now check the backs of everything for an HDMI output. Hey! I'll bet most of your stuff says "HDMI out". If there is some doubt, have an HDMI cable on hand to try out.
You no doubt will have noticed that there is only one HDMI input on the back of your TV. I'm sure this has left you wondering what exactly you've gotten into. Relax, they make hubs: a nice little way to combine all your devices and put them into your TV. Well, not literally INTO your TV, that's something definitely not recommended by the manufacturer. Instead of allowing the consumer to get frustrated and throw their hands up in the air, the electronics industry has seen it in their hearts to invent a solution for this problem. What they have come up with is an HDMI hub. Simply put, the hub is a way to "splice" all of your equipment together and allow you to use that one port on your TV for several different devices, just not all at once.
HDMI hubs range in function and price drastically. The latest-greatest HDMI switches do not require an additional remote and will switch from device to device based on which device was powered up last. Others come with a remote control, so you're back to selecting the device that you are going to be using. They also come in different configurations that will allow you to add more devices, if that is your need. A 4x1 hub would be a hub that allows four devices to be linked to a single TV or monitor. The "4" is for the amount of devices and the "1" indicated the number of TVs or monitors. There are even some 4x4's out there that will route to four monitors, but won't get you out of the mud if you get stuck.
Picking the right HDMI cables is an easy task, but you should be armed with some information before you buy them. Look at the way your power cords are sitting behind all your devices. Do you have a hopeless octopus of power cords back there? How many devices are you connecting? Believe it or not, the more electricity you have back there and the more devices you have, the more shielding your new cables will need. This is to cut down on cable noise. You won't be able to detect the noise with your ears, but the quality of digital audio and video transmitted through your cabling can be affected. Also, distance is a factor. Digital signal in an HDMI cable can really only be transmitted for 50' without a repeater. Most of us don't have this challenge to overcome, but it's good to have that knowledge to impress your friends with.
Though HDMI is rapidly becoming the standard, there are actually different connector types that have been introduced over the last seven years or so. If you have an older DVD player with an earlier type, don't fret; adapters are cheap and work just fine. There are also different versions of HDMI cables. The latest is 1.4 which will support virtually everything in your home, including computer video cards. It should also be noted that DVI and HDMI, while not the same thing, are compatible with an adapter.
So, we've established what HDMI cables will do for you. They will eliminate your mess, cut down on the need to have to change your TV's input setting, combine and streamline your media center. That's a lot of power packed into one tiny cable. Until something else better comes along, it truly is the best bet in town. Besides maybe Mom's meatloaf.
As you might or might not have noticed, there is a rat's nest of cables slowly taking over the area behind your TV. With all the component cabling spilling out all over the place and onto the floor it's not a pretty sight back there. Throw in the tangles with the power cords and speaker wiring and Magellan couldn't find his way through that mess. Hopefully the following information will help keep you from getting lost.
First you will need to take stock of what you actually have as part of your multimedia extravaganza. How many different devices do you have? By devices, we mean things like set top boxes, DVD and Blu-Ray players; you get it. Now check the backs of everything for an HDMI output. Hey! I'll bet most of your stuff says "HDMI out". If there is some doubt, have an HDMI cable on hand to try out.
You no doubt will have noticed that there is only one HDMI input on the back of your TV. I'm sure this has left you wondering what exactly you've gotten into. Relax, they make hubs: a nice little way to combine all your devices and put them into your TV. Well, not literally INTO your TV, that's something definitely not recommended by the manufacturer. Instead of allowing the consumer to get frustrated and throw their hands up in the air, the electronics industry has seen it in their hearts to invent a solution for this problem. What they have come up with is an HDMI hub. Simply put, the hub is a way to "splice" all of your equipment together and allow you to use that one port on your TV for several different devices, just not all at once.
HDMI hubs range in function and price drastically. The latest-greatest HDMI switches do not require an additional remote and will switch from device to device based on which device was powered up last. Others come with a remote control, so you're back to selecting the device that you are going to be using. They also come in different configurations that will allow you to add more devices, if that is your need. A 4x1 hub would be a hub that allows four devices to be linked to a single TV or monitor. The "4" is for the amount of devices and the "1" indicated the number of TVs or monitors. There are even some 4x4's out there that will route to four monitors, but won't get you out of the mud if you get stuck.
Picking the right HDMI cables is an easy task, but you should be armed with some information before you buy them. Look at the way your power cords are sitting behind all your devices. Do you have a hopeless octopus of power cords back there? How many devices are you connecting? Believe it or not, the more electricity you have back there and the more devices you have, the more shielding your new cables will need. This is to cut down on cable noise. You won't be able to detect the noise with your ears, but the quality of digital audio and video transmitted through your cabling can be affected. Also, distance is a factor. Digital signal in an HDMI cable can really only be transmitted for 50' without a repeater. Most of us don't have this challenge to overcome, but it's good to have that knowledge to impress your friends with.
Though HDMI is rapidly becoming the standard, there are actually different connector types that have been introduced over the last seven years or so. If you have an older DVD player with an earlier type, don't fret; adapters are cheap and work just fine. There are also different versions of HDMI cables. The latest is 1.4 which will support virtually everything in your home, including computer video cards. It should also be noted that DVI and HDMI, while not the same thing, are compatible with an adapter.
So, we've established what HDMI cables will do for you. They will eliminate your mess, cut down on the need to have to change your TV's input setting, combine and streamline your media center. That's a lot of power packed into one tiny cable. Until something else better comes along, it truly is the best bet in town. Besides maybe Mom's meatloaf.
About the Author:
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on HDMI Review which discusses how you can get low prices on HDMI Cables, Splitters, Extenders, Boxes, and Adaptors.
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