HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface/ HDMI was developed by Hitachi, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Philips, Thomson and Silicon Image who came together in a conglomerate effort to simplify the task of connecting and synchronizing available HD components for the user's benefit.

Standard HDMI cable is made up of 19 separate wires and is capable of carrying 5 gigabits per second. This bandwidth is more than two times what is needed for transmitting multi-channel video and audio, which means that HDMI has the capabilities needed for quite some time into the future.

Type-B is designed to support resolutions higher than 1080i. Type A HDMI cable is backward-compatible with DVI interface used on modern personal computer. This means if we use a suitable adapter or cable, a DVI source can drive an HDMI monitor .

Components typically connected with an HDMI connector include Blu-ray disc players, set-top boxes, video game consoles, computers using Windows Vista, and AV receivers.

HDMI will continue to show up in new products, not just DVD/Blu-ray/HD DVD players or gaming consoles. It is described as an evolving interface and already is ahead of expectations (performance speaking) in key markets. HDMI ver 1.3 also supports higher refresh rates beyond 60Hz because it allows a higher bandwidth than previous versions. HDMI was based on the DVI interface specification is compatible with compliant DVI devices equipped with HDCP content protection via an adapter.HDMI 1.3 adds support for several new features that may theoretically prove useful or enhance the movie watching experience. Because of that, electronics and cable manufacturers have inundated the press with a wave of publicity hype talking up the benefits of the product, insisting that any new piece of A/V equipment must have HDMI 1.3 to be current.

HDMI's wide adoption is due in large part to Hollywood's demands for ever-stronger copy protection measures to prevent piracy. HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is present on virtually all HDMI-equipped devices even though it's not officially part of the HDMI spec.

HDMI can carry any flavor of compressed audio format such as Dolby or DTS. HDMI has been manufactured to comply with an evolving set of specifications, each released as a different version and assigned a version number. The first version was HDMI 1.0, corresponding to the initial release of HDMI in 2002; the most recent version is HDMI 1.3, released in June 2006. HDMI 1.3 will also carry Dolby Digital Plus (DD+), a much-improved lossy compression system that runs at 6.1 megabits per second, a huge improvement over conventional Dolby Digital 5.1, which runs at just 0.64 megabits per second. DD+ can convey up to 13 channels of sound compared to Dolby Digital's 5.1 channels.HDMI is the only consumer electronics peripheral interface that can carry both uncompressed high-definition video and uncompressed multi-channel audio in all HD formats, including 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.

HDMI connectivity is quickly becoming a must-have connection type for all kinds of gadgets.