Thread: High-Definition Multimedia Interface

In general, people don't like a lot of cabling spewing out of their home-entertainment systems. So, a single cable that can transfer HD video and multichannel HD audio is highly desirable.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) offers similar features to DVI, but adds HD audio capability and longer maximum cable lengths. It has a smaller connector that's much simpler to plug in and doesn't use any fiddly thumbscrews, making it much more attractive for home use.

It also uses signalling methods compatible with DVI, so you can use adapters to connect between DVI and HDMI kit, which makes it simple to connect a DVI-equipped PC into the HDMI port of an HD-ready TV set.



Conversely, if you have a graphics card with an HDMI port, or one of the new motherboards with integrated HDMI, then it's simple to connect it to a standard DVI monitor. HDMI isn't a universal solution, however. Dual-link DVI connections still have more bandwidth than the regular 'Type ~ HDMI interfaces.

A higher-bandwidth HDMI spec exists, called Type B, which is analogous to dual-link DVI, although it uses a different physical connector, which we've yet to see in any real products. HDMI also supports High¬Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) for video and audio streams.

Note that HDMI is new and still changing, which can cause compatibility problems. The latest 1.3 specification is found only in a handful of products, including Sony's Playstation 3; most new products are based on AMD's 690G chipset and only
support HDMI version 1.2. Nevertheless, HDMI is gaining a solid foothold, due to its simplicity and current compatibility.