What is an HDMI cable? In the simplest of terms, the HDMI cable is your best friend. In technical terms, it is a High Definition Multimedia Interface cable. You initial reaction may be, “So?”-but we’re out to change that attitude. For starters HDMI cables can connect virtually every piece of media out there to a monitor. So even if you eliminate the set of cables from your DVD player to your TV alone, you’ve just condensed 5 cables down to one. Does that grab your attention? Read on.
So why would you want to go through all of the headache to figure out what cables can be replaced by an HDMI cable? Take a look behind your cool, homemade home theater, Mr. Messy Marvin. If you are like 99% of the other non-HDMI users, you have a ball of cables and cords that would make an obsessive compulsive faint. It’s time you cleaned up your act, Mister!
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.
While you were doing this you might have noticed that your TV only has one HDMI input. Your powers of observation are commended and as a reward you are offered an HDMI hub! What is an HDMI hub? Simply put, it is a switch or way to “splice together” all of your devices. In other words you could plug your DVD player, your Blu-Ray, and your cable box into one device and that one device into your TV.
HDMI hubs can be relatively inexpensive (between $30 and $1,200) and offer the convenience of being able to have a central location for all of your multimedia devices. What’s more is they will make it so there’s only one cable going up to your TV. Hubs come in a lot of different configurations and with several extra functions; such as automatic switching from device to device. To figure out what size hub you need, simply count the number of devices you need connected to your TV that have HDMI out ports. Let’s say you have five. Since you only have one TV to connect them to, you would be looking for a 5×1 HDMI Hub. Hub will also accommodate several TVs or monitors. For the home user, it’s almost preferred to have two separated hubs to avoid complicated switching options.
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.
HDMI cables also come in various types and versions. The latest version is 1.4 which is capable of carrying virtually any type of digital signal without any effort. Various types are basically nothing more than how the plug looks. If you have a plug in that looks different than the cable you have, there is an adapter in your future. No worries though, adapters are all plug and play. As an added bonus, if you see a port labeled “DVI,” you can use that (with an adapter) in place of an HDMI port. The signal translates perfectly. In fact, they could be first cousins.
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.
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.