What is HDMI?
Most people have used or heard of HDMI by now, but most don’t know what it is, what makes it different, what makes it better, and what the different versions mean. So we’re going to break it down so you understand it better and know why you should buy that $70 HDMI cable they try to sell you when you buy a tv.
First off what is it? HDMI is an acronym that stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, and it is exactly that. It is a single all digital connection that takes care of video, audio, Copyright protection, and even two-way communication between two devices. For video it supports 1080p all the way up to 4k at 60 frames a second and for audio, it supports 8 uncompressed audio channels. What video formats are available will depend on the two devices being connected. In order to get that impressive 4k 60 figure you will have to have a 4k tv that supports HDMI 2.0 and a 4k source that supports HDMI 2.0 also. The good news is that all the HDMI standards are backwards compatible so if you have a HDMI 1.3 blu ray player and an HDMI 2.0 tv everything will still work just fine. If you don’t know what 1080 or 4k means (check out this article)
The reason this is all so cool and convenient is when you compare it to the analog equivalent. You would have to use component video which is 3 rca connections and another 8 rca cables to match the 8 channels of audio. All of that and you still wouldn’t have the two way communication or HDCP. So it is easy to see the convenience that HDMI offers and that continues with HDMI cables.
When it comes to buying an HDMI cable there are a few things to consider. There three different quality certifications. Standard, High speed and, Premium High speed. Then there is with or without Ethernet which is separate from the quality. Standard has passed the test at the slower original data transfer rate. The next is high speed and it has been tested at the higher speed which supports the higher transfer rates and will work with 99% of what people have. The last is Premium high speed and that has been tested to support 4k video witch higher frame rates and extra color modes. Most of the cables out there are high speed and most of the high speed cable support Ethernet. So it’s a good chance you already have a cable that supports everything you tv source can handle. If you do need a cable don’t buy one of the ridiculously priced cables from the big box stores and buy it online. I have had very good luck with the amazon basics cables and the monoprice cables that ca also be bought on amazon. I have used them in lengths from 3 to 25feet with no issues. The current models are completely up to date and support the full HDMI 2.0 Standard. They are priced well under $10 depending on how many you buy and the length.