What does HDMI stand for?
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It is an all-digital video interface that transmits signals in uncompressed format for e.g.uncompress video data and uncompressed digital data from an HDMI source to a monitor, television, video projector, etc.
What is HDMI?
- HDMI or high definition multimedia interface is one of the most regularly used HD cables for transmitting high definition audio and visual over a single cable. This is the most used cable in home connecting devices such as digital TV, digital player, blue ray, box, PlayStation, and Appletv with the television.
- HDMI transmits high-quality video and visual streams between devices. The HDMI is used with devices such as HDTV, Projector, DVD player, or Blu ray player.
What are the advantages of HDMI cable?
1. Higher quality
HDMI cables ensure lossless transmissions and better picture and video quality at low brightness. Higher contrast details like text are displayed in better and sharper quality.
2. Authentication and encryption
HDMI cable standards support authentication that ensures the devices are authorized to receive the content sent through an HDMI cable. Authorization is also enabled to make sure people do not tap into tables to copy data or pirate content.
3. Single cable
An HDMI cable is extremely convenient for a person to use. It is a single cable that carries audio, video, and control information. There is no complexity for fitting in different wires for different purposes.
4. No compression
HD signals are not compressed therefore there is no reduction in quality.
5. Deep colors:
HDMI is able to support 10but,12bit, and 16bit color depths which can produce 1 billion color variants in extreme detail.
6. Dolby/DTS
HDMI cables support Dolby/DTS -8 channel audio streams for the highest quality audio streams.
7. Various Audio formats
It supports various audio formats such as standard stereo, multi-channel surround, etc.
What are the disadvantages of HDMI cable?
1. Distance limitations
The maximum distance for HDMI Cat1 cables is 35 meters and the maximum distance for HDMI Cat2 cables is 10 meters. Beyond this limit, they need extenders. There are extenders like UTP cable extenders for HDMI, HDMI cable extenders, and fiber extenders.
2. Switching delays
Sometimes blank screens are caused because of authentication delays. Flashing screen delays can also occur.
3. Costly
HDMI cables are slightly more expensive than their analog counterparts.
4. Multi-channel Audios
HDMI sources are able to transmit multi-channel audio sources but they are not able to transmit multi-channel and standard two-channel stereo signal at the same time. This becomes a problem with multi-room installations.
5. DVI compatibility
HDMI cables are compatible with DVI interfaces but require a separate video cable as DVI only contains video signals. There is also a need for an HDMI-DVI connector in such scenarios.
6. Field terminations
There are difficulties in field termination. They cannot be terminated easily in a field like their analog counterparts.
What are the different types of HDMI cables?
There are two types of HDMI cable:
1. Standard Cable
It is also known as a category 1 HDMI cable. It operates at a pixel speed of 75 MHZ and supporting a bandwidth of around 2.23 Gbps. It is apt for transferring an uncompressed 1080i signal.
2. High-speed cable
It is also known as a category 2 HDMI cable. It operates at a pixel speed of 340 MHZ supporting a bandwidth of around 10gbps. It is perfect for the latest resolution 1440p.
What are the different types of HDMI cables?
There are 5 types of HDMI connector:
1. Type-A connector
It has been the mainstay of the HDMI standard. It was launched along with the original standard. The type A connector is the most common type of connector used and it is found compatible with a huge no. of devices such as televisions, DVD players, set-top boxes, games consoles, etc. It is the aptest form of HDMI connector.
2. Type B connectors
It was also launched along with the original standard in 2002. Its focus was to carry dual-link DVD-I video.
3. Type C connector
It is also known as a mini connector and is much smaller than type A. It has a 19 pin configuration. It includes all the functions of a type A HDMI connector but its connector is much smaller. Its measurements are 10.42mm and 2.42mm.
4. Type D connector
It is often known as a micro USB connector because its size is very close to a micro USB connector. Its main aim was to provide audio and video connectivity in small and portable devices like mobile phones. Its measurements are 6.4mm into 2.8mm.
5. Type E connector
Type E was also launched with HDMI version 1.4. This type of connector was mainly targeted towards automotive applications.
Conclusion
The above article covers everything you need to know about an HDMI cable. The article covers everything such as what is HDMI and its full form, advantages, and disadvantages of HDMI cable, types of HDMI cables, and different types of HDMI connectors.
