Question

Can someone explain to me in layman terms what HDMI is and what it does?

Answer 1

High-Definition Multimedia Interface. An HDMI cable has 19 wires wrapped in that single high-bandwidth cable.

It sends an uncompressed, all digital signal, and can carry not just uncompressed digital video, but up to 8 digital audio channels as well.

So that single cable can take clear, uncompressed digital video and output it on your monitor exactly as it's sent, without compression, conversion to analog etc. And it will play your sound too.

The generally available so far is Type A, current standard, with 19 wires. Type B will have 29, yes TWENTY-NINE cables, but applications will be professional, like movie studios etc.

But for now, HDMI is the top tier of quality audio and video input and output.

Comments

Thanx very much for the info. So tell me, I have an LED TV and has this HDMI option under source, what device do i connect for it to work?

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Gee, whatever device you have that has HDMI output. You could use a PS3, I have. You could connect your HD PVR Decoder, I have.

I've even used HDMI to play computer games from my PC on my TV. Awesome.

Anyway, the number of off-the-shelf peripherals that output HDMI is exploding, and it won't be long before everything that outputs video and audio will be HD.