What Are the Advantages of HDMI Cables?

High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is the name for the current cable connection of choice for home entertainment systems. This cable offers crystal clear video and audio in a single cable connection, such as from a Blu-Ray player to an HDTV. 

Development of this cable began in April of 2002 as a group effort of several big names in the industry, including Sony, Toshiba RCA, and Philips; with the goal of creating a single cable solution to carry two-way high definition traffic at very high speeds. Although currently most HD-TVs are capable of 1080p, HDMI cables are capable of delivering far higher quality, ensuring their usefulness as HD-TVs exceed current limitations.

HDMI uses what’s called a “Hand Shake” technology to connect devices that allows it to help manufacturers prevent unauthorized copying of copyrighted materials. This is a feature called HDCP or High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. A device without HDCP is not capable of receiving the HDMI content.

A high quality HDMI cable will carry a signal usually around 30 feet at max levels, before requiring an amplifier. Other solutions to go further are to convert to Cat5, Cat6, or even fiber cables.

When selecting an HDMI cable, ensure that the HDMI logo is molded into the cable’s connector, or imprinted somewhere on the cable connector itself. If it’s not there, you could have one of many cheaper knock-offs, which will make the connection but will disappoint with quality.

Two Bonuses of HDMI Connectors

1. Quality - HDMI is currently able to deliver the clearest audio and video. While other solutions may be cheaper, they deliver a far inferior level of quality. 
2. One Cable - Other audio / visual solutions not only deliver lower quality, but in cases like RCA cables it requires 3 connections. In most other cases, you’ll either get only video, as is the case with S-Video, or only video, as with DVI.

Coaxial Cables vs. HDMI

While the coaxial cable does offer both audio and visual, its limitations are nowhere near the 1080p of HDMI. Coaxial cables top out at a mere 480i. Even though it is a coaxial cable that comes from your wall and into your set top box, the signal is decoded in the set top box and must be delivered by a high quality connection.

If you were to use coaxial cable to come out of your set top box, and into your television, all of your HD channels would be limited to 480i, and you’d get those thick gray bars on the top and bottom of your screen. Also, your audio would not be digital, although the picture would.

There are some components (like the RCA, but rated for HD) that can rival the HDMI cable, however, you have to know what you’re doing with this technology, have a little money to spend and the television and other such components must be top of the line. These high-tech options tend to be more expensive than HDMI cables; they are Analog (not digital) and require three connections.

One can see there are advantages of HDMI cables including ease of use and performance. CZ Labs offers many HDMI products in our online store where we cater to the wholesale market and offer bulk discounts.

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