About HDMI cables:
HDMI cable: The Catalyst for the DTV Revolution
Backed by some of the industry's biggest names, High-Definition Multimedia
Interface (HDMI) cables will enable true high definition audio/video content for
consumers. Content providers, system operators and consumer electronics
manufacturers are rallying behind a standard that will finally deliver on DTV's
long-awaited promises.
What are HDMI cables?
HDMI cables are the first industry-supported,
uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface cable. HDMI stands for
"High-Definition Multimedia Interface". By delivering crystal-clear,
all-digital audio and video signals with a single cable, HDMI cables
dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the
highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI connection jacks are most often
found on home theater devices that are capable of outputting some form of
digital High Definition video signals such as digital HDTV televisions &
projectors, up converting HD DVD players, HDTV cable & satellite boxes, home
theater receivers and digital video recorders.
HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel
digital audio on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and
supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and all
currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS), HDMI
version 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless digital audio formats such
as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future
enhancements and requirements. HDMI 1.3, released in June of 2006, is backwards
compatible with all previous HDMI versions.
How many HDMI cables do I need?
Typically, for most consumers who have a home theater system will need 3 HDMI
cables for optimal system performance and ease of use; 2 shorter cables (usually
1-2 meters in length) coming from source devices such as a high definition cable
or satellite box and up converting HD DVD player connects to the HDMI inputs
of the digital home theater receiver. Then usually, 1 longer HDMI cable
(usually 2-15 meters in length) connects from the HDMI monitor output of the
home theater receiver and connects to the HDMI input of the high definition
television or projector. Since the quality of cables are typically the weakest
link in any home system, we recommend budgeting for the very best cables to
realize maximum performance from the investment you made in your home
system.
Who supports HDMI cables?
HDMI cables are the de facto standard digital interface for the High Definition
and consumer electronics market: More than 400 companies have become adopters,
and more than 60 million devices featuring HDMI connectors are expected to ship
in 2006. HDMI equipped Personal Computers enables PCs to deliver premium media
content including high definition movies and multi-channel audio formats. HDMI
is the only interface enabling connections to both HDTVs and digital PC monitors
implementing the DVI and HDMI standards.
HDMI cables and adapters by Monster have been
developed in a joint partnership with HDMI founder, Silicon Image. Silicon Image
and Monster have worked together to deliver HDMI's crystal-clear, all-digital,
high-definition video and multi-channel audio.
How do consumers benefit from HDMI cable connections?
- Quality: HDMI cables transfers
uncompressed digital audio and video for the highest, crispest image
quality.
- All-Digital: High quality HDMI cables,
such as Monster Cables M1000DAV M Series Reference HDMI cable, ensure
an all-digital rendering of video without the losses associated with analog
interfaces and their unnecessary digital-to-analog conversions.
- Low-cost: When you consider what it
would cost to purchase two separate high performance cables; 1 for video and
1 for audio; HDMI cables present a more cost-effective high performance
solution combining both in a single cable.
- Audio: HDMI cables support multiple
digital audio formats, from standard stereo to multi-channel surround-sound.
- Ease-of-use: HDMI cables combine video
and multi-channel audio into a single cable, eliminating the cost,
complexity and confusion of multiple cables currently used in many audio
video systems.
- Intelligence: HDMI cables support
two-way communication between the video source (such as a DVD player) and
the digital television, enabling new functionality such as automatic
configuration and one-touch play.
What is the life expectancy of HDMI?
HDTV uses less than 1/2 of HDMI's available 5 Gbps bandwidth. With capacity to
spare, HDMI can incorporate new technology advancements and capabilities long
into the foreseeable future.
Is HDMI backward-compatible with DVI (Digital Visual
Interface)?
Yes, HDMI is fully backward-compatible with DVI using the CEA-861 profile for
DTVs. HDMI DTVs will display video received from existing DVI-equipped products,
and DVI-equipped TVs will display video from HDMI sources.
Will current HD TVs and set-top boxes using DVI-HDTV be compatible with HDMI
devices?
Yes. Currently there are TVs with DVI-HDTV inputs available from a variety of
manufacturers. Those devices will be compatible with future HDMI-equipped
products.
What types of video does HDMI support?
HDMI has the capacity to support existing high-definition video formats (720p,
1080i, and even 1080p). It also has the flexibility to support enhanced
definition formats such as 480p, as well as standard definition formats such as
NTSC or PAL.
What's new in HDMI version 1.3?
- Higher speed: Even though all previous
versions of HDMI have had more than enough bandwidth to support all current
HDTV formats, HDMI version 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth to 340MHz
(10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future High Definition display
devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates. In
addition, built into the HDMI version 1.3 specification is the technical
foundation that will let future versions of HDMI reach significantly higher
speeds.
- Deep Color: HDMI version 1.3 supports
30-bit, 36-bit and 48-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 24-bit
depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification, for stunning
rendering of over one billion colors in unprecedented detail.
- Broader color space: HDMI version 1.3
adds support for “xvYCC” color standard, which removes current color
space limitations and enables the display of any color viewable by the human
eye.
- Lip Sync: Because consumer
electronics devices are using increasingly complex digital signal processing
to enhance the clarity and detail of the content, synchronization of video
and audio in user devices has become a greater challenge and could
potentially require complex end-user adjustments. HDMI 1.3 incorporates
automatic audio synching capabilities that allows devices to perform this
synchronization automatically with total accuracy.
- New HD lossless audio formats:
In addition to HDMI’s current ability to support high-bandwidth
uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats
(such as Dolby® Digital and DTS®), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for
new lossless compressed digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master
Audio™.
What products or applications will take
advantage of new HDMI version 1.3 capabilities?
According to announcements by manufacturers, new high-definition DVD formats
(HD-DVD and Blu-ray) and game machines (including the Sony PLAYSTATION® 3) will
make use of capabilities added in HDMI 1.3. Digital televisions will be able to
present images that are closer to real life than previously has been possible.
These will include LCD TVs, plasma displays and rear projection microdisplays.
The PS3 which is scheduled to ship in November 2006, will be the first source
product to provide such high quality imagery to these displays. It is expected
that hi-def DVD players will follow early in 2007 with HDMI 1.3 support. A/V
Receivers that can decode DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD will start to
show up early in 2007 as well. Please check with the manufacturers for details.
See
our complete selection of our highest performing Monster Cable HDMI to HDMI
cables:
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our complete selection of our higher performing Monster HDMI to DVI cables:
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our complete selection of our highest performing Monster HDMI to DVI, DVI to
HDMI adapters:
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