Using HDMI Cabling
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. What does that mean to you? A lot if you consider that one cable can take the place of your coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, and VGA cables. Take into account as well that you can use an HDMI cable to connect set-top boxes, Blu-ray/DVD players, personal computers, video game consoles, and AV receivers to computer monitors and televisions. The HDMI cable is the best thing since the Swiss Army Knife.
As you might or might not have noticed, there is a rat’s nest of cables slowly taking over the area behind your TV. With all the component cabling spilling out all over the place and onto the floor it’s not a pretty sight back there. Throw in the tangles with the power cords and speaker wiring and Magellan couldn’t find his way through that mess. Hopefully the following information will help keep you from getting lost.
The first step to bringing you the rest of the way into the 21st Century is to establish which one of your current devices can be converted to HDMI cables. This is pretty easy as all devices associated with multimedia actually have the outputs labeled for your reading pleasure. If, for some reason, you have a DVD player manufactured by a very off brand, you can always buy one HDMI cable and see how many devices it will plug into. That’s less complicated than it sounds. If you can successfully make toast, I’m confident you can pull this off.
Now you might notice that your TV only has one HDMI input. This is common, Sparky, and it’s by design. Why combine 15 cables (3 sets of component cables) down to 3 HDMI cables, when you can combine it down to just one? Those clever folks even came up with a way to make this whole “cable spring cleaning” even easier. Wait for it…okay, read on!
HDMI hubs can be relatively inexpensive (between $30 and $1,200) and offer the convenience of being able to have a central location for all of your multimedia devices. What’s more is they will make it so there’s only one cable going up to your TV. Hubs come in a lot of different configurations and with several extra functions; such as automatic switching from device to device. To figure out what size hub you need, simply count the number of devices you need connected to your TV that have HDMI out ports. Let’s say you have five. Since you only have one TV to connect them to, you would be looking for a 5×1 HDMI Hub. Hub will also accommodate several TVs or monitors. For the home user, it’s almost preferred to have two separated hubs to avoid complicated switching options.
To get to the meat of the subject, HDMI cables can be cheap or expensive depending on your needs. The two basic things to look for are possible EMI (Electro-Magnet Interference, or cable noise) sources and cable length needed. Determining length is pretty easy when you consider digital signal can travel through a cable for 50′ without any noticeable deterioration. Should you need to go further (for Pete’s sake–why?), you can purchase digital repeaters. EMI is a little trickier though. Take stock of your electrical cords as they are the main culprits. Try your best to separate them from all the other cables. If that’s not practical, just buy HDMI cables with thicker shielding. The price range for your cables can be anywhere from $8 to $100, so you have a lot of room to work with.
There are also several versions of HDMI cables out there. The latest version (1.4) is capable of taking the place of every cable out there. There are also different connector types. If you find that your new HDMI cable won’t fit, adapters are relatively cheap and easy to install. While you were checking for HDMI ports, you might have noticed a DVI port as well, and in some cases, instead of an HDMI output. If this is the case, you are in luck. DVI and HDMI are completely compatible with an adapter.
HDMI will never replace the love of a child or cook you breakfast, but it will make your life easier. With just a few hours of planning and installation you have enabled your home theater to be aesthetically more pleasing and a lot easier to upgrade. You’ve also eliminated that nasty eyesore of cables you’ve wadded up and gave up on a long time ago. With HDMI, you can give up on them permanently.
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