In some ways, installed HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cables are better than having a dog. A dog has to be let out, a dog never cleans up after himself, and a dog won't connect set-top boxes, Blu-ray/DVD players, personal computers, video game consoles and AV receivers onto one TV screen. Admittedly, this is a stretch, but what if it were possible to actually have that kind of convenience? It is!
By now I'm sure you (and every small child that's ever come into your home) has noticed the huge rat's nest of cables behind your television monitor. Not only is this unsightly, but more than a little dangerous to your devices and makes upgrading your current devices, such as DVD players, receivers and set top boxes, a real hassle. Imagine just unplugging one end of a cable and plugging in another. Wow, that's amazing!
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.
While you were doing this you might have noticed that your TV only has one HDMI input. Your powers of observation are commended and as a reward you are offered an HDMI hub! What is an HDMI hub? Simply put, it is a switch or way to "splice together" all of your devices. In other words you could plug your DVD player, your Blu-Ray, and your cable box into one device and that one device into your TV.
HDMI hubs range in function and price drastically. The latest-greatest HDMI switches do not require an additional remote and will switch from device to device based on which device was powered up last. Others come with a remote control, so you're back to selecting the device that you are going to be using. They also come in different configurations that will allow you to add more devices, if that is your need. A 4x1 hub would be a hub that allows four devices to be linked to a single TV or monitor. The "4" is for the amount of devices and the "1" indicated the number of TVs or monitors. There are even some 4x4's out there that will route to four monitors, but won't get you out of the mud if you get stuck.
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.
Though HDMI is rapidly becoming the standard, there are actually different connector types that have been introduced over the last seven years or so. If you have an older DVD player with an earlier type, don't fret; adapters are cheap and work just fine. There are also different versions of HDMI cables. The latest is 1.4 which will support virtually everything in your home, including computer video cards. It should also be noted that DVI and HDMI, while not the same thing, are 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. - 29967
By now I'm sure you (and every small child that's ever come into your home) has noticed the huge rat's nest of cables behind your television monitor. Not only is this unsightly, but more than a little dangerous to your devices and makes upgrading your current devices, such as DVD players, receivers and set top boxes, a real hassle. Imagine just unplugging one end of a cable and plugging in another. Wow, that's amazing!
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.
While you were doing this you might have noticed that your TV only has one HDMI input. Your powers of observation are commended and as a reward you are offered an HDMI hub! What is an HDMI hub? Simply put, it is a switch or way to "splice together" all of your devices. In other words you could plug your DVD player, your Blu-Ray, and your cable box into one device and that one device into your TV.
HDMI hubs range in function and price drastically. The latest-greatest HDMI switches do not require an additional remote and will switch from device to device based on which device was powered up last. Others come with a remote control, so you're back to selecting the device that you are going to be using. They also come in different configurations that will allow you to add more devices, if that is your need. A 4x1 hub would be a hub that allows four devices to be linked to a single TV or monitor. The "4" is for the amount of devices and the "1" indicated the number of TVs or monitors. There are even some 4x4's out there that will route to four monitors, but won't get you out of the mud if you get stuck.
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.
Though HDMI is rapidly becoming the standard, there are actually different connector types that have been introduced over the last seven years or so. If you have an older DVD player with an earlier type, don't fret; adapters are cheap and work just fine. There are also different versions of HDMI cables. The latest is 1.4 which will support virtually everything in your home, including computer video cards. It should also be noted that DVI and HDMI, while not the same thing, are 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. - 29967
About the Author:
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on HDMI Review which discusses how you can get low prices on HDMI Cables, Splitters, Extenders, Boxes, and Adaptors.
