HDMI FAQ

A list of the most frequently asked questions about HDMI:

  1. Is HDMI the best interface? Obviously the answer is subjective - many people still swear that analog signals are higher quality than digital signals in the same way that many audiophiles still maintain that their old vinyl sounds better than new digital music formats.  Here are some of the facts:  HDMI supports all consumer HDTV resolutions including “Full HD” 1080p.  HDMI uses HDCP content protection method to guarantee that you have a perfect signal tranfer from your source to your display, (a feature that is not available over analog connections).  HDMI can support up to 8 digital audio streams, full surround sound, lossless audio, TrueHD and DTS-HD audio.  Both video and audio signals are sent over a single cable with a USB sized connector.  With HDMI you can be assured that you will be getting the best video and audio available over a single and simple cable.
  2. I have an analog source - should I convert it to digital for better quality? No! If your original source is analog there is no benefit to digital conversion unless your TV or monitor will only support a digital input - introducing any type of conversion adds overhead (or noise) that will possibly degrade the signal. The best you can hope from a good converter is a comparable signal to what you would expect without the converter.
  3. Is there a difference between a high-end HDMI cable and a regular one? As much as the marketers of HDMI cables would like you to think there is a difference, in general there doesn’t seem to be many. HDMI carries a digital signal - the source either receives the signal in it’s entirety or it doesn’t receive it at all (which you will know really quick). The one difference seems to be the connectors - if the connectors are bad or too cheap they may be damaged with repeated use. That is not a common problem - if you’re worried about it just buy 2 cheap HDMI cables upfront - they will still be much cheaper than an expensive one and you can always use the other if the first one dies.