Is HDMI the Ultimate Digital Source or just Souped up DVI? back to articles

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) has been largely hailed as the ultimate interface to enjoy supreme quality high definition audio and video but is it really that good, after all, surely DVI is just as good. Do we really need HDMI?

HDMI was developed with the specific intention of replacing DVI. DVI was primarily used to convert analogue signals to digital for computer monitors. There are actually three different types of DVI, which are DVI-A, DVI-D and DVD-I.

DVI-A uses analogue signals the same as VGA. DVI-D uses a digital signal (as with modern home cinema systems and consumer products). DVI-I is a combination of both DVI-A and DVI-D. Modern electronics use the single link standard for performance but DVI-I can handle this as well as dual link to make it adaptable for future advancements. DVI-I supports a fully digital protocol, which means video up to 1080p can be viewed.

HDMI on the other hand offers an uncompressed digital audio and video interface that has the full support of manufacturers including Panasonic, Sony, and Toshiba to name but a few. Major movie companies too have backed HDMI including Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures. HDMI offers an interface that can connect any audio or video source together. It can do this through a single HDMI cable.

HDMI supports high definition video, normal video as well as digital audio and also have bandwidth to spare in order to make it ready for future advancements in HDMI technology. It must be remembered though that HDMI and DVI are a lot similar and are actually based on a set of specifications that were extremely alike, in fact, HDMI was derived from the DVI requirements.

So, is HDMI any different to DVI? Well yes it is. HDMI actually incorporates a form of content security known as High Definition Content Protection (HDCP). HDMI also can support both audio and video signals through one cable at the same time whereas DVI is limited to only video.

The number of cables needed to set up with DVI is at least two. One is for the audio and one is for the video. HDMI requires only a single HDMI cable therefore leaving fewer cables to be tangled up behind the electronic equipment. This means that anyone using HDMI is going to end up with a cleaner less cluttered space around their equipment.

The important thing to remember is that quality wise; HDMI and DVI are the same. This is because as mentioned earlier they are both derived from the same specifications but HDMI’s ability to support digital audio gives it the edge over DVI. Combine this with the fact that HDMI can do this through a single HDMI cable and it is easy to see why HDMI and HDMI cables have proved to be so popular.

 

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