Hi-Fi Guides

HDMI is so easy to use, no wonder it has quickly become regarded as standard in the manufacture of home entertain equipment and is the preferred connection in not only the top end of the market, but also for mainstream consumer products. Admit it, who hasn’t found themselves confused when trying to connect their home entertain units – televisions, DVDs etc, with ‘this cable into here, then out to there, and this cable goes in here and, oh no, they’re the wrong way round, no wonder it won’t work’. Trial and error is a thing of the past when you just need a single cable for all of the audio and the video signals, and there is much less of a confusion of wires lurking behind the TV. The digital format also offers terrific audio and picture quality, so isn’t it about time you made the switch? It might be easier than you think.

Theoretically, because HDMI is digital, as long as there is a good connection you should not suffer any data loss or signal disruption, as long as you are using a cable which is compatible with your existing AV equipment. There are now different versions of HDMI cable available, due to the continuing development and improvements, so make sure that the cable you buy is compatible with your equipment before you buy to avoid any distortion resulting from having HDMI versions with slightly different formats.

It can work out a cheaper option to use a HDMI cable, as you only need to buy one cable instead of maybe two or three of the older style cable connectors. It also, as said above, makes installing connections much easier and tidier.

As HDMI becomes the standard for all manufacturers of home entertainment equipment, this therefore means that ultimately all equipment will be interchangeable and compatible with each other. Although other connections options will still be available for certainly the foreseeable future, ultimately it is expected that HDMI will become standard and replace all other types of connection for home theatre systems and entertainment equipment.

Unlike some other technology in which the development stops once it has reached the marketplace, HDMI is being constantly redeveloped and improved. This is extremely beneficial to consumers as it means that the same format will be used for many years to come, evolving to cope with new developments elsewhere in the industry and will not become outdated in the near future.

HDMI cabling really does offer the best solution for connecting your home entertainment equipment for many years to come. It’s by far easier than installing traditional one-way cables; it leaves a much neater and tidier appearance, and is likely to be around for many years, developing alongside the technology which it connects. Above all, the picture and audio quality possible when using HDMI cannot be replicated using other more traditional methods.

So if you haven’t already made the switch, it is certainly worth thinking about, and you should certainly not consider buying anything else when updating your home entertainment equipment.

HDMI have certainly made an impact in the home entertainment systems market, and all new hardware is now manufactured to include HDMI ports, however, although the single cable system makes the connection process and the picture and audio quality much better over the shorter distance, if you need to have a longer cable then there is real deterioration in the quality. Developments and improvements are being made constantly, but even with the highest quality components and the most expensive cable, there is still a limit of around 40 to 50 feet for full effectiveness of the connection quality.

So what can you do if your HDMI cable needs to be longer than the optimum 15 feet? Well, fortunately there are other means to boost the signal strength and retain picture and audio quality. These vary quite a bit in both cost and suitability, so it is important to find the best option for your particular circumstances before forking out lots of cash for something which will make little or no difference.

Signal Boosters

These do exactly as you would expect, boost the signal. They are designed to boost the signal strength so that it can remain stronger over longer distances, you can then attach a number of short cables together and maintain picture quality, this can often work out cheaper than buying one completely line of cable.

Signal Restorers

This is a small separate device which can be attached to the end of the HDMI cable and enable the signal to travel over a much greater distance, even over 100 feet in some cases. The weak signal is, in effect re-synchronized back to the full quality you would expect to receive from your HDMI cable.

Signal Extenders

These work in a similar way to the signal boosters above, and mean that you can attach multiple shorter HDMI cables together and effectively extend the distance that the signal is able to travel.

Fibre Optic Cable

If your HDMI signal needs to travel over very long distances then you will need to invest in fibre optic cable.  This makes transmission possible of over 1500 feet, but is the most expensive option available. If you need your signal to travel this sort of distance though, you will need to invest in fibre optic cable.

So you see, there are options available to you if you need to make your HDMI cable work effectively over greater distances. Maybe with future developments some of these options won’t be necessary, but until then you really need to discuss your requirements with an experienced home entertainment specialist who can advise you on your best and most cost effective option. There have been remarkable innovations over the last few years and new techniques are still arriving constantly onto the marketplace. If you are in the market for a new method of connecting of home entertainment equipment, then HDMI cables are still typically the most cost effective, easy and efficient method of connecting your equipment. When used correctly the picture and audio quality is much higher than with many other methods.