Thanks to modern technology, we have many useful and convenient products for various needs: from cooking to comfortable cleaning of the room. Television equipment, which began to be equipped with the HDMI standard, which today has already become familiar, does not stand aside. And he has only recently been gaining popularity. What this cable is and what versions of HDMI exist today, will be discussed in this article.
What is HDMI?
Old analogue TVs have long been a thing of the past, although some still have them and are working properly. Now, in stores, modern and beautiful digital panels of various sizes and formats flaunt. Actually, the HDMI standard was created just for such TVs, which give a better image in contrast to the analog signal.
This connector is not only common among home theaters and game consoles, it is also more common with Blu-ray players, laptops, and even computers. This interface is decrypted as High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which can be translated as a high-definition multimedia interface.
But in addition to the video signal, any version of the HDMI cable is capable of transmitting audio data of high quality, which is an invaluable advantage over analog type cables. And now it’s hard to find any multimedia device without an HDMI interface. And in modern TVs, there are at least 2 such connectors.
Significant Advantage of HDMI
How do these cables differ from other analogues and why are they so popular? The answer is simple - video on such a cable can be transmitted in high definition 1080p (Full High Definition). And at the moment, it is the highest quality format, and therefore widespread.
Perhaps some of us still remember the S-Video interface and composite cable, because relatively recently, with their help, we enjoyed our favorite films, series and concerts. And the picture quality was quite fine with us. The emergence of a new standard and various versions of HDMI meant a serious step into the future in comparison with the listed analogues.
Without a doubt, the new technology provides a better picture, although most people do not see the difference between digital and analog images. Only now if the video is initially not of very good quality or even very bad, is it more pleasant to watch it through the already old interfaces.
As for the transmission of audio, it is also of high quality. Thanks to the HDMI interface, up to 8 channels of 24-bit audio with a frequency of 192 kHz can be transmitted. This allows you to fully enjoy formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. An identical sound can only be obtained using as many as 8 analog cables! It is unlikely that any music lover wants to mess with wires that get confused and interfere all the time.
HDMI Varieties
In connection with the wide range of this cable products, many people have a reasonable question about how to find out the version of an HDMI cable. To answer it, it is worth considering which types are already created. With the advent of the new high-definition standard, we owe it to HDMI Licensing LLC. In turn, it was formed thanks to the efforts of several companies:
- Sony
- Panasonic
- Philips
- Thompson (now Technicolor);
- Hitachi;
- Toshiba;
- Silicon Image.
The HDMI interface was created to replace the already obsolete SCART connector, which many more remember. And he coped with the task very well.
If in fact, then HDMI is a cluster of 19 wires assembled in one braid, which has several insulating layers inside. The minimum bandwidth is 4.9 Gb / s (version 1.0). Digital signal transmission is not accompanied by its compression, which is why its high quality is due.
The very first version of the HDMI cable was first introduced in 2002, and soon the products were firmly rooted in their niche. However, its development did not stop, and almost every year a new version appeared, and at the time of 2013 there were already 10 of them:
- HDMI 1.0.
- HDMI 1.1.
- HDMI 1.2
- HDMI 1.2a.
- HDMI 1.3.
- HDMI 1.3b.
- HDMI 1.4.
- HDMI 1.4a.
- HDMI 1.4b.
- HDMI 2.0
At the same time, each version has its own differences: as a rule, everything went to increase throughput and add many useful features.
It’s easy for ordinary consumers to get confused in such a variety, so after the release of HDMI 1.4 version, HDMI Licensing LLC, with the support of many manufacturers, decided to move away from digital classification. Now everything is much simpler:
- 2 ordinary standards (category 1);
- 2 high-speed interfaces (category 2);
- one specialized protocol for vehicles.
Thus, the whole variety of versions was reduced to 5 standards. It is worth considering them in more detail, and then the differences will manifest themselves in all their glory. About it just below.
HDMI standard
Since the moment the HDMI 1.0 cable appeared, a lot of time has passed, and now the usual standard can already be equated to version 1.3. Such cables are suitable for almost all household home devices, whether they are DVD players, satellite TV receivers, plasma or LCD panels.
The image is transmitted in 1080i or 720p format, sometimes they can support 1080p, but there are no guarantees. This option is suitable in cases where there is no need to transmit high quality images and sound. It is characterized by a bandwidth of 4.9 Gb / s, a clock frequency of 74.25 MHz with a color depth of not more than 24 bits.
Through such a cable, simple signals can be transmitted between simple devices. High gear is out of the question here, and accordingly there is no detail here either. Therefore, for those who need to get a high-quality picture from the screen, you should not choose such a cable.
HDMI with Ethernet standard
Here everything is the same as listed above (resolution 1080i or 720p, etc.). The only difference is that there is an additional Ethernet channel with a speed of up to 100 Mbps. Of course, this is not yet full HDMI 1.4, but for home use it is enough.
The interface will fully function only if both connected devices support this function - that is, they are equipped with an Ethernet HDMI connector.
In addition to the fact that the cable provides a high-speed Internet connection , at the same time it is possible to distribute data received from the World Wide Web between all connected devices. In addition, there is another additional feature that is not in the standard cable - Audio Return Channel technology.
HDMI car version
Represents a new development, which was created specifically for use in vehicles. The cable can work in the most severe conditions:
- high level of humidity;
- strong vibrations;
- temperature changes.
With it, you can connect the on-board computer, which is present in almost any modern car, to various multimedia devices that have a micro-HDMI connector. And at the same time, despite all these harsh conditions, the signal will remain as high-quality as possible. The standard is most common among car audio installation experts, as well as lovers of good car audio.
The cables are equipped with a type E connector with a special lock, which allows you to better fix the convector in the slot. As a result, the disconnection of devices during their use is excluded.
High Speed HDMI
These are just the cables that allow you to enjoy the pleasant sight of what is happening on the screen in all its glory! The list of connected devices is much wider if compared with the conventional interface:
- Blu-ray players, including with 3D function.
- HDD players.
- Satellite television.
- Plasma or LCD TVs.
- Game consoles.
That is, it is practically an HDMI 2.0 cable, since image transmission with a resolution of 1080p or more is possible. That is, formats such as 3D, Deep Color and 4K (4096 × 2160, 24Hz) are supported. The maximum throughput is 10.2 Gbps with a color depth of 48 bits and a clock frequency of 340 MHz.
In other words, a connection is possible between absolutely any device. In addition, this interface is compatible with all types of HDMI, only if the A-type connector is used.
However, compared to the usual HDMI standard, the distinguishing features do not end there. And the whole thing is not only the size of the cross section and the material of the twisted pairs, but also the quality of their dielectrics, as well as shielding methods.
Ultimately, this affects the formation of value, which is higher than that of standard cables. However, you can enjoy high-quality content only with the help of a slightly more expensive counterpart. Therefore, it’s better to overpay a little, but watch full three-dimensional films, rather than settle for small ones, and then think for a long time how to connect the HDMI cable to the TV.
High Speed HDMI and Ethernet
Here the same parameters, only an additional Internet channel with a speed of 100 Mbps was added. If all connected devices support Ethernet HDMI, then the functionality is fully disclosed. This option is the best alternative that is available today. This is the universal HDMI standard, which has all the necessary functionality. Such cords are relevant with a reserve for the future.
Connector types
In addition to the listed varieties, HDMI cables can have excellent size connectors:
- Type A is a standard connector that is widely distributed among many household devices (televisions, players, projectors, and the like).
- Type B - this HDMI has a wider video channel, its resolution significantly exceeds the 1080p format.
- Type C and D - micro-HDMI and mini-HDMI, respectively, fall into this category. Using these cords, you can connect tablets, smartphones, and cameras.
- Type E - this variety has already been discussed above and refers to the automotive standard, equipped with a special lock.
For all types, except for B, the number of contacts is 19, he has more of them - 29. In order not to miss out on what kind of connector is needed for each particular device, you should look at the documentation, which is always in the kit.
Of course, if it is not acquired by hand in the secondary market. In this case, you should not use adapters as much as possible. The smaller the number of “intermediaries”, the better.
Connect to old TVs
At the beginning of the article it was mentioned that some people still have old televisions that still work. And here a situation often arises when you need to connect some device to it. How can this be done, is it possible to use some kind of HDMI adapter “tulip”? This question haunts many "antique dealers".
At first glance, it seems that this is impossible to achieve and easier to purchase a new TV. However, not every person has such means, even though flat panels have slightly fallen in price.
In fact, this is a doable task, which is solved by the acquisition of an HDMI to RCA converter. With it, you can connect not only a computer to the old TV, but also a DVR, laptop, modern game console, media console and any other device with HDMI.
Often, users on the Internet are offered the so-called HDMI to RCA adapters, however, such devices are not suitable for the simple reason that the supplied digital signal needs to be converted to an analogue format that old TVs will understand. But passive adapters will not be able to do this, so it is necessary to give preference to converters.
Many of these devices (HDMI "tulip") support formats 480P, 720P, 1080P, 1080I with zoom function. The output signal is 480i (720x480, 60 Hz) and 576i (720x576, 50 Hz), which corresponds to the NTSC and PAL standards, respectively. There is a switch to select the desired color. A USB cable is provided for supplying the converter.
Telephone tv
In some cases, it may be necessary to connect the phone to the TV, which is doable. However, there is an opinion that it is enough to purchase a micro-USB-HDMI adapter. But in reality, not everything is so simple. There is an opportunity to connect your phone to the TV, but for this, both devices must have MHL support. That is, the HDMI / MHL port must be present on the TV, which is not relevant for all models.
If this is so, then the small thing is to buy the right cable. But here there is one caveat: some gadgets, such as Samsung, have 11 contacts, while other models have only 5. This also needs to be taken into account, but otherwise it’s the same cable with micro at one end -USB, and on the other - HDMI. No settings are required, just go to the desired mode through the signal source menu.
But there is such a situation: the phone has MHL support, but it is not on the TV. This is where you can’t do without a special USB to HDMI adapter, although it’s even more likely an adapter that allows you to convert the MHL signal to a stream that is understandable for a TV with ordinary HDMI. And since this device is active, it definitely needs power, for which any regular charge is suitable. It looks like a box with the right connectors.
It's important to know
There is one important point regarding the length of the HDMI cable: the larger it is, the thicker the cord should be. For example, for 5 meters it is 7 mm, which is referred to as 28AWG. So the wires are calibrated according to the American system. A table of other lengths for different HDMI versions is shown in the table below.
HDMI cable length, m | HDMI cable thickness, mm | Wire Calibration AWG |
10 | 8 | 26 |
fifteen | 9 | 24 |
twenty | 10 | 22 |
The greater thickness of the cable implies the use of wires of a larger cross section, as well as improved insulation. All this allows you to transmit a signal without loss. As for compatibility, the next-generation HDMI versions work just fine with the old standards.
All the advantages of transmitting digital video content via an HDMI cable is obvious. Perhaps in the near future such an interface will combine even more functions. In addition, work on a new video resolution does not stop and there is already talk about the 8K format. What will happen next? Wait and see.