What is HDMI used for?

This doesn't seem like the right forum to post this in, but I didn't see anything more suitable...after all the 1330 comes with a HDMI port.

So anyways, technology once again has passed me by...yes I googled this but found no simple explanation of what I can do with this HDMI port? Connect it to a flat screen? A TV? Something about a dvd/blueray player?

Can someone just offer a simple example of what you would use it for? Apparently some people regard the HDMI option as a serious plus...so I just want to know what I'm paying for. Thanks.

 

HDMI = High Definition Multimedia Interface, if I remember correctly.

Simply put, you can take the video output of your graphics card and take it to anything with an HDMI-in port. For most people that means you can show whatever's on your laptop onto your HDTV.

 

Ahh okay. I thought so, but what is the difference between that and a normal S-Video output? It does the same thing, albeit with terrible quality (not a crisp tv image).

 

HDMI - High Definition Audio & Video output in one connector

 

Aha! And so I learn! Audio AND video in one cable. Now thats what I call technological advancement, sweet!

 

The audio is a little tricky to get when you hook it up. Hook up your HDMI cable, then go into Sound through the Control Panel or Start menu search. On the playback tab, set the HDMI output to the default. Only then will your sound come from the TV. Otherwise it'll be video through the TV, sound through the laptop. And of course, the video output will be HD, depending on your TV.

 

Thanks for explaining, I appreciate it.

 

I general use the biggest advantage will be higher resolutions you can output to the TV... When it comes to HDDVD and BlueRay it will allow the machine to fit the DRM rules when outputting...

 

The chief thing about HDMI is it provides a Digital Video and Audio output in a single connector while the SVideo, Composite, Component outputs are all analog ones..... Also all the HD resolutions can only be viewed on a TV using either DVI or HDMI alone..... And yes it supports DRMs too....

 

Also, if you have an external LCD you want to use, the HDMI connector is the best possible connector to use: it's digital like DVI, but is a USB-like connector with nothing to screw/unscrew, unlike both DVI and the inferior analog VGA, which do use thumbscrews to attach the cable to the port.

I am very happy to have the HDMI for this feature alone.

 

Even though the max resolution for my 1330 is 1280x800, can I get 1680x1050 resolution on my Samsung monitor (native resolution) by using the HDMI?

 

You should be able to. I am able to get 1440x900 on my Polaroid 19" LCD TV, and I can go up to 1920x1080 if I remember correctly through my HDMI port.

 

Is the audio out through HDMI surround, or not?

 

It is. You will need an HDMI receiver to get the surround sound though.

 

some tvs, like mine, have an optical passthrough for the hdmi cable. so all your reciever has to have is an optical connection to get the digita sound from the hdmi cable.

 

What about the qualitiy of VGA out, if you watch HD Movies on the TV??
Most LCD TVs have VGA-in also!

Does one really notice the difference?

 

You might notice the difference of VGA vs HDMI, but most LCD's (well no the cheap ones) have DVI. DVI will not look different really than HDMI, but VGA < DVI and VGA < HDMI but DVI and HDMI are about equal.

 

I've been using HDMI on A/V components for a few years now. Frankly, I find it no different from Component YPrPb or VGA, in terms of picture quality.

HDMI has had changes in specs over the years, and plenty of growing pains accompanied those changes, as equipment was not always keeping pace.

For computer use, the VGA input is vastly superior to HDMI, on my HDTV. It provides greater control of calibration parameters and allows for 1:1 pixel mapping.

DRM or HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), as it relates to Blu-Ray, HD DVD, and other high definition broadcast mediums, has been the culprit of many connectivity problems.

Personally, I don't find a "purely digital" signal to be any better than an analog, and I can view HD content at high definition resolutions over VGA just the same. The only advantage to HDMI is combining video and audio in one cable. However, since the newer lossless audio codecs (i.e. Dolby TruHD or DTS-HD MA) being used in Blu-Ray and HD DVD require specific HW/SW for decoding, multichannel analog is currently the only practical way to experience the benefits of lossless audio from a PC.

Not all HDTV's and surround sound receivers are created equal so, YMMV.

 

"Purely digital" will not be so noticeable when you play content from Bluray or HDDVD on your TV using HDMI but will be clearly visible when you are receiving the streams through cable/terestrial/satellite using a Set Top Box and connect it to TV using HDMI....

Believe me I work in a company that does STBs and I have clearly seen the difference between the analog and digital counterparts.....

VGA is good but HDMI is superior to that.... But like you said HDMI provides support for these DRMs, HDCP and other digital encryption/protection systems and that sort of makes things troublesome....

 

That hasn't been my experience with Dish Network and their ViP622 STB/DVR...

I don't doubt your experience with STB's but, there are still plenty of HDTV's on the market and in homes that do DAC's on the digital stream before it is displayed.

Until recently, most HD display devices had a native resolution of 1366x768. Manufacturers simply refer to these HDTV's as 720p as a marketing term.

Unless a monitor receives an input signal that matches it's native resolution and deinterlacing and scaling processes are bypassed, there is still interpolation occurring that can impact picture quality. Add to that the quality variance in these processes across different manufacturers' chipsets and the quality differences that broadcast and rebroadcast programming providers exhibit in their compression standards and, we're left with subjective differences in picture quality that cannot be boiled down to something as simple as a "digital is better" statement, IMHO.

 

If you dont see any difference between HDMI and VGA or Component, then you either need a better TV, or you need to get your eyes checked! I'll admit that the difference is subtle, but there IS a difference!

And you will change your mind about "purely digital" not being better than analog if you ever get any electrical interference!

An analog signal will completely mess up if there is electrical noise (interference) nearby, but a digital signal wont!