HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and it is a standard cable that allows high definition video and sound to be transferred between HD equipment such as TVs, Blu-ray players and games consoles.
We’ll leave aside the technical considerations for a moment (if you are interested, you can read the Wikipedia entry on HDMI) and instead look at what types of cabling you’ll need to use.
Connecting It All Up
Most modern high definition TVs and other equipment will come with at least one HDMI port on them. It is this into which an HDMI cable is plugged.
If you have a HDTV and a Blu-ray player, connecting them together with an HDMI cable means that the HD video and sound on the Blu-ray disc can be transferred in high quality to your TV.
Other types of cable are available, but for most people, HDMI cable is the simplest and offers the best quality.
If your particular piece of equipment supports HD but doesn’t have an HDMI port, it’s possible to buy converters. For example, some computers feature DVI-D ports that can work with high definition video signals but need a converter to allow them to be connected to a TV or projector using a standard HDMI cable.
Video and Sound
HDMI cables can transfer both the high definition video and the associated sound. However, as it is a single cable, it can only be connected between two devices.
If you want to use your hi-fi for sound, you’ll also need some separate audio cables to transfer the sound from the source equipment (like a Blu-ray player) to your sound system.
Multiple HDMI ports
It’s usual for equipment that displays your video content (such as a TV or video projector) to have more than one HDMI port. Many TVs now have at least three or four.
This allows you to connect up more than one piece of HD equipment at the same time — a Blu-ray player, a Sky+HD box and a HD games console, for example.
If you don’t have enough HDMI ports for all the equipment you want to connect, you will either have to swap out cables, or (more sensibly) buy an HDMI splitter box.
Compatibility
All equipment that supports HDMI should work together, but it’s worth mentioning that the HDMI standard has been enhanced over the past few years.
This means that very old equipment may not ‘understand’ everything sent from very new equipment. However, every piece of kit should adhere to a basic set of standards for transmitting and receiving high definition video and audio, so you shouldn’t run into problems.