If you’re looking to spruce up your home theater system, look no further than the power of HDMI. HDMI offers state-of-the-art picture quality, thanks to more colors and pixels and a faster refresh. HDMI offers many benefits for audio and other elements as well, especially if you decide to upgrade to the most current version – HDMI 2.0.
However, in order to take advantage of all that HDMI has to offer, your TV and other components all need to be compatible. This means having the right cables and connectors, as well as possibly upgrading your current devices to newer versions.
Cables allow you to connect various devices to your TV so you can view everything in high definition. You can use cables for computers, Blu-ray players, gaming devices, mobile devices, and more.
Extenders extend HDMI audio and video over wide ranges. Extenders are pricey – many cost over $1,000 – but they can add as much as 5,000 feet to your signal, making them ideal for whole-house applications. Some can extend USB signal as well.
Splitters take the HDMI signal and duplicate it. That way, you can get the same quality signal to different displays. You will see the same audio and video on the two displays at the same time. This is called mirroring.
Switches are different from splitters in that they allow you to connect multiple sources – typically four or five – and you can choose which source to display on the TV. This allows you to, for example, connect a Blu-ray player, video gaming device, and computer all at the same time. Switches are useful if your TV has only one HDMI input.
HDMI FAQ
What does HDMI stand for and what does it do?
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. This comprehensive technology transmits both audio and video through a single cable.
