HDMI stands for a high definition multimedia interface, It is the interface between smartphones and displays. Smart devices include a laptop, smartphones, tablets, etc. Here I have to discuss the advantages or benefits and disadvantages or drawbacks of HDMI to better understand this topic.
Benefit or Advantages of HDMI:
- It offers loss transmission and better quality video.
- HDMI interface cable can be used to carry both the signs; audio and video signals also. Hence separate audio/video cable is no longer needed.
- It simplifies connectivity between devices with some fewer cables rather than multiple cables used earlier.
- Texts are displayed with more sharpness on the screen.
- It offers lossless transmission and better quality video.
- It offers signal integrity and hence it is possible to transmit HD content without any degradation or alteration.
- It offers 2-way communication with automatic configurations. Hence any external intervention to identify best resolution/audio formats can be avoided.
- HDMI interface is available in many smart devices such as laptops, tablets, phones and hence they can be connected with large size TV to make it a bigger monitor for viewing programs.
- It offers authentication and encryption of the data carried by cables.
- HD signals are transmitted without any compression and hence there is no degradation in the quality of the signals.
- HDMI system support 10 bit, 12 bit and 16-bit colour depths which can render over one billion colours in good details.
- They can deliver deep color depths due to support of various bit formats, like e.g 10/12/16 bits.
- HDMI supports multi-channel surround sound, 702p, 1080p, 1080i, PAL, NTSC, standard stereo, etc.
- They enable the digital signal to be stored, transmitted and viewed without changes from the original and hence the signal degradation is not prominent. So it is better to transmit HD content.
- HDMI enables lossless transmission and better quality video at low brightness scenes at higher resolutions.
- The complexity of implementing audio video control system is better.
- It is backward compatible with DVI interface, DVI enables PC's can send HD content to display devices.
- HDMI support Dolby/DTS-8 channel audio streams for the highest quality.
- Display port is a parallel technology for audio/video interfaces like HDMI and HDMI devices are compatible with the display port interface.
- The sink device can indicate its presence to a source with a hot plug detect signal to identify when a cable has been connected and to start authentication.
Drawback or Disadvantages of HDMI:
- They are expensive compare to analog cables.
- Multiple applications spread across multiple locations are difficult to run simultaneously.
- Sometimes authentication delay can lead to ti blank screens.
- In order to use for DVI interfacing, it requires separate audio cable, an HDMI-DVI adapter is also needed.
- HDMI category-1 support a distance of about 35 meters whereas HDMI category 2 support distance of about 10 meters.
- Sometimes blank screens can be caused due to authentication delay, they can also be screen flashing errors.
- There is a limitation to field termination of HDMI cables, They cannot be easily terminated in the field like their analog counterpart.
- Both HDMI and EDID(Extended display identification data) specifications offer limited guidance in multiple location deployment scenarios.
- The consumer electronic formate which enables the different devices to talk to each other becomes a problem when there is a central control system to control all the connected audio/video devices. It causes too much confusion when the devices themselves change their configuration as they might get undetected by the control of the overall systems.
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