HDMI Cable: Spring Cleaning Made Easier

In some ways, installed HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cables are better than having a dog. A dog has to be let out, a dog never cleans up after himself, and a dog won't connect set-top boxes, Blu-ray/DVD players, personal computers, video game consoles and AV receivers onto one TV screen. Admittedly, this is a stretch, but what if it were possible to actually have that kind of convenience? It is!

By now I'm sure you (and every small child that's ever come into your home) has noticed the huge rat's nest of cables behind your television monitor. Not only is this unsightly, but more than a little dangerous to your devices and makes upgrading your current devices, such as DVD players, receivers and set top boxes, a real hassle. Imagine just unplugging one end of a cable and plugging in another. Wow, that's amazing!

First you will need to take stock of what you actually have as part of your multimedia extravaganza. How many different devices do you have? By devices, we mean things like set top boxes, DVD and Blu-Ray players; you get it. Now check the backs of everything for an HDMI output. Hey! I'll bet most of your stuff says "HDMI out". If there is some doubt, have an HDMI cable on hand to try out.

While you were doing this you might have noticed that your TV only has one HDMI input. Your powers of observation are commended and as a reward you are offered an HDMI hub! What is an HDMI hub? Simply put, it is a switch or way to "splice together" all of your devices. In other words you could plug your DVD player, your Blu-Ray, and your cable box into one device and that one device into your TV.

HDMI hubs can be relatively inexpensive (between $30 and $1,200) and offer the convenience of being able to have a central location for all of your multimedia devices. What's more is they will make it so there's only one cable going up to your TV. Hubs come in a lot of different configurations and with several extra functions; such as automatic switching from device to device. To figure out what size hub you need, simply count the number of devices you need connected to your TV that have HDMI out ports. Let's say you have five. Since you only have one TV to connect them to, you would be looking for a 5x1 HDMI Hub. Hub will also accommodate several TVs or monitors. For the home user, it's almost preferred to have two separated hubs to avoid complicated switching options.

To get to the meat of the subject, HDMI cables can be cheap or expensive depending on your needs. The two basic things to look for are possible EMI (Electro-Magnet Interference, or cable noise) sources and cable length needed. Determining length is pretty easy when you consider digital signal can travel through a cable for 50' without any noticeable deterioration. Should you need to go further (for Pete's sake--why?), you can purchase digital repeaters. EMI is a little trickier though. Takestock of your electrical cords as they are the main culprits. Try your best to separate them from all the other cables. If that's not practical, just buy HDMI cables with thicker shielding. The price range for your cables can be anywhere from $8 to $100, so you have a lot of room to work with.

HDMI cables also come in various types and versions. The latest version is 1.4 which is capable of carrying virtually any type of digital signal without any effort. Various types are basically nothing more than how the plug looks. If you have a plug in that looks different than the cable you have, there is an adapter in your future. No worries though, adapters are all plug and play. As an added bonus, if you see a port labeled "DVI," you can use that (with an adapter) in place of an HDMI port. The signal translates perfectly. In fact, they could be first cousins.

HDMI will never replace the love of a child or cook you breakfast, but it will make your life easier. With just a few hours of planning and installation you have enabled your home theater to be aesthetically more pleasing and a lot easier to upgrade. You've also eliminated that nasty eyesore of cables you've wadded up and gave up on a long time ago. With HDMI, you can give up on them permanently.
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on HDMI Review which discusses how you can get low prices on HDMI Cables, Splitters, Extenders, Boxes, and Adaptors.