Home cinema - Vaughan :

alfred wrote:
Wow,

Thanks for the very detailed advice, you put on the right track for
the better buy.

What is the HDMI ? and what does it do.

Many thanks for a brill review alf

Glad to help!

HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and is the latest
method of connecting AV devices. It provides a digital connection which
carries both sound and vision, so you don't need separate cables, and its
much thinner than the bulky SCART cables we've used up to now.

I wouldn't worry too much about having it unless you're investing in a top
quality large-screen HD TV. In theory it's the best method of connecting
because it keeps the signal in the digital domain, but in practice
connecting via a component video cable usually looks just as good (just my
opinion, others may disagree!).

Also, both component video and HDMI connections allow 'upscaling', giving
the optimum picture quality for DVD playback (providing your screen has the
necessary resolution, i.e. HD-ready).

Finally, if you do go for a machine with HDMI make sure you don't get ripped
off with the cable purchase! There has been a lot of discussion here about
whether its worth paying a lot for so-called 'premium' cables. In reality
its not - HDMI cables can cost up to 100.00 but it's not necessary to pay
that - a 20.00 cable will be fine.

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search2/b...questid=332463