[John Haghighi]

Now that HDMI is emerging as the standard for interconnecting smart devices, is DVI and firewire headed to an early grave?


Although HDMI enabled devices are backwards compatible with DVI equipment using an adapter and losing the audio and smart features, why should anyone looking to purchase a new receiver or HDTV today settle for one without HDMI inputs?

 

[bfdtv]

HDMI has no practical benefit for the end-user over DVI for video applications today or in the forseeable future. There are far more important considerations than HDMI vs DVI when looking at a receiver or television, imo.

 

[Kipp Jones]

1394 is currently the only digital interface that offers HD recording, HDMI does not. So to answer your question, no.

 

[jkhome]

HDMI audio/video combination cabling will be great for joe6pack when he buys that home theater in a box/ with included TV, making cabling hookup much easier. Later down the road, when all our components "talk" to each other via HDMI two-way communication, that will be great...or will it? Will we be rebooting our A/V systems as much as we do our computers now and wishing for the good old days? Only time will tell..

 

[Kipp Jones]

Quote:

Originally posted by jkhome Later down the road, when all our components "talk" to each other via HDMI two-way communication, that will be great...or will it?

Keep in mind the "two way" communication with HDMI is very limited. To quote out of the WSR article "distribute basic control data between a/v components". For full two way communication, you would be looking at 1394, cat5 and wireless.

 

[amillians]

Quote:

Originally posted by bfdtv HDMI has no practical benefit for the end-user over DVI for video applications today or in the forseeable future.

Not exactly. HDMI supports much longer native cable runs (up to 50' full blast vs. +/- 15' full blast, which can make a huge difference in cabling costs for a front projector or non-traditional setup) and a much more conduit-friendly connector (think USB size vs. VGA+ size). HDMI also supports 480i/60 signals, which DVI doesn't. The limited bidirectional command/control support might be of some interest as well.


P.S. This doesn't mean that DVI/HDCP or Firewire is obsolete. HDMI is simply the next evolution of DVI/HDCP (some would say it's what DVI/HDCP should have been since day one), and Firewire is a different interface altogether, with a different--and much needed--purpose. Firewire itself as a transport is also evolving, but it's backwards compatible.

 

[sjyang]

The primary issue with Firewire is that it hasn't gotten a lot of traction. The original thought with Firewire and (5C protection) was that firewire would be the only connection necessary between your various components.


That hasn't come to fruition for a lot of reasons, both technical and political. IMHO, firewire may continue to get traction and be included on displays as an unencrypted digital transport to accomodate the many firewire enabled DV-Cameras out there. However, as the dominate transport for commericial content, it just hasn't gotten the support.

 

[JFerg]

Quote:

Originally posted by kippjones ...For full two way communication, you would be looking at 1394, cat5 and wireless.

Can you say Bluetooth?

 

[Kipp Jones]

Quote:

Originally posted by JFerg Can you say Bluetooth?

bloootoooth.....

 

[tji]

I thought the issues holding 1394 back were mostly (only?) political. But, I am not really up to speed on the whole situation. Can someone expand on the technical limitations of 1394?


If there are technical issues, what is the alternative? DVI/HDMI are solving a different problem (with some overlap).

Quote:

Originally posted by sjyang That hasn't come to fruition for a lot of reasons, both technical and political. IMHO, firewire may continue to get traction and be included on displays as an unencrypted digital transport to accomodate the many firewire enabled DV-Cameras out there. However, as the dominate transport for commericial content, it just hasn't gotten the support.