Computer, television and game technology continues to develop at a rapid pace. With these developments, new tools and equipment are starting to enter our lives. One of these tools is HDMI cables that connect our devices to each other and work in harmony. In order to operate some of our devices, we may need to connect them to a TV or computer. We may want to transfer some of them to a larger screen and increase our enjoyment. In such cases, HDMI cables come to our aid. In this article, we will try to explain what an HDMI cable is and what it does.
What is HDMI Cable?
HDMI cables can be defined as interfaces that allow transferring image and sound in digital environment without compression. We often use HDMI cables in video players, computers, game consoles and digital satellite receivers.
What Does an HDMI Cable Do?
Watching movies on our computers is one of our greatest pleasures. However, due to the small monitors, this activity may not be enjoyable enough. In order to increase our enjoyment of watching movies, we can connect our computer to our big-screen TV with an HDMI cable and watch movies or videos as we wish. We can also play computer games.
One of the activities we enjoy at home is playing games on game consoles. We use an HDMI cable to project the image from the game consoles to our television screen.
In the digitalizing world, satellite receivers have also started to go digital. We can connect digital satellite receivers to our television with an HDMI cable.
HDMI cable is not only used for video and audio transmission for entertainment purposes. While making presentations at work, we can provide better quality image transfer by connecting our laptop to the projector with an HDMI cable. In addition, since we can transfer audio, we can create audio presentations that impress everyone.
In addition, we have the opportunity to connect our mobile phones to the television with an HDMI cable. One end of these tools, which are produced for mobile phones, is inserted into the charging socket of the mobile phone. We can plug the other end into our TV.
What Should We Consider When Buying an HDMI Cable?
The developments in technological devices cause the development of the tools we use with these devices. As a result of the increase in image and sound quality, HDMI cables also need to keep up with this development.
First generation HDMI cables have been upgraded to second generation technology as they are slow in current image transfers. If you do not want to experience problems such as freezing or slowdown in images, it will be useful to choose second generation cables when buying HDMI cables.
If you’re going to watch ultra-high-definition videos, you should be checking for high-speed alongside the second-generation HDMI cable. You can decide which cable to choose depending on the video output power of the device to which you will transfer video and audio.
Since HDMI cables provide the transfer between two devices, the second point you need to pay attention to is the cable length. You can determine the appropriate size according to where your computer, video player or game console will stand, and get a cable accordingly. If you choose a cable that is longer than necessary, you both increase the cable crowd in your home and decrease the signal quality. When you buy a shorter cable, we also need to place the two devices close to each other. Especially if we have space problems, we will not be able to see any benefit from short cables.
There is no such thing as a higher quality HDMI cable with the more expensive one. Therefore, when choosing an HDMI cable, you should do it according to its features, not its price. A second-generation HDMI cable sells for a higher price than first-generation cables. Because its features are more advanced than the other. In such cases, we can normally cover the price difference. However, we do not need to pay more for a device with the same features.
What Does an HDMI Second Generation Cable Do?
The biggest change after the introduction of HDMI cables has been experienced with the second generation technology. This version change is called HDMI 2.0.
It is now possible to transfer up to 4K image quality with second generation HDMI cables. In addition, since its speed is higher than other cables, you do not experience any freezing problems while watching movies or playing games.
At the same time, HDR support was added with the second generation. In the world of technology, where the image quality has increased so much, this development is also among the important points. Because in this way, we also have the vivid and natural colors in the transferred images.
In order to achieve HDR quality in the images we transfer, some criteria must be met. First of all, we need to have a television that supports HDR image and HDMI 2.0 connection. Secondly, the image that we will transfer, that is, the real content, must also have HDR feature.
The vast majority of televisions produced today support HDR picture quality and HDMI 2.0 connection. In addition, original content, especially produced for digital platforms, is shot in accordance with HDR quality. In addition to these, the images in the developed games are started to be produced accordingly.
Thanks to HDMI 2.0 technology, we will be able to transfer between our devices flawlessly and have a magnificent visual experience in terms of image quality.
Although there is not much in the market for second generation HDMI cables, there is another development. HDMI 2.1 technology is also now being produced. Thanks to this technology, transfers up to 10K image quality can be done easily. In the current situation, we do not need any devices as there are no devices that can use this technology and content with this image quality is not produced.
As image quality and television technology continue to improve, we will soon be starting to use HDMI 2.1 cables.
