We
receive emails all the time from listeners asking us about cables. Many
ask what they would be missing of they were to use Component cable
instead of HDMI. From a picture point of view your not giving up too
much. From an audio point of view you would need to run eight RCA
cables to bring in Dolby True HD or DTS MA sound tracks. Eight cables
for audio and three for video. That's eleven cables to do the work of
one HDMI cable. So with such a big advantage in cable management alone,
we found it interesting that professional installers preferred to use
component cables.
Grades
In the table below, I've graded each service on the following criteria:
Usability: How intuitive is the user interface, how easy is it to purchase movies and how quickly can you start watching
Audio/Video: General audio/video quality
Selection: Available titles, HD support, rent vs. buy
Cost: How do the rental/purchase costs compare with traditional rentals and purchases, or with similar providers
Service
Usability
Audio/Video
Selection
Cost
Overall
Amazon Unbox
B
D
C
A
C
Apple TV
A-
B
B
B
B+
Dish
B
C
F
F
D
Microsoft Xbox
B
B
C
C
B-
VUDU
A
A
A
A-
A
Overview Comparison:
Service
PC / STB
Resolution(s)
Selection 2
Cost
Amazon Unbox
PC or STB 1
480p
6,000 movies, 1000 TV series
Rent: $0.99 - $3.99
Buy: $9.99 - $14.99
Apple TV
STB
480p, 720p
~700 movies (200 HD), ~200 TV series
Rent: $2.99 - $4.99
Buy: $9.99 - $14.99
Dish
STB
480p
300 movies, no HD content
Rent: $2.99 - $4.99
Microsoft Xbox
STB
480p, 720p
300 movies (~150 HD), 300 TV series
Rent: $3 - $6
VUDU
STB
480p, 1080p
6,000 movies (100+ HD), ~50 TV series
Rent: $0.99 - $5.99
Buy: $4.99 - $24.99
1 - Amazon Unbox is available through TiVo Series 2 or 3 set-top boxes 2 - Selection is approximate and rounded
HDMI or Component from a professional Installer's Point of View
On today's show we discuss an article in CE Pro titled HDMI or Component? Integrators Weigh In written
by Donna Englander that will explain why so many professionals prefer
component cables. It all comes down to reliability.
The
main job of a professional installer is to make the viewing experience
as bullet proof as possible. HDMI in its early stages was anything but
that. Many professional installers agree that the specification has
come a long way since its version 1.0 implementation but few are ready
to give HDMI another shot. With version 1.3 most of the handshaking
issues have been eliminated and devices that support V1.3 play together
nicely. But there is no denying that for long runs (50 feet or more)
HDMI has its issues. If you are using HDMI for a local setup we don't
think anyone will argue that its the easiest and best way to go. If you
are setting up a projector room or whole house video where the
equipment and the projector are separated by a large distance component
is the only real way to go.
The main complaints about HDMI cables are:
You can't reliably run HDMI cables as far as component cables
You can't make custom lengths
No good HDMI via Cat 5
Cost
HDCP not working
Advantages of HDMI:
Audio and video on the same cable
Future Proof
Things to Consider:
The HT Guys have successfully used a 50 foot HDMI cable for a review (Podcast 100)
HDMI version 1.3 is the is the most reliable when it comes to HDCP handshaking
You
can buy a 25 foot HDMI 1.3a cable for around $40, 50 feet goes for
about $135 and 100 feet go for about $255. Still less than a premium
priced two meter HDMI cable.
Test the connection prior to completing your installation.
Make sure you can return the cable if it does not work.
Additional Reading:
Long
time listener and friend of the show Joe sent us a link to an article
in EDN that talks about all the confusion in the HDMI world. It seems
that the HDMI group has their work cut out for them. Check out NAB 2008: Audio Precision Ameliorates HDMI Confusion.
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