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Video

HDMI

Also called: High-Definition Multimedia Interface

The standard digital interface for carrying video, audio, control, and copy protection between sources and displays over one cable.

Each HDMI version raises the bandwidth ceiling — 2.0 handles 4K60 with 4:4:4 chroma at 18 Gbps, 2.1 goes to 48 Gbps for 8K and high frame rate. The version that matters is the lowest one in the chain: a 2.1 source through a 2.0 extender is a 2.0 system, and it will negotiate down or blank rather than warn you.

Passive HDMI beyond about 25 feet is a gamble at 4K; that is where active optical cable or HDBaseT belongs. In-wall HDMI is worth avoiding entirely — when the standard moves, a category cable and new endpoints cost far less than opening a wall.

Related terms

HDBaseT
A transmission standard that sends uncompressed HD video, audio, control, Ethernet, and power up to roughly 100 m over a single category cable.
EDID
The data block a display sends back to a source describing the resolutions, refresh rates, and audio formats it accepts, so the source knows what to output.
HDCP
Copy protection that encrypts video between source and display and refuses to pass content if any device in the chain fails to authenticate.
Scaler
Processing that converts an incoming video signal to the native resolution and refresh rate of the display it is being sent to.

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